Be still my heart. Doesn’t get much better than this folks, which is why this should be on the TOP of your must see list. If you have had the pleasure of visiting this area, I am sure you know what I am talking about here. Breathtaking views, incredible mountains, so much to see and do, the list goes on and on.

One thing I must say though, is that if you are planning on making the trip up to Banff, I would recommend staying at The Fairmount Chateau at Lake Louise, a luxury resort hotel. It is a bit pricey, which is something to keep in mind and plan for if you need to in advance. It is an experience, which is what I am all about in life. Nothing in my opinion (and I have stayed in all sorts of places) can compare to this hotel because of it’s location and just overall presence. Good news. The good news is that you can enjoy SO much of what the Fairmount Chateau has to offer even if you are not a guest at the hotel, because you can still use many of the facilities and nearby attractions. You could have lunch, dinner, drinks, you name it, all at the Fairmount, and then head back to wherever you might be staying. Besides the views and food, what I really enjoyed about staying here is that everything is at your fingertips. If you want to go hiking first thing in the morning, done. Just step out a few feet and you are in total mountain and trail bliss. (I’ll get to my favorite hike steps away from the resort in a few moments). If you would like to go on an amazing kayak ride, done.

*Tara Tip – Kayak rides are free for all guests staying at the hotel. Hey, it all adds up. The kayak ride was quite remarkable. The lake is a sparkling emerald hue and the mountains and glacier in the background are beyond beautiful. Below is a picture of me just enjoying the ride with the other kayakers in the background 🙂

There will be a lot of people canoeing, just fyi. If you want that classic picture of just you and the mountain like the picture before this, make sure to get out there early or when they are far enough in front of you (which is what I did).

Let’s talk about #lunchviews for a quick second here. This is your view for lunch, depending which restaurant you choose to sit down and dine al fresco at. There are 2 main options, and both are equally good. There is also a very popular lounge in the main area of the hotel, along with some other options too. The salmon is SO fresh up in Canada! I first realized how good the fish is in Canada when I was eating up in Vancouver, B.C. @ the Teahouse. Alberta is no different. Yum and done. 

Tara Tip* They have live musicians on the weekends play outside near the lake for guests of the hotel to enjoy. It made the experience staying here that much more special.

Day 2 was an icy, icy adventure! I saved that for another post because we traveled to a new area and did a tour. There is a lot of information on that so if you are interested in adventuring to an ice glacier, check out my travel post on “Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure Tour.” 🙂

This sight doesn’t get old. Like at all. What do you think?

Our last day was spent in the mountains. This particular hike was what I was really looking forward to the most so I was quite excited. At the very top of the mountain, you will find a nice little tea house waiting for you to enjoy biscuits and tea in. It was a fairly difficult hike I would say. Roundtrip was about 7 miles. You can find the trail and other trails right outside the Fairmount’s doors.

Side-note…I wasn’t nervous at all hiking in the woods/wilderness around the hotel. I felt so much more more comfortable than in the other areas in Canada we were recently in. There are loads and loads of people hanging around which is probably one reason why.

If you would like to go on this same hike, make sure you follow the trail that says, “Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House.” There is another hike that leads you to a teahouse, but it isn’t as good, and there are lots of people around because it’s a much shorter hike (about 3-4 miles roundtrip). Not many tourists like to do the hard hikes, so they choose the easier path and all end up in the same spot. A lot of people were confused by the two teahouses and which one to really hike to, including us. Luckily we met a nice family who told us to do the longer one and it was well worth the hike up! It felt like it took forever to finally reach the tea house!

When I finally got to the top and new the tea house was a few feet away, I was beyond thrilled.

We made it!! Here’s a little background information about The Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. It’s a pretty legit place, as you can see from the picture above.

The tea house was really so neat! I wish that every hike had something cool at the top, not just a good view. A biergarten, a teahouse, a restaurant, maybe Nordstroms. Any of those would work. I couldn’t wait to sit down and enjoy the view with some hot tea and biscuits. We found the most perfect little spot in the corner, just for the two of us. We immediately ordered some biscuits and tea and chowed down. I could have stayed there all day, but we had lunch plans back at the hotel and we’re leaving for Calgary shortly after that.

I practically ran back down the mountain because I had to shower and pack my bags before lunch and taking off. I was so sad to go, but I didn’t leave without getting another fresh salmon salad. Yum! I truly loved it here so much and would have loved to stay longer. Next time I return to the Banff area, I want to check out Lake Moraine and more of the town of Banff. We drove trough it and there’s tons of restaurant and shops there. It is such a cute mountain town! I think it would be a great idea to stay in town for a night or two and stay by Lake Louise for a night or two also. Next stop was Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It wasn’t that long of a trip. It only took about 2 hours and we were there. Come join me!