Banff Hotels

Planning your Banff Vacation and are not sure which hotel to stay at? I clearly suggest the Banff Aspen Lodge...and here is a guest who agrees with me; "the staff are excellent. They made our stay feel like a five star experience" - from Cheryl who stayed at the hotel this past week.

The Banff Aspen Lodge has a great location, just a two minute walk to downtown Banff. We feature two outdoor hot tubs WITH an outdoor fireplace and all room rates include our Canadian Rockies Continental Breakfast daily.

Book your Banff Aspen Lodge Getaway today :)

Johnston's Canyon

If you are looking for an easy hike in Banff National Park, I highly suggest Johnston's Canyon. It is located on the Bow Valley Parkway (on the 1A) between Banff and Lake Louise.

There are three options for you depending on how long you have to hike and how hard you want to work:
*Lower Falls; this is around a 1.1 km walk each way and you end up at the Johnston Canyon Lower Falls. There is a gorgeous waterfall at the end, along with a a mini cave that you can go through. This is a fairly easy walk on paved walkways~
*Upper Falls; this is a 2.7 km hike each way and is a bit harder than the Lower Falls walk. If you are feeling up for a work-out, I suggest you try this hike as the end result is amazing: a 100 foot water fall!
*Ink Pots; this is a 5.8 km hike each way and will definitely get your heart going! It can take around 5 hours and is more intense than the Upper Falls. The Ink Pots are clear greenish pools filled with spring water and the colours in the water look gorgeous in the sunlight

The best part of all three of these hikes? There is an ice cream stand where the hike starts, so you are able to enjoy an ice cream once you've completed your walk :)

Here is a photo of the lower falls (the cave is to the right of the falls).



For more information check out http://www.banff.com/hiking/johnston_canyon.shtml.

Banff Avenue Brewing Co.

I was lucky to attend the grand opening of the Banff Avenue Brewing Company this past Thursday night and it was fabulous! Located at 110 Banff Avenue on the second floor of the Clocktower Village Mall, this place knows how to make a good beer! The thing that makes Banff Avenue Brewing Company different? Their beer is made with actual glacier water from the Canadian Rockies; I love that they are "keeping it local" :)



I haven't tried their food yet (had already had dinner), but I did try numerous different beers and my favourite are the Blond and Dark Pilsner. The things that I enjoyed about the Brew Pub are:

~Wicked patio with an amazing view of Banff
~You are able to see where the beer is made
~Nice decor and comfy couches to sit on
~Great service
~Pool table
~and clearly...Delicious Beer :)

The Banff Avenue Brewing Company claims that there is a beer for every occasion and an occasion for every beer. I love this and Thursday night's opening showed me that they know what they are talking about! I can't wait to visit again~

Frugal Days are Back at the BAL!!!

Frugal Days have returned to the Banff Aspen Lodge for summer 2010. To celebrate the 125th birthday of Banff National Park, we are offering $125 rooms rates on select dates from June - September 2010.

Banff National Park is Canada's first national park and was originally called Rocky Mountain National Park. It offers 1600km of hiking trails and has over 1000 Glaciers; I feel so lucky to live in such a magical area :)

In 1883, a cave with natural hot pools were discovered by three CP Railway workers in what is now the Cave and Basin in the town of Banff. People then started travelling to the area to explore and experience the "healing" hot springs. As a result of this, Rocky Mountain National Park was created in 1885 and has since become a UNESCO World Heritage Site receiving millions of visitors.

Learn more about Banff's history by coming and staying with us and celebrating BNP's 125th year with our Frugal Day Offer


(Photo Credit to Paul Zizka Photography)