Cubicle Dreamin': Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park

Where: 111 Lake Louise Drive, Lake Louise, AB, Canada, T0L1E0

August 15, 2007 at 2:45 PM | by barbarab | 0 Comments

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven BarbaraB heads to Canada. Enjoy.

When people used to tell me they were going to the Canadian Rockies, I was all yawns. Something snapped recently when I set eyes on a photograph of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. The lake is an incongruous turquoise. In the background looms Victoria Glacier; surrounding the lake are those mountains, endless mountains. In the foreground, sits the hotel, a charmingly asymmetrical chateau-style structure.

I'd reserve a Deluxe Lakeview Room with two queen beds. I'd need two, because for this one, I'd definitely bring my son. The Boy, who's ten, is just wild for wildlife. The hotel is set in Banf National Park, in an area that also happens to be a United Nations World Heritage site. There's not much else to do in the surrounding environs but partake in the Great Outdoors.

Details on achieving a Canadian Rocky Mountain high after the jump.

Of the following suggestions, from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise's website,

Take a hike with one of our certified mountain guides or grab an oar and paddle yourself on the captivating waters of our awe-inspiring lake. Investigate the area on a mountain bike or relax, thread your bobbin and spend the day fly-fishing. Saddle up for a day of horseback riding and in the winter, take part in some snow shoeing and don't forget to take advantage of Lake Louise's world renowned skiing.

I'd choose the guided hiking, the oar-grabbing paddling, the mountain biking and horseback riding for The Boy and me. If we were there during ski season, I'd entrust The Boy to the staff for downhill instruction and stick to snow shoeing. But I'd like to get there before the snow, which starts as early as late October. That way, we'd have a better chance of seeing some of the animals the hotel website says we might see, including cougars, grizzly and black bears. Oh my!

Things I'd be sure not to miss: A swim in the heated indoor pool. A treatment, to be decided on the spot, at the Escape Spa. A game of pool at the Glacier Saloon. With a beer. The first drink at high altitude - the hotel is more than 5,000 feet above sea level - goes a long way.

I'm mindful of the price, and that some rooms are newer. For a three-night stay in mid-September, The Deluxe Lakeview Room was $849 CAD per night when I checked earlier this week. That's $788 in U.S. dollars. So, this is no budget getaway. It's very remote, kind of like the Seychelles on land. I'd expect to pay a premium.

The reviews on TripAdvisor are somewhat mixed, though favorable postings outweigh critical ones. Still, I've noted that some guests have found the hotel was overpriced given the service, which was not up to snuff for some posters, but fine for many others.

I always wonder if some of the critical posters on TripAdvisor are unrealistic as far as their expectations. I tend to calibrate mine in line with reality. Now if I could only make getting to Lake Louise one.

K-ideas]

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