It feels strange to be writing this now, several months later, but I'm finished school, and I have nothing else to write about given the quarantine situation, so here we are.
A couple months ago, in another dimension where we were allowed to leave the house and travel and see friends, I
went to Banff, Alberta with a big group of friends for a lovely weekend of snowboarding, blissfully unaware that this would be the last group hangout I'd have for many moons. For someone who grew up in Alberta, a trip to Banff certainly isn't new, but that doesn't mean that I don't experience new things every time I go! It's one of the many reasons I keep going back during literally any time of year, of course paired with the overwhelming beauty of the Rocky Mountains that I obsess over on the daily. This time we went, we experienced lots of new things and places, and below you'll find my in depth review on all of them so you can be informed for your next stay! And don't forget to comment at the bottom where your favourite places are in Banff so I can check them out next time I go. Enjoy!
Where we Stayed
This trip everyone stayed at Elk + Avenue Hotel, a new accommodation to us. The hotel had beautifully designed modern style seating areas throughout the lobby area, and even featured a musician entertaining guests as they waited. The musician, Mister Bird was quite talented and I highly suggest you check him out!
The rooms are also decorated in a lovely contemporary style that has a bit of a mountain personality to remind you of where you are.
My favourite element of the design was the wood feature wall behind the beds, and the little red lanterns on the side table by the window. It's touches like these that make a hotel feel like more than just a room.
There is also an indoor hot-tub that we definitely took advantage of with our friends for some apres ski decompressing. There was a large window facing into the hot tub room which let lots of natural light in, though I can't say if it actually opens or not as it was winter when we were there and for obvious reasons, it wasn't open.
Where we Ate
PARK DISTILLERY
Our first night there was on Valentines Day so all the couples did dinner separately. C had made a reservation for us at a place we've been recommended to by many, Park Distillery. I would definitely visit here again. We were fortunate to sit on the upstairs level at a small table by the window in some super comfortable vintage chairs (with blankets as I was stoked to find out #alwayscold). We were smack in the middle of a gorgeous mountain view, and a huge fireplace. Even I was jealous of us honestly.
We started with some drinks, and C was happy to select from their large variety of craft beers, and for myself, not a beer drinker, I was recommended a suuuper delicious blueberry vanilla something that I still think about.
I ate a delicous and hearty chicken and potatoes dish, and C had ribs. Both were A+ and had the smoky flavour that the restaurant is really going for. For dessert (because it's Valentine's day so DUH) we "split" some kind of gourmet s'more that was sooo good I would go back just for that.
One of our friends who also went there for his date picked up a bottle of gin from their Distillery store on the way out. We tried some and it was really good! An easy drinker for sure.
Park Distillery is also making amazing efforts during this crisis. They're making hand sanitizer and sterilizer with their resources to help health professionals, and it's also available for you to purchase on their website!
BEAR STREET TAVERN
Our second night, we all went for pizza together at The Bear Street Tavern! It was a fun, upbeat atmosphere, perfect for a group of friends. The pizza was also, delicious. I ate some garlic cheese fingers that were literally the size of an entire pizza and were sooo good. i can't remember what everyone else ate but I do remember one of my friends ordered the "Wheeler Hut" pizza featuring mushrooms and truffle oil and she absolutely raved about it! So if you're a truffle fan, give that one a try!
Unfortunately I didn't get too many pictures in the restaurant, but I can say for certain that you can order a beer the size of my head!
BANFF AVE BREWING CO.
On our last night, we all went for drinks at Banff Ave Brewing Co. I wish I had gotten some photos in here because it was a really cool place! All the guys and a few of the girls ordered their beer sampler and got to try a bunch of their craft beers for a really good deal! For dinner I ate the Cascading Veggie Burger (sans mushrooms and tomato because apparently I'm picky) and it was my first time trying a Beyond Meat burger. I was super pleased with that, and honestly if I didn't know it wasn't meat, I wouldn't have known it wasn't meat. If that makes sense... Brewing Co. had it on a sweet potato bun which was definitely different than I expected because it wasn't orange at all, but apparently they're supposed to be like that according to our server. Either way it's a cool idea for sure!
Overall we had a good experience here! The service was definitely slow, but it was a pretty busy night and they seemed understaffed so maybe it was a one night thing and we got unlucky. But regardless, I would still recommend it as a great place to hit up, especially if you like craft beer!
Where we Snowboarded
I'm sure most people live in Alberta, where most of my audience is from, and are interested in skiing have probably been to both these places, but in case you haven't or are a beginner, I still wanted to touch on them briefly!
We did one day at Lake Louise Ski Resort and another at Sunshine Village. As an intermediate snowboarder I really enjoy both of these hills. Though I've never met a mountain ski resort I didn't like. Sunshine Village is really nice because it has a lift that takes you halfway up the mountain to where the village is, so the "bottom" is already starting at a really good height and you get a nice long ski-out at the end of the day. The thing I will say though is that if you're new to boarding, you'll probably prefer Lake Louise as it has less flat sections that can be tough for a beginner who is scared of picking up the necessary speed to navigate them. I don't know anything about skiing so I can't vouch for that but I can say either way, you'd have a great time at either.
I'm so glad we went to both because then I got to experience even more gorgeous views and stunning mountain sunrises which is honestly the whole reason I go to Banff.
You made it to the end! Thanks so much for taking the time to read. I hope this was either entertaining for you in a time when we're all just so bored, or will help you decide where to go and what to do on your next Banff visit.
Don't forget to comment your favourite Banff attractions and like this post, it really helps me out!
For more travel, adventure, and Canadian content, check me out on Instagram.
Until the next one,
XO
Tara