This year for NYE the trio decided to travel to Banff, Alberta, Canada to take in the beautiful Canadian Rockies! We stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and enjoyed all the sights of Banff. Here is a list of some of the "Best" Banff had to offer.
Best Experience: Alpine Helicopter Tour-we decided on the Three Sisters tour. A quick 12 minute flight, but the views were spectacular and the overall experience was amazing. Everyone has a window seat and it seats up to 5 people. Once you are in the air every thought seems to disappear and you are in the moment zipping along mountain ranges and trying to take everything in. I would have loved to try a longer flight, but this was a great taste of the Rockies.
Best Food Experience: Eden- Rimrock Resort- a short snowy drive up the mountain sits a beautiful hotel with the Eden being the star restaurant. French inspired this tasting menu provided us with a unique culinary experience. My favorite course being the cleansing palette, which provided us with a sorbet and a dried ice bowl for us to waft the smell to help further cleanse the palette. Our sommelier described each wine and how we could experience it with each course. I still like La Panache in Quebec City better, but this was a great food experience.
Best View: Banff Gondola- the entrance to the gondola is about 10 minutes from Banff, near the hot springs. The gondola ride itself is beautiful, but once you reach the top and see the views from 360 degrees it is breathtaking. It was bitterly cold the day we went so we didn't stand around outside long, but we made sure to walk out to the tower. If you stayed moving it wasn't too bad. I love our Smoky Mountains, but seeing the Rockies covered is snow was something magical.
Best Spa: Willow Stream Spa - the spa at Fairmont was divine. An indoor mineral pool, several indoor hot tubs and one outdoor hot tub provided plenty of space for the guests relaxing. The outdoor section was my favorite. Being able to walk outside in the snow and enjoy the heat of a hot tub was a first for me. The mountains in the background provided the perfect setting for a relaxing afternoon.
Best Place to have a drink: Park Distillery- located in downtown Banff this distillery makes gin, vodka and rye. We sampled a few of the specialty make cocktails and flights. I enjoyed the flight Yona got and would highly recommend the flight then trying a drink with whichever spirit preferred.
Best Hotel: Fairmont Banff Springs- location, views, food, service, facilities. I cannot say enough good things about everything this hotel provided. Everything is as expected for a Fairmont Hotel. I would recommend if you want to stay at places like this to join their loyalty programs to get deals and free/discounted services. Also you gain access to certain privileges by staying with one brand multiple times.
Best NYE Party: NYE Gala- a short walk to the next building over and we joined the party. We loved the NYE Gala at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac so we wanted to stick with the same type of party again. This party was all inclusive, providing cocktail hour, dinner, dancing and New Year's celebrations! I enjoyed our time dancing into the night. I loved the set up at the Frontenac more than this one, but it was still a great party to be part of ringing in the New Year!
If you have any questions about how we book, who we go through, or about our experiences just comment below!
Best Experience: Alpine Helicopter Tour-we decided on the Three Sisters tour. A quick 12 minute flight, but the views were spectacular and the overall experience was amazing. Everyone has a window seat and it seats up to 5 people. Once you are in the air every thought seems to disappear and you are in the moment zipping along mountain ranges and trying to take everything in. I would have loved to try a longer flight, but this was a great taste of the Rockies.
Best Food: Bison Restaurant -after a long day of travelling this was our first stop in Banff, but it ended up being my favorite. The bison burger was probably one of the best options on the menu. A great combination of flavors and the roasted potatoes were crisp and salted to perfection. The atmosphere here is relaxed, but provided quality service.
Best Food Experience: Eden- Rimrock Resort- a short snowy drive up the mountain sits a beautiful hotel with the Eden being the star restaurant. French inspired this tasting menu provided us with a unique culinary experience. My favorite course being the cleansing palette, which provided us with a sorbet and a dried ice bowl for us to waft the smell to help further cleanse the palette. Our sommelier described each wine and how we could experience it with each course. I still like La Panache in Quebec City better, but this was a great food experience.
Best View: Banff Gondola- the entrance to the gondola is about 10 minutes from Banff, near the hot springs. The gondola ride itself is beautiful, but once you reach the top and see the views from 360 degrees it is breathtaking. It was bitterly cold the day we went so we didn't stand around outside long, but we made sure to walk out to the tower. If you stayed moving it wasn't too bad. I love our Smoky Mountains, but seeing the Rockies covered is snow was something magical.
Best Spa: Willow Stream Spa - the spa at Fairmont was divine. An indoor mineral pool, several indoor hot tubs and one outdoor hot tub provided plenty of space for the guests relaxing. The outdoor section was my favorite. Being able to walk outside in the snow and enjoy the heat of a hot tub was a first for me. The mountains in the background provided the perfect setting for a relaxing afternoon.
Best Place to have a drink: Park Distillery- located in downtown Banff this distillery makes gin, vodka and rye. We sampled a few of the specialty make cocktails and flights. I enjoyed the flight Yona got and would highly recommend the flight then trying a drink with whichever spirit preferred.
Best Hotel: Fairmont Banff Springs- location, views, food, service, facilities. I cannot say enough good things about everything this hotel provided. Everything is as expected for a Fairmont Hotel. I would recommend if you want to stay at places like this to join their loyalty programs to get deals and free/discounted services. Also you gain access to certain privileges by staying with one brand multiple times.
Best NYE Party: NYE Gala- a short walk to the next building over and we joined the party. We loved the NYE Gala at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac so we wanted to stick with the same type of party again. This party was all inclusive, providing cocktail hour, dinner, dancing and New Year's celebrations! I enjoyed our time dancing into the night. I loved the set up at the Frontenac more than this one, but it was still a great party to be part of ringing in the New Year!
If you have any questions about how we book, who we go through, or about our experiences just comment below!
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