Image Bank
My room at the Chateau Lake Louise was cloaked in semi-darkness. The curtains were closed, even though it was mid-afternoon. Pulling back the shade, I started to wonder whether the room had been serviced. Moments later, I realised this was the hotel’s way of telling guests they’ve arrived: the view is truly something to behold.
| Sample product |
Connections Worldwide offers a Rockies Deluxe 13-night flydrive that includes accommodation at the Chateau Lake Louise and the Jasper Park Lodge. The room-only price starts at £2,085 per person for 2006, including flights from Manchester or Heathrow, seven days’ car hire and a two-day train journey. Gold Medal Travel offers a seven-night Mountain Tracks Flydrive from Vancouver to Calgary, taking in Jasper and Lake Louise. The twin-share price of £1,565 per person in October includes flights, accommodation and car hire. Titan HiTours offers a 12-night Canadian Rockies Escorted Tour taking in Jasper, Maligne Lake and Lake Louise. The Columbia Icefields trip is available to book locally. Prices start at £1,465 twin-share in October including flights and accommodation. |
Bruce Bembridge, the hotel’s longest-serving guide explained to me the next day on an early morning bear hunt that the dusky blue of the lake is caused by tiny dust particles in the water refracting the light.
There are only 50 or so grizzlies left in this part of the park but autumn is the best time to see them.
As we splashed through muddy puddles after overnight rain and wound our way through dripping fir trees, Bruce introduced us to a grandfather rock, several million years old. He also pointed out grizzly droppings, but the bears stayed hidden.
Longer treks can be enjoyed up to two atmospheric tea houses nestling among the peaks. And for clients wanting to see the views without exerting themselves, Lake Louise’s ski gondola operates year-round. It’s a nine-minute ride to the top, which affords a sweeping vista of the Rocky Mountains to the east, along with the pine forests and the wilderness of the Banff National Park.
But I wanted to get closer to a glacier. The Icefields Parkway road runs north from Lake Louise to Jasper and for clients on a flydrive, this is one of the most scenic routes in Canada. Huge craggy mountains were shrouded in cloud while vast lakes shimmered in the gold of autumn sunshine.
I got my glacier experience at the Athabasca Glacier en route to Jasper. Clients climb aboard enormous six-wheeled juggernaut coaches and grind slowly, steeply up icy slopes on to the huge glacier. Many packages offer this trip as an add-on and it’s easy to see why.
I was in geek-heaven as John our driver explained about the low gear ratios that allow these beasts to climb slopes almost too steep to walk. On top of the glacier the weather was, well, glacial. We stepped gingerly out into the rain and sleet, walking with care on the slippery surface. I stooped to drink a handful of ice water from a small rivulet. It tasted surprisingly metallic. The weather felt completely right – you’d be disappointed if it wasn’t wild and windswept – this was a real experience.
Jasper has stacks of outdoors adventure. After a night in the Outlook Lodge at The Jasper Park Lodge, where the Queen and Prince Phillip stayed back in May, we drove 40 minutes along roads fringed with trees already dappled with autumn browns to Lake Maligne. Here you can paddle on the lake in a canoe or, like me, board a boat to visit Spirit Island, one of the most photographed sites in the Canadian Rockies.
The skies were cloudless and the air invigorating as we ploughed our way across the lake. On the way back to Jasper Park Lodge we stopped for a wander along beautiful Maligne Canyon, where if you’re lucky, you can spot wild elk. It is possible to do longer treks through the canyon and once winter sets in the waterfalls freeze. It’s particularly magical by moonlight.
Back at the lodge I thought the adventure was over, and found an old tree trunk to sit on and contemplate another perfect view: a glacial lake with snow-capped mountains beyond. Doing so I almost walked into three passing wild elk, who scarpered as soon as they saw me. Overhead flew a gaggle of honking Canada geese. And then there was nothing but silence. Perfect.
 | Hotel check – Fairmont Hotel | Rating |
Where is it? | Two hours’ drive west of Calgary, right on Lake Louise and surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains | 5/5 |
What’s it like? | A gothic fairytale mansion, the hotel, like its sister property the Banff Springs, is steeped in history. When pioneers for the Canadian Pacific railway blasted their way through the Rockies they picked the most exquisite sites for hotels for tired voyagers. The Chateau combines modern five-star amenities with yesteryear charm. Despite its grand scale it still feels intimate. |
5/5 |
Sleep tight? | A couple of comfy chairs next to the window with the best views in the world were a perfect place to relax. The bathroom had a whirlpool bath, ideal for an indulgent wallow. The huge bed had stacks of pillows and a seriously soft duvet. |
|
Anything else? | The hotel’s excellent guiding service offers hikes, walks and climbs with certified guides. Along with the pool and fitness centre, the new Escape Aveda spa offers lots of pampering. My Elemental Nature massage was very good, but, given the scale of the hotel, the spa felt a little cramped. |
|
Eat in or out? | In. You aren’t going to want to eat out if you can get a table with that view. European cuisine with interesting local flourishes is served in the relaxed Fairview dining room. |
|
Smiley service? | Service was friendly and efficient, perhaps a little slow in the restaurant. My one bugbear was the phones. Do I have to listen to ads for the hotel and its services while I’m being transferred? |
|
Recommend it? | It’s hard to fault the Chateau. Awesome location, great facilities and good service. I liked the emphasis on getting out into the fantastic natural environment too. Ideal for a romantic holiday or a memorable luxury escape. |
|
Sample product: All America Holidays offers stays starting at £77 per person per night twin-share. Kuoni offers seven nights from £1,119 per person in October twin-share, including flights.
