Travel Tuesday: Rewind to Lake Louise

This year, we defied the horror stories of traveling with a baby and ventured out to some amazing places.  Looking back, I feel so blessed….and actually quite impressed that we survived in one piece with a super active baby J.  Today I’m sharing one of my fave destination from this year’s travels: Lake Louise. Specifically, the The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  A couple months ago I shared some travel updates from our trip to Banff {see here & here}, but I did not give enough love to our spectacular accommodations.  And in my opinion, the only place to stay if you plan on going.

I’ve stayed at some pretty nice hotels in my day traveling the world, like the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, Ritz Carlton Santiago Chile, Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea/Jordan, Castello Di Casole in Tuscany. But the winner for amazing backyard views goes to Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  The availability of this hotel was one of the deciding factors for us traveling to Banff.  So funny but when I first looked, the hotel was actually sold out.  So we thought about going somewhere else. But something told me I should check again the next morning, and voila!  It was available.  So I immediately booked because in my mind, it was totally meant to be.  

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is over 100 years old.  It is located in Alberta’s Banff National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Not only is it on the amazing Lake, the hotel is surrounded by beautiful rocky mountains and the Victoria Glacier.  You can even rent a canoe from the hotel to take a short ride around the lake to really take in the scenery.

We got a little corner room with views of the mountains and lake.  Hello upgrade!!!  The room was great – clean, good bathroom toiletries and spacious enough for a little crib for baby J.  Not much else I can ask for.  

There seemed to be a lot of families staying there, which I loved.  If you have kids and want to see Lake Louise, this is the best spot.  Since its literally on the Lake, we were able to go out there a couple times a day; go for a hike then come back for naps, or if we forgot Jaxson’s snack or whatever it was that we needed.  The convenience when you have a little one is just priceless. 

As for restaurants, the Lakeview Lounge is incredible.  The windows frame the lake and surrounding mountains like a perfectly painted portrait.  So beautiful!  The food is good – your standard selection of sandwiches, soups and salads.  And they have a decent kids menu as well.  

Lastly, the people are so nice!! But that is my general opinion of almost all Canadians I know.  The hotel staff was not only friendly but knowledgeable as well. I don’t think we would have gone to Lake Moraine had we not met a wise staffer in the elevator.  

I’m already planning my next trip!  Scroll down for a few photos taken from the grounds of the hotel.

What’s on your travel list for 2016?