 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all I am looking to go to banff early march and any deal i see i look up the hotel review on trip advisor which are user reviews and i have yet to see one that gets a more than mediocre review! so i am a bit wary as i do like a decent level of hotel when i go away but at the moment it's not looking good. Can you help please!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Head a little out of town away from the ski areas - there are a few nice places to get meals, good wine too, but the hotels seemed to be fairly alike - somewhere to crash after a hard day.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I stayed in Bumpers Inn at summer. It was Ok, although a little basic (no a/c) - the review on tripadvisor was pretty much spot on. One good thing about Bumpers is the steak house next door. It does THE best steak I have ever had, so if you are going to banff you need to eat here at least once!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There are plenty of nice hotels.... the fairmont is a good hotel, the rooms are good enough quality, the service is good and the amentities are superb. However, I didnt like it. It is absolutely enormous and resultantly it feels cold and heartless.
We now stay in Lake Louise, but if we were going back to banff, the Rimrock would probably be our choice.
Adam
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You gotta stay in the sunshine inn for at least 1 night. I really don't know whay folk are bothered to bus it from banff when you can stay slopeside in an excellent hotel
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| johnboy wrote: |
| You gotta stay in the sunshine inn for at least 1 night. I really don't know whay folk are bothered to bus it from banff when you can stay slopeside in an excellent hotel |
I think it is similar why people tend to prefer Banff to Lake Louise.... nightlife.....
I certainly think the sunshine inn would be a fantastic spot to go when I finally persuade my GF into the snow arena!
Adam
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Hi Andy, I'm in the Fairmont in Banff & Lake Louise at end Feb/early March - I also looked at TripAdvisor but decided it was too subjective to be taken too seriously, unless of course ALL the reviews are negative!
Have you managed to book anything yet?
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Honda Kitty, Not yet i still don't know wether to go package or DIY! Have you been there before? if so what do you think to the place, aren't the fairmont hotels the expensive ones? i must admit that the one at lake louise does look to be in a stupendous setting!!! have you booked a package or sorted it yourself? We went to Wengen last year and loved it, we are not big fans of long flights, who is! but i really fancy Canada and a two week holiday, one week sometimes isn't enough is it. I just fancy the scenery which i know banff is well known for although the thought of having to get buses to all the ski areas does put me off a bit! Trouble is a two week holiday in Canada is going to be a dear do whichever way you look at it so we have got to decide on one week in europe or sod it and go for two in Canada!!!!!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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andyarmitage, we've been a couple of times to Bannf and really love it - although we still manage to get a trip in to Europe as well! We've stayed in the Caribou Lodge and the Ptarmigan Inn - both were good. I'd say the Caribou was a bit nicer but is a bit farther out of the main drag of shops/restaurants. The Ptarmigan is right next to all the shops and as all the packages are for room only its not as if you have to eat there every night like you do at European hotels HB. The Ptarmigan has a nice bar great for those drinks staright from the slopes. The Caribou's restaurant is The Keg and is pretty good - they also have a separate Keg restaurant in town. I had heard the Fairmont rooms in Banff were ridiculously small but have never stayed there - well worth going to eat at their buffet restaurant one evening though.
You're better off being based in Banff rather than Lake Louise or Sunshine both for ease of getting to all three ski areas and for the night life - not that we go crazy but we do like a nice restaurant. Recommend Saltliks for that! (although thankfully their meal portions have shrunk a bit to approach European sizes)
Enjoy!
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Cathy Coins, thanks for that cathy i was put off the ptarmigan as i read a review [i know i shouldn't read them] that said they were put up in a room there with no windows!!!!!!!!! what's that all about then!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ah - their 'standard' rooms are interior rooms that overlook the central lobby area, ie they have no external window but an internal window. Pay extra to have the 'Superior' room and an external window. Also, their rooms are set up in many different variations - if you don't like the one you are allocated ask to change to another. Friends we went with changed 3 times before they were happy! The Caribou did have slightly nicer rooms but on balance we prefered the convenience of being closer to central Banff and would happily stay in the Ptarmigan again. There is a local town bus that runs regularly plus the Caribou have their own free shuttle bus into town along with the Ptarmigan, their sister hotel.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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andyarmitage, We've booked a package, had the same dilemmas as you, in the end decided that it would be daft to go all that way for just 1 week. Heard mixed reports about Fairmonts - ie rooms being a bit on the small & dusty side but we wanted a big hotel where my teenager can go & do stuff on his own rather than being stuck in a chalet with a load of sloshed grown ups! lol 
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Thanks again Cathy it really helps to get advice from people who have been there, is it a really stunning area to visit and of course is the skiing as good as i hope it will be, we just like cruising runs nothing steep or scary as Linda freaks out when it's steep or there are edges with a long drop!!!! Honda Kitty, who did you book your package with?
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You know it makes sense.
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andy, Linda will be fine with the skiing. Not being one for steeps & deeps myself, I find Sunshine Village to have some lovely cruisy skiing. Lake Louise may have some more difficult runs although there are also lovely cruisy runs to be had & there is of course more difficult terrain at all 3 areas - but you don't have to go on those runs! There are certainly plenty of good blue runs to be had (blue in Canada are perhaps the equivalent of harder blue/easier red in Europe) and you don't have to go on any blacks if you don't want to - there will always be an easy run down from each lift. Can't really remember any of those narrow runs with steep drops on one side as they tend to be roads in Europe in the summer, whereas the ski areas in Canada haven't developed in the same way.
And don't let the thought of ski buses put you off - not at all like European ones, the system is highly organised and very efficient. They run to a timetable and pick up from outside most hotels in Banff. They are coaches with your skis & poles going underneath in the luggage compartments and no standing allowed on the coaches. The system is fully radio-controlled with staff from the resorts organising the pick-ups - they have spare coaches waiting to pick up any extras if required. No problem. We tend to get an early bus and then have breakfast at which ever ski area we end up in.
If you do go, I would recommend you book onto the 3 day Club Ski programme. You have a days tuition at each of the 3 areas with the same instructor, no more than 8 in a class & is great fun as well as showing you round the mountains. There are also ski hosts who are volunteers that take groups round the mountain in the morning & afternoon, but no tuition.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cathy Coins, thanks again it sounds great, where are you going this season then cathy?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Cathy Coins, we were toying with the idea of doing big white and silver star but we live in york and it would mean 3 flights to get there!! and after doing this to get to aspen we just don't like the idea of it so we figure we can cope with one flight even if it is quite a long one. Honda Kitty, fiasco!!! sounds ominous, i thought thomson were pretty good.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Cathy Coins, Thank you, can't think of anything at the mo but still 8 weeks to go! andyarmitage, Thomson were ok, it was the hotel that was the problem - make sure you take photos if things are bad!! we had broken heaters, bare wires, sockets hanging off the wall, a bath with a hole in it & a blackened microwave with it's door hanging off + more but I will leave that for another day! 
I'm now looking for a last minute deal in Europe leaving on Friday.... wish me luck!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Honda Kitty, good luck to you let me know where you are going so i can get excited for you! another person with two skiing holidays!!!! i must be doing something wrong, i am panicking over how much 2 weeks to canada will cost!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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andyarmitage, Oh lordy, just *literally* booked 8 nights in Le Tania, departing tomorrow at 7.30am... *yikes* - wish me luck!! New Year with complete strangers while leaving my teen & husband behind ( he has to work  ). No time to be nervous... I have to pack!! OMG what have I done????
Anyway, it's all good practise for Banff!
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Honda Kitty, wow - there's spontaneous for you! What is the set-up you're going to? I'm sure you'll have great fun anyway!
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Honda Kitty, wow tomorrow!!! have a great time let me know when you get back what it was like, have you skiied much before then? as you said it's good practice for banff, i am still having major problems not taking any notice of trip advisor on the hotel front!!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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andyarmitage, I lived in Banff for a season, and to be fair, compared to European ski resorts, the hotels in Banff are tremendous. Best thing is to have a hire car so as you can get to and from the slopes when you want rather than waiting for the buses. Mount Royal is a good, central hotel. Caribou Lodge is a good standard as is the Charlton's hotels. If you want to push the boat out, go for the Rimrock or the Banff Springs, but to be honest the rooms in the Springs can be tiny. In my opinion, Lake Louise is beautiful, but nothing at all to do outside of the hotels and skiing, so up to you.
But if you want a bargain this year, go to Denver with Crystal as they are having trouble selling their 767 aircraft and I've seen prices for around £299 !!
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stevestar, we've been trying to book a last minute deal today and all the flights for Jan 7th are gone and most for the 14th too. No real bargins left.
As for Banff we've been the last two years, last year staying at the Banff Ave Inn. Described as a catered chalet, but in fact a small full board hotel. Rooms were typical, large, clean and well equiped. The staff were great and the food good. We'd certainly go back.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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stevestar, been so confused choosing as i have read so many mixed reviews on trip advisor on banff hotels, yet i have seen some good value package deals to the ptarmigan inn, caribou lodge , mount royal etc but am afraid to book as i don't want to stay somewhere grim for two weeks, i have even seen a good package price for the rimrock but again i have read mixed reviews and that hotel is one of the best in banff apparently!!!! but i am also unsure of the rimrock as i think it is out of the centre of banff so is it a bit isolated?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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andyarmitage, I would stay at the Ptarmigan inn or the Caribou lodge quite happily or even better if you can get a deal the Banff international, They are all nice tidy hotels as good as any in Europe . The Banff international was as good as any Holiday Inn in the UK the service from the staff was excellent. I have looked around the other 2 hotels I mention and skied with Friends who stayed in them and they were very happy. Ignore the reviews. Unless you want first class 5 star service if you do the stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs.
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andyarmitage, We're off to Banff in March. Booked into the Caribou as it seems to be well regarded by the Snowheads. I also checked the reports and it's rated the best 4*. Booked with Inghams as they had the best price.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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harryok525, when in march are you going we are looking to go early march and don't you live close by we live in york 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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andyarmitage - We're off on 11th March for 11 nights and currently 8 in our group 30s to 50s. If you're still there then we can meet up for a drink. Yes, we live in Wakefield.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've stayed a couple of times in the Caribou Lodge and found it to very good, wouldn't hesitate in returning. I honeymooned at The banff Springs. When we first arrived and encountering the breathtaking exterior and interior of the the reception areas, I was most disappointed to see the size of our room needless to say we wanted and demanded something a little grander for our honeymoon. We were moved to a room the size of Norfolk and had a fantastic time.
andyarmitage, there are many other Banff threads to put your mind at rest re the buses.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I went 5 years ago and also went with Airtours.Had a great time and stayed in The Banff International. This is in the heart of the town and is one of Airtours' preferred hotels.
The accomodation was fantastic with great rooms, they were proper hotel rooms not the usual skiing standard.
I think it's a four star and you definately get a better deal going through Airtours.
I'll use it again when I go back there.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The Rundlestone Lodge has fantastic rooms and if you book online you can get some good rates, we stayed there on our honeymoon and a suite with double jacuzzi and fire was less than £70 a night! We returned a couple of years later and was as good as we remembered. It's about a 2min walk further out than the Caribou but on the skibus route with a stop just outside and another across the road.
http://www.rundlestone.com/u/room.phtml
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FAQ
and here's me thinking that they only covered Europe 
