Stay & Play

So Close to it All
The Holiday Inn Canmore

by Jasmine Morcos

Last time, we were visiting the sands, structures and ancient lands of Egypt. This time, we stayed closer to home to re-connect with nature and explore the spectacular Rocky Mountains.

Places to visit

We were searching for a hotel close to Banff, where we could feel the wilderness around us while being able to visit and explore. The Holiday Inn in Canmore was perfect as it was only five minutes away from Banff National Park and close to the Main Street in Downtown Canmore. The hotel is also just a few minutes from the Canmore Museum, the Geoscience Centre, the Silvertip Golf Course, as well as Canmore Golf/Curling Club and Cross Zee Ranch.

Things to do

If you are in Canmore for leisure, depending on the season, you can enjoy Rocky Mountain adventures such as hiking, climbing, biking, kayaking and ski rides all within minutes of the hotel. You can even choose to spend some time in the fitness centre, followed by a relaxing session in the outdoor spa. If you are in Canmore for business, the hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as spacious conference rooms and free news-paper access in the lobby.

The Holiday Inn experience

The ambiance and warm welcome was exceptional, and all staff members were extremely friendly and always ready to help. Our first impression was that the outside of the hotel looked like a ski cabin designed in a way that you truly feel in the Rockies. The hotel entrance had many nice flowers and plants, the lobby was very cozy and had a natural woodsy feel with a fireplace, sofa and armchairs. Something we truly enjoyed were the stunning mountain views from every window in the hotel, with lovely natural sunlight coming in. We were lucky enough to have one of the rooms with very high ceilings, large windows and a spacious, modern bathroom with complementary products from Bath and Body Works.

Since our trip was a bit short, we asked the front desk for some advice and recommendations of the top places to visit. Thanks to their recommendations, we discovered the Cave and Basin site, hiked up the Sulfur mountain and came back down by Gondola, we rented a Canoe on Emerald lake and a boat on Minnewanka river, biked up to Morraine Lake, hiked Lake Louise and ate at an Italian restaurant there.

We had an early start to the day in order to see as much as possible, and had a delicious breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. Despite it being located in the lobby, the restaurant was well divided and had a lot of privacy. We enjoyed the variety of breakfast options and we’re so pleased with the friendliness and good service received by the waiters and hostess.

On our last night in Alberta, we were so tired from all the outdoor sports that we decided to spend our evening in the comfort of our room. We were happy to have a fridge and microwave to heat-up our left-over pizza. We enjoyed it with a bottle of Banff wine, while gazing through the large windows of our room at the majestic Rocky Mountains.

www.holidayinn.com