Alberta Archives - Page 2 of 2

In Calgary

Hotel Elan: Boutique Hotel in Calgary

November 19, 2015

M and I were in Calgary for 2 days during our week long road trip driving across BC into Calgary.

We stayed at Hotel Elan, a boutique hotel located just off stylish 17th Ave Retail and Entertainment District. We chose this place as it was the top ranking hotel on Trip Advisor. It’s also a great location since some of the best restaurants in town is within walking distance.

They have gated underground parking on site for $18 per night for guests. Still a lot cheaper and safer than parking on the street. They also have a Car2Go zone in there too.

Hotel Elan is the only boutique hotel in Calgary to offer combined accommodation and private in-suite meeting spaces designed specifically for business travellers.

We were in their Vista King Bed Suite. Walking in you will see like a mini kitchen without the major appliances.

Keurig coffee machines are free to use. There are K cups of coffee and tea.

It’s nothing fancy, but its nice to have the basics like the sink, microwave, mini fridge, cups, plates and utensils.

Each suite includes a bedroom, bathroom and living room with meeting space for four to six, complete with a private outdoor balcony.

It’s nice to just sit out in the balcony and observe people walking by.

In the room, you also get:

Complimentary calling to 75 countries worldwide
Complimentary dedicated Wifi

Free wifi is the norm now. I couldn’t imagine going on a trip and not having access to wifi. The complimentary calling worldwide is pretty awesome, but sadly I had no one to call.

There’s USB chargers built into the wall unit, so you can plug in your cord for your smartphone devices. The beds were comfy and I liked how there were 2 types of pillows – form and soft.

The only issue I found was that the AC/Heater device in the room did make a fair bit of noise in the evening that we ended up unplugging it.

The TV’s have Telus Optic HD TV, but for some reason I couldn’t find Food Network. We ended up watching a lot of Border Security on National Geographic channel. It’s a pretty addictive show.

In the bathroom, there are heated floors, showers with thermostatic temperature control valves, and heated toilet seats. M loved the heated toilet seats! Everything was very clean and we didn’t have any issues.

The shower is very modern looking and probably my favourite shower that we have encountered on our road trip.

I like their choice of L’Occitane bathroom amenities. SO much better than what other hotels have.

Business Centre

They have a mini business centre with iMacs if you need to do any work here.

Complimentary Happy Hour

Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, they offer complimentary appetizers and a well deserved refreshment after your busy day.

I grabbed a few bites and a beer. They also have wine too. I really couldn’t say no to free beer.

Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast Buffet

They offer complimentary breakfast on weekday mornings from 7:00am to 10:00am and weekends from 8:00am to 11:00am. A nice touch and it was great to be able grab a quick bite before exploring more of Calgary.

They have juice, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruits.

Oatmeal, tea and coffee.

I grabbed some fruits, meat and scrambled eggs with a cup of coffee. It’s nothing fancy,

Overall, our stay was good, but you can tell some services are geared toward travelling business men and women. I didn’t mind since I liked the extra table space in our room to go on my computer and do work in the evening. The staff were welcoming, great location and clean. I would come back again.

Address:
1122 16 Ave SW, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://hotelelan.ca/

In Calgary

Charcut Roast House: Steak in Calgary

November 12, 2015

Charcut Roast House is located in the heart of Downtown Calgary. I first heard about Charcut on Top Chef Canada when Chef Connie Desousa was a final contestant. M and I wanted to go get some steak while we were in Calgary, so we came here as it was highly recommended.

Grapefruit Soda from The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company was refreshing. I thought it was pretty awesome that they support local businesses by carrying their sodas. The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company is from Canmore, Alberta.

Charred Octopus has sausage, stewed tomatoes, giganate beans, and chili oil. It comes with 2 pieces of bread on the side. The octopus was delicious and tender.

Bison Brisket also has beech mushrooms, boar bacon and sour cream.

Side of Poutine was recommended by their staff as an extra addition to the meal. It was good but it would have been better if the fried were double fried so they remain crisp as the meal goes on.

Butcher steak is topped with chimichurri and has a wild arugula salad on the side. Deliciously cooked to a medium rare.

Overall, it was good, but it didn’t wow us. Perhaps it was all the hype I kept hearing about it.

We rate Charcut:

Address:
899 Centre Street SW #101, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://www.charcut.com/

In Cafe

Phil & Sebastian: Coffee in Calgary

November 10, 2015

Phil & Sebastian offers delicious coffee and espresso based drinks in Calgary. They currently have 6 locations. My friend told me to check out this coffee shop if I came across it on my trip to Calgary. While I was going some tax free shopping, I had to make a stop here to get caffeinated.

The space is pretty neat. By the mall entrance, you will first see the counter to put in your order and pay.

By the other entrance, you will be greeted with this beautiful space. I just love the bold blue ampersand.

Iced Latte was what I ordered. It was a pretty hot say in September, so I needed a cold drink to perk me up.

You can also purchase their beans at the store too or online.

Overall, I loved the interior and its pretty hip. I wasn’t able to make it to their larger location, but this location in the mall was pretty good.

We Rate Phil & Sebastian:

Address:
Chinook Mall, 6455 Macleod Trail Southwest, Calgary

Website:
https://www.philsebastian.com/

In Brunch

OEB Breakfast Co: in Calgary

November 9, 2015

The first thing to do when M and I arrived in Calgary was to get breakfast. A few friends suggested we go to OEB Breakfast Co, so that’s where we headed. There is pay parking on the right side of the building.

Chef Mauro Martina created OEB in 2009 and has since won many awards like Best Brunch by Where Magazine, Brunch for 2013/14 by the Calgary Herald reader’s choice awards, and Award of Excellence by Trip Advisor. OEB stands for Over Easy Breakfast.

The restaurants seats 36 people and the menu changes bi-annually. The interior is fun and colourful, a perfect way to perk up your morning.

On the weekend, there are usually long waits, but I love how they have the chalk writings on the ceilings. If there is a wait, you can use the NoWait App to put your name on the waiting list without being present. It will also give you the amount of people ahead of you as well as the wait of the line. It’s pretty good if you won’t want to be wasting time waiting in line.

Freshly Squeeze Organic Orange Juice ($5.75) is very fresh and the perfect pairing with breakfast.

Mango Dream Real Fruit Smoothie ($5) has mango, strawberry and mango nectar.

Croque Madame @ OEB ($15) has rosemary ham, sourdough rye, fior de latte mozzarella, summer truffles, cherry tomatoes, crispy potatoes, 2 eggs sunny side up, and brown butter hollandaise.

It was really good. The eggs were cooked perfectly. I just found the only problem is that it had so much carbs inside. I could have gone without the potatoes in it.

Porchetta Benny ($15.50) has roast pork, porcini and white truffle ragu with the brown butter hollandaise. It is served on an english muffin. There are twice fried duck fat herb potatoes and fresh fruit. M thought it was ok.

Overall, it is a unique and hip restaurant serving brunch.

We Rate OEB Breakfast Co:

Address:
824 Edmonton Trl NE, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://eatoeb.com/

In Drumheller

Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta

November 8, 2015

1.5 hours away from Calgary is Drumheller, Alberta, internationally recognized for its rich abundance of dinosaur fossils and home of the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

I would assume most of the tourists come here to see the dinosaur museum. Everywhere you look in the town, you will find a dinosaur.

You do have to drive a little bit into town to get to the museum, but the view is amazing. The town is in a valley, so you will see all the different layers of sediments that were there.

What makes this museum so special is that the Royal Tyrell Museum has Canada’s largest collection of dinosaur fossils. If you want to go to the ultimate dinosaur museum, this is the place to go. To this day, they are still discovering new dinosaur fossil in and around the area. Pretty awesome.

The museum is situated in Midland Provincial Park, 6KM northeast of Drumheller, Alberta

There is plenty of free parking and museum entrance for an adult is $15. Pretty decent price I would say. M and I spent about 1.5 hours here looking at all the exhibits.

They has been voted one of the world’s top dinosaur museums by CNN, National Geographic, USA Today, and Smithsonian Magazine several years in a row.

There are definitely a lot of opportunities to take photos and do some fun poses.

At the beginning of the museum, you will find recreation of what the dinosaurs look like.

But, I think everyone is interested in the cool fossils.

In the Lords of the Land exhibit, you won’t miss the enormous 13.7-metre long Tyrannosaurus rex!

The Preparation Lab is where the fossils that they find from the field gets transport them back to the Museum and then the technicians begin to meticulously remove the surrounding rock in order to expose the fossils so that they can interpret and record their findings.

The Cretaceous Garden is a small area where you will find the recreation of the ancient Alberta landscape- a lush, coastal environment dotted with swamps, ponds, and marshes. Look at the room filled with plants found in the fossil record.

Some things you will find in there are:

A fossilized dinosaur footprint found only steps from the Museum
A three-tonne fossilized tree stump, Alberta’s provincial stone
Two Gingko trees, often called living fossils because they have barely changed in over 270 million years

The Dinosaur Hall has fossils everywhere in the room.

Some highlights are:

Triceratops with its large bony frill and three horns, is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs
Euoplocephalus, meaning “well-armoured head”, was one of the largest ankylosaurs—about the size of a small elephant.
Not everything in Dinosaur Hall is a dinosaur—check out the Bearpaw Sea exhibit with mosasaurs and elasmosaurs; some of the largest marine reptiles that ever lived

Overall, it was great to spend a few hours here to see a lot of fossils. M really loved it because he’s just a dinosaur nerd.

Address:
1500 N Dinosaur Trail, Drumheller, AB

Website:
http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

In Brunch

Galaxie Diner: Old School Diner in Calgary

November 7, 2015

Galaxie Diner in the Beltline area of Calgary is an old school diner. This diner was recommended by a friend, so we went. Surprisingly, it was a block away from our hotel, which was awesome.

Galaxie diner opened in 1996 serving delicious meals at fair prices.

The diner is small, so it doesn’t fit too many people at once. We came here on a weekday just before the lunch time rush and we had to wait a little bit for a table of 2.

We ended up with 2 seats on the counter but we didn’t mind since this is where the action happens.

Their grill is working non-stop to serve the lunch rush. Their chef was cooking so many dishes at once but I noticed how he kept his station quite tidy as he churned out each dish.

Breakfast Burrito (1 piece – $11.75) has scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, beef sausage, sauteed mushrooms, onions, banana peppers, and green peppers all rolled inside a tortilla. Salsa, sour cream, and hash browns are on the side.

It was really good. The salsa and sour cream really hit the spot.

Calgary Sandwich ($15) is loaded with eggs, cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions, green onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, green peppers, bacon, beef sausage, and mayonnaise on grilled brown bread.
Served with hash browns on the side.

This sandwich put a smile on M’s face. Good food, huge portions and super casual atmosphere.

At the end of the meal, they give you some dubble bubble. Oh man, I haven’t had this in a long time. I hate dubble bubble, but the memories just flood back. The best part was really the comics inside.

We Rate Galaxie Diner:

Address:
1413 11 St SW, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://www.galaxiediner.ca/

In Calgary

Village Ice Cream: Late Night in Calgary

November 6, 2015

M and I were hunting for a good dessert place to go to after dinner when we were in Calgary. A lot of people suggested Village Ice Cream. They have 2 locations, but we ended up at the Victoria Park location.

Village Ice Cream is handcrafted in Calgary and made in small artisan batches to maintain their quality. They use local and seasonal ingredients where possible.

Lots of choices!

M ordered the Chocolate Fudge Brownie in a cup, which was their special for September. M thought it was pretty average tasting.

Toasted Coconut in a waffle cone came in a huge scoop. It was initially good but then it tasted quite rich, so it got harder to eat. The cone was super good and crisp.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed by the flavours. I know a lot of people will probably disagree with me and thats ok. What I like about Village Ice Cream is their large scoops.

We Rate Village Ice Cream:

Address:
431 10 Ave SE, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://villageicecream.com/

In Calgary

Calgary Zoo: Day Visit and Illuminasia

November 5, 2015

The Calgary Zoo has been around for 80 years and is right in the heart of Calgary. The animal exhibits are organized by geographic regions in large, natural habitats. These regions include the Canadian Wilds, Destination Africa, Penguin Plunge, South America and Eurasia.

We came during high season and the admission was $24.95 per adult. Our car GPS somehow took us to their south entrance instead. We parked outside in their lot for $8. In total, M and I spent about 1.5 hours here.

Penguin Plunge

The newest and best exhibit at the zoo is the Penguin Plunge, which opened in 2012. It’s home to four species of penguins. While visitors watch the playful birds, they also learn about the impact of climate change on wildlife and what they can do about it at home. They have 4 types of penguins here – Gentoo Penguin, Humbolt Penguin, King Penguin, and Rockhopper Penguin.

The exhibit is quite large and its so awesome to see the zip through the water lightning fast. I was fortunate to grab this picture of this Gentoo Penguin.

The Prehistoric Park

The Prehistoric Park at the Calgary Zoo includes 15 model dinosaurs, replicas of an inland sea and volcanic mountain, and more than 100 species of living plants.

The area isn’t too impressive when you compare it to the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum about 1.5 hours away from Calgary.

The Canadian Wilds

More than 20 acres of the zoo is dedicated to showcasing Canadian wildlife in their own natural habitat.

The Rocky Mountain Goat is super chill and he was just posing for a picture.

You can get up and close to the bears in their enclosures.

There’s a few other bears too that are smaller and lighter colours.

Inside the bird area, you will find the snowy owls hanging out.

There are more birds hiding and you’ll also see a bunch of dead mice around.

I thought this was a groundhog but this is a black-tailed prarie dog.

Crossing over to the other side, of the zoo, you will find Destination Africa, Eurasia, Conservatory, and Rainforest areas. While we were here, there was a lot of construction so some exhibits were closed.

We saw this peacock walking around freely.

We even saw some other birds just chilling on the ground.

There is a cool area with Chilean Flamingos, they are pretty neat.

The ENMAX Conservatory

The old zoo conservatory was once one of the oldest and most inefficient buildings on zoo grounds. As a LEED building, solar tubes and panels help warm the building while cisterns capture rainfall for the plethora of plant life inside.

There are a lot of plant inside. It won’t take too long to walk around their 2 area, but you should check out their butterflies.

Illuminasia

Illuminasia ran at the Calgary Zoo nightly from September 17 – November 1, 2015. It has since ended but it was a nice change to get visitors in the park during the evenings. This was a Lantern & Garden Festival Presented by Sinopec Canada. There are 183 animal lanterns, with the additional bamboo and other décor pieces the total number of lanterns is 366 in the entire park.

Tiger lanterns during the day.

Tiger lanterns during the evening.

I liked coming in the day since the lanterns are more seamless, plus an awesome draw of the zoo are the animals. The lanterns was an extra touch.

Of all the animal lanterns, the pandas were the ones that seemed more human-like.

Tree and butterfly lantern.

I love this area with the two big birds, flowers and the bridge in the background. Pretty nice view.

Address:
1300 Zoo Rd NE, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://www.calgaryzoo.com/

In Calgary

Ox and Angela: Spanish Cuisine in Calgary

November 4, 2015

One restaurant I could not miss was Ox and Angela on our Calgary trip. It was a few block away from our hotel and we love Spanish food. I really wish we had more Spanish restaurants in Vancouver. M and I came on a weekday dinner around 6:30 pm to give their Spanish dishes a try.

The interior is nice and there are 2 dining areas. They serve a Spanish Table set menu with 10 dishes that are shared family style for $45 per person. M and I were tempted to get it but we heard so much about the Paella that we went to go without the set menu.

Mediterranean salad ($13) has local tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted onion and goat feta, crispy chorizo, and mojo verde. A good balance of the crispy chorizo and salad. It wasn’t too over powering at all.

ZFC! ($15) stands for za’atar fried chicken. It is served with harrisa dip and a local herb salad. It was crispy and super delicious.

Paella ($36) served here is a ‘valencian style’ Paella of chicken, spanish chorizo, manilla clams, summer peas, saffron & butter beans made to order using traditional bomba rice & served in an 11” pan. It takes about 35 minutes to cook, so you will need to be patient. So good!

Overall, enjoyable dinner and it was a great place to go to dinner in Calgary. The neighbourhood is pretty hip, so there’s a lot of other places to go have dessert or late night drinks afterwards.

We Rate Ox and Angela:

Address:
528 17th Ave SW, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://oxandangela.com/

In Canmore

Grande Rockies: Hotel in Canmore, Alberta

October 31, 2015

After passing the Banff Lake Louise area, we made a stop for the day at Canmore, Alberta before continuing our trip to Calgary. We stayed at the Grande Rockies Resort located right by the Bow Valley of the Canadian Rockies.

We checked-in with the front desk. The desk is hidden behind the waterfall in the lobby. We parked our car in their underground gated parking.

We stayed in a one bedroom condo style suite, which fits 4 people. They have fully functioning kitchens in there too.

When we got into our room, we found chocolate dipped fruits and a bottle of white wine from the resort to celebrate our honeymoon.

The living room has 2 couches, dining table, fireplace and a flatscreen TV. One of the couches has a pull out bed.

The kitchen has a fridge, oven, stove, microwave, coffee maker, and a dishwasher.

The kitchen seemed like it had all the tools. We didn’t use the kitchen at all since we ate out. I can see this suite being useful to people who are staying for more than a few days.

Out on the patio, there is a grill you can use too.

Out on the patio, you can view The Three Sisters, a trio of peaks in Canmore.

The bedroom is further down the hall and it has a king-sized bed.

There is a small TV and a desk. Too bad they didn’t attach a bigger TV on the wall to maximize space. Either way, it was good enough.

There is a washer and dryer with an ironing board and iron. This comes in handy if you’ve travelled for a while and need to wash your clothes.

The washroom has a sink and a shower.

The shower can be a bit complicated to start but once you start pushing the buttons on the control panel, you will figure it out easily.

There is a heated indoor swimming pool, hot tub and kids pool with waterslide that is accessible for all guests. There is also a fitness room as well.

Inside the resort, they have their award winning Habitat Restaurant and Bar. They have won the 2015 diners choice from OpenTable as well as Awards of Excellence from Trip Advisor from 2011 to 2015.

Their breakfast buffet starts daily from 7am to 11am. Sadly when we were here, their restaurant wasn’t open.

They serve casual Canadian cuisine & cocktails. Their dinner menu has a good amount of gluten-free options. A majority of the items sound super good.

Overall, it was a good stay. The only thing that annoyed me was that our keycard didn’t work, so we had to run back and forth several times back to the front desk to get someone to open the door. Apparently this happened to a few other guests too.

Address:
901 Mountain St, Canmore, Alberta

Websites:
http://www.granderockies.com/

In All You Can Eat

Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue: Dining in Canmore, AB

October 29, 2015

Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue is located in Downtown Canmore and they serve up an all you can eat Rodizio dinner for $42 per person. You get access to their sides and salad bar. The servers will come to your table with racks of meat and serve you at your table.

Rodizio & Plates service included the following types of meat:

Top Sirloin – Alcatra
Rump Steak – Picanha
Pork Loin – Lombinho
Sausage – Linguiça
Chicken Wings – Asa de Frango
Parmesan Beef – Beef Parmegiano
Beef Ribs – Costela de Boi
Chicken Wrapped with Bacon – Frango com Bacon
Chicken Hearts – Coração de Frango
Lamb – Carneiro

Since I’ve never experience a Brazilian meal before, I thought it would be good to try it especially in Alberta since they have amazing quality of beef.

The interior is warm and modern. You can sit inside the dining room or in their enclosed patio.

The patio is much brighter and it is heated, so you won’t get cold.

Tropical Mango Juice ($4) is what M started off with.

We went straight to their salad and side bar where they had a good amount of items to choose from. I tried a bit of everything and nothing disappointed.

All the ingredients tasted fresh and I enjoyed it all. A good start before all the meat started arriving at the table.

Beef Ribs were my favourite meat item of the night. Since they cut it right at your table. It stays hot, tender and juicy.

It looks so good too.

They also give you some hot sauce and a vinaigrette to put on the meats. I went without the sauces since I enjoyed the meat on its own.

Since the servers do come often with meat, you are given a card to show if you want more meat or not. Most of the time ours was ‘Sim Por Favor, since we wanted to try all their meats they had to offer.

It’s best to flip it to ‘Nao, Obrigado’, even if you want to take a break for all the meat. If you want a particular meat item, you can just ask them for it.

At first it was pretty awkward having someone serve you at the table

They keep all their meat warm in their contraption.

They place the meat on your side plate

For our first Brazilian restaurant experience, it was great. Trying all the different varieties was fun and perfect for our honeymoon vacation. The food is pricey, but for an experience its worth it. If I had to go again, I probably wouldn’t return since I already know the cuts of meat I really enjoyed. I would rather want a meal with just beef ribs, pork loin and rump steak.

We Rate Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue:

Address:
629 Main St, Canmore, AB

Website:
http://www.brazilianbbq.ca/

In Lake Louise

Moraine Lake: Most Photographed Location in Canada

October 22, 2015

Moraine Lake is about 14 kms away from the Town of Lake Louise. During busy times it’s a bit hard to find parking here. It’s a great spot to go hiking and some even say it has better views than Lake Louise. It is about half the size, but the view is spectacular. It is also a glacier-fed lake.

Depending on the time of year you make a visit to the area, the one road that takes you to Lake Moraine may be closed.

It was a cloudy day, so the lake didn’t shine as much today.

You’ll notice a rock pile at the beginning of the lake and it’s an actual moraine, which is an accumulation of glacial debris. A lot of people like to climb it as the view from the top is one of the most photographed location in Canada.

We noticed a lot of people were up there. It is about a half a kilometre stroll up there. Besides hiking, you can rent a canoe to go on the lake, go horseback riding, or relax at the Moraine Lake Lodge.

In Lake Louise

Lake Louise: Glaciers, Trails and Teahouses

October 20, 2015

Lake Louise is located in Alberta’s Banff National Park. The emerald green colour of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake.

It’s very easy to drive to and theres lots of parking space.

It’s stunning and this is the view that draws thousands of tourists a day. You can’t pass by Banff National Park without making a stop here.

During the Summer, you can rent a canoe to paddle around the lake when it’s warm. During the winter, it becomes a skating rink.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is recognized globally for their progressive environmental stewardship and responsible tourism. It is the only building located right by the lake. No other hotels are around.

There’s lots to do like hiking to Lake Agnes to visit the Teahouse and mirror lake. It is a shorter hike than going to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. These places are only accessible by hiking.

M and I attempted hiking to the Lake Agnes Teahouse, but according to Google Maps, it would take just under an hour, so we gave up. We didn’t realize it was slightly uphill.

Since we were on a time crunch, we headed back.

If you was a short walk with a nice view of the lake, walk around the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail. You can see the beautiful emerald waters.

Of course, take lots of pictures. There are a lot of tourists around, but there is a lot of space to take scenic shots or selfies.

Website:
http://www.banfflakelouise.com/

In Lake Louise

Lake Louise Gondola: Scenery in the Canadian Rockies

October 18, 2015

Lake Louise Gondola is located at the Lake Louise Ski Resort in Banff National Park. It is a 5 minute drive off Highway 1. It was a beautiful day in September, so we came here to get a good view of all the surrounding mountains.

I pre-purchased a Travelzoo Voucher for $29.95 to ride the gondola for 2 people. I brought my printout to the front desk and they redeemed it for 2 physical tickets.

The lodge is quite nice with the mountains in the background. Once you’re in the ledge make your way to the gondola.

It’s a short walk, just follow the path down.

The ride lasts for fourteen minutes, in an open chair or a fully enclosed gondola. For those who are afraid of highs, a closed gondola might be for you. M and I took a closed on up the mountain and then an open chair lift on the way down. You can’t go wrong with either, but the open chair lift is easier to take photos assuming you don’t drop anything.

6,850 feet above ground, the viewing platform gives a great view of the Banff National Park. Once you’re up here, you can do guided hikes, eat a buffet lunch at their restaurant or visit their interpretation centre.

Other than that, there’s not too much to do up here. When we were here, the upper chairlift wasn’t operational, so we couldn’t go up any higher.

The views are the best part, so make sure you have your camera with you.

At a distance, you can see Lake Louise and the Fairmont building.

If you have a telephoto lens, you can take a super far away shot of the lake in all it’s glory.

Take note of the beautiful glaciers too! They are enormous!

On the way down, you must take an open chair lift and the view is just spectacular. M swallowed his fears and held on to dear life. The ride can get a bit bumpy sometimes. Below you, you might be able to spot bears.

For regular price, it’s pretty expensive to pay $30 per person. If you can try to find a deal, do it! If it wasn’t for the Travelzoo deal, I probably wouldn’t have come here.

Address:
1 Whitehorn Rd, Lake Louise, AB

Website:
www.lakelouisegondola.com/