Banff
Canada


The Experience

Designed way back in the 1930s by a New York architect, Bruce Price, renowned for his late Victorian château-inspired lines, this hotel opened for the first time for winter some 40 years later to capture the expanding ski market. The hotel, set in the middle of dramatic wilderness, looks on first sight like Hogwarts meets a Disney castle, with a touch of Scottish baronial. You get a plan of the hotel when you check in so that you don’t get lost (though it’s no guarantee), but you may just want to wander, since it’s so impressive: endless staircases, vaulted ceilings, towering stone columns -- and the $2.3 million renovation in 2003 only made it more so. Still, this is a place about recreation and the outdoors -- and drinking in the clean air of the Canadian Rockies.

The Rooms

At the bottom end of the scale are the cozy Fairmont rooms with mountain views, traditional fabrics and furniture. But “cozy” means small -- just 160 square feet, and some come with a view of the parking lot. It is well worth the extra money to move up a couple of grades to the 260-square-feet Signature rooms (request valley side), which reflect the architectural style of the hotel; the fabrics, bold stripes mixed with soft florals, aren’t that easy on the eye, however. To get significantly more space, upgrade to at least the 444-square-feet one-bedroom suites.

The Service

This is a well-oiled machine. The staff have friendly smiles and an attitude that goes beyond the usual platitudes, but don’t expect to see the same person twice -- unless you’re here for a week or more.

The Highlights

Don’t miss Heritage Hall (on a balcony overlooking the lobby), with its pictorial history of the mountain culture of the Rockies and the Canadian Pacific Railroad. To relax, chill out in one of the three waterfall pools or the mineral pool to soothe aching muscles, or try the spa’s Ultimate Ascent massage, which starts with the feet and works its way up the body. Dining opportunities are equally endless, but can be crowded if the hotel is full. Still, recreation is why most people come, and the list goes on and on: skiing, a championship 27-hole golf course, mountain biking -- even bowling for indoor enthusiasts. Or just ride the gondola up the side of the mountain and take in the surrounding majesty.

--Alistair Scott

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