To the Castle Born

 

...or so I like to think!

I've been watching too much Downton Abbey, I think, but our welcome to "Canada's Castle in the Rockies", was as grand and gracious as an Crawley could expect.

Styled after a Baronial Scottish castle, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is majestic in stature, and in capacity, with 768 guestrooms and over 76,600 square feet of function space. 

In winter, alpine enthusiasts have their choice of, and shuttle service to Mount Norquay (just 10 minutes away) Sunshine Village (25 minutes), and Lake Louise (45 minutes). In summer, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course offers 27 holes of championship golf. 

It should come to no surprise that an area renowned for its hot springs that there should be an award-winning Spa dedicated to the ancient rituals of "taking the waters", in this case the Fairmont-branded Willow Stream Spa offers the requisite hot and cold mineral baths and thermal pools as well as a wide range of hands-on treatments.

 

 

Rocky Mountain High

Limo to the airport, WestJet flight to Calgary, Brewster coach to Lake Louise (~an hour and 45 minutes), then this:

 

  

 

a sleigh ride along the frozen the lake and back to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, accompanied by Baileys-infused hot chocolate and the sound of sleigh bells. Magical!

At an elevation of 5,449 feet (1661 m) Lake Louise is the highest community in Canada, followed by Banff at 4,537 feet (1383 m), and more than twice as high as Whistler Village: 2,214 feet (675 m). This means a lot more of the white stuff.  So while Torontonians are chomping on their bits for patio season to start in March, ski season is still going strong in one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with over 4,200 skiable acres and 113 named runs.

The original Lake Louise Chalet, built in 1890, was designed to be "a hotel for the outdoor adventurer and alpinist". Skiing, snowshoeing, skating, hiking frozen canyons - and in the summer months: canoeing, horseback riding, mountaineering....It would be easy to forget that the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a well-appointed conference resort, offering 36,000 square feet of function space, all the latest technological systems, and excellent load-in/load-out capabilities within a purpose-built convention centre completed in 2004.

Mt. Temple Ballroom

 



From Sea to Sky

There are times when the fog is so thick you don't even see the mountains, and it can be overcast and rainy for days and days, yet Vancouver can also be almost unbelievably beautiful - so it's definitely one of those places where you appreciate a room with a view.

The Westin Bayshore self-identifies as the city's only urban resort. Surrounded on three sides by water,  85% of its over 500 guestrooms overlook picturesque Coal Harbour - with floor-to-ceiling windows no-less.  Indoor and outdoor pools, a brand new Vida Spa, branded Westin Workout facilites, sure - but this is a hard-working conference hotel, with over 70,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ~16,000 square foot ballroom. 

Host hotel for the 2010 Winter Games, the Westin Bayshore was completely renovated in 2009 and is showing beautifully. 

And the views are pretty awesome, too.

Golden Re-Birth

This 299-room hotel on Montreal's Golden Square mile enjoyed a former life as a Four Seasons and was rather overdue for major renovations. $20-million later the Omni Mont-Royal has unveiled completely refurbished guestrooms, meeting space, and wonderful new lobby bar, Alice.

To me the decor has a slightly retro feel, like a 1960's Mad Men set, but of course with current luxury-hotel must-haves such as Italian marble bathrooms, 42-inch LCD flat screen TVs, and fully-equipped fitness centre.

I had always thought - mistakenly! - the Golden Square Mile was some kind of marketing construct, not unlike Chicago's shopping mecca, the Magnificent Mile.  Not true!  Located at the base of Mount Royal, the neighbourhood dates back to the 1930's.  Today its residents include The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the Sofitel, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, chic boutiques, art galleries, and the bars and restaurants of famous Crescent Street.

Spa-ntaneous Bliss!

Week #3 of my Frankencold with no relief in sight. I needed some serious pampering, and found it at the new Four Seasons Hotel Spa.

And by "new" I mean the hotel itself had only been open for 12 days, but considering that the "old" Four Seasons at 21 Avenue Road didn't even have a spa - guests were directed across the street to Stillwater in the Park Hyatt - this is an entirely "new" amenity available to Four Seasons Toronto guests - and to the general public, like myself.

Taking the elevator up to the 9th floor I was greeted by name (love that!) and escorted to my locker. Yes, it was my first time to the Spa so a short  familiarisation tour of the facilities was in order.  The indoor "relaxation pool" is flanked by a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows leading to an outdoor terrace.  There's a cosy lounge with comfy chairs, soft lighting, and glossy magazines where I would chill out after my massage, but my first stop, after undressing and donning a thick robe, was the pre-treatment room.  Reclining in one of the organically curved chaises longues I sipped tea while completing the short medical history to let my therapist know of any concerns or conditions she should be aware of.

The treatment room - one of 17 - is possibly the largest I've ever seen, and although my eyes would be closed for the 60 minutes of blissful rubbing, I appreciated that it wasn't all white and antiseptic.  I also appreciated the toweling off of oil from my hands and feet, and the delightful temple bell that gently signified the end of my deep tissue massage. 

I should mention that when I made my appointment I was given several options, including whether I had a preference for a male or female massage therapist.  I also gave feedback during the treatment as to how much pressure I wanted or was comfortable with.

And speaking of pressure, the sinus congestion that had caused me such grief was no match for the *amazing* eucalyptus steam room.

Pink Champagne and George Clooney

I had the most amazing lunch couple of weeks ago at Maison Boulud in the recented re-opened Ritz-Carlton Montreal. Our waiter, who bore an uncanny resemblance to actor George Cooney, encouraged us to order off the menu and share dishes. Everything was beautifully prepared and presented. We at the most leisurely pace imaginable, savouring each course and sipping pink champagne.

Maison Boulud is one of internationally-renowned Chef Daniel Boulud's 15 restaurants worldwide (Cafe Boulud just opened in the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto). We sat at a table on a covered veranda overlooking the garden, but the restaurant offers such an interesting variety of intimate and varied dining areas; on a return visit you could feel you were at another restaurant entirely.

Re-opened after four years and $200 million in renovations the hotel itself is even more impressive, and has already achieved Five Diamond status - in the same amount of time (four months) as did her sister property, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto.  The guestroom inventory has shrunk (to 129 from 229) making for roomier rooms, and the iconic Oval Ballroom, lovingly restored by artisans who hand-painted the finishes to exacting detail, remains the jewel in her meeting space.

 

Funny thing happened....

...on my way to a doctor's appointment.

I had a little time to kill so I thought I'd wander through the lobby of the new Four Seasons Toronto.  I entered from Yorkville Avenue, where the driveway circles around a huge, red fountain.  It's a bit of a maze inside, with very high ceilings, and the space broken up into small, intimate areas.  There's an art piece depicting a dandelion gone to seed suspended over the front desk. (The dandelion motif is repeated in other artwork throughout the hotel, along with other 'natural' images).

I didn't get far before getting "made" by one of the hotel sales managers. He spotted me, and offered to show me the event space - cool!

We went up to the 3rd floor to see Aria, the 6,776 sq.ft. ballroom with amazing 21 ft. high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. There are breakout rooms on that floor, and on the 6th floor, where the baby ballroom, Vinci (3,249 sq.ft.) is located.

I also got to see one of the gorgeous guestrooms, all taupe with mustard accents, an inviting curved sofa in the corner, and an even more inviting stand-alone stone bathtub - apparently a nod to the decor in the new Spa, which I'll see (and experience!) next week!!