The Bison Restaurant & Lounge is offering a special menu on Sunday October 11th and Monday October 12th for $36pp. The starter is a spiced pear & candied pecan salad along with a roasted chestnut & apple soup. Their main course is a sage roasted turkey with dried cranberry dressing, turkey confit, parsnip & carrot mash, glazed beets, and bourbon gravy. Dessert includes a maple pumpkin raspberry pie and spiced chai ice cream.

One of Banff’s newest restaurants, The Meatball in the Ptarmigan Inn has a Thanksgiving special which includes pumpkin soup to start, followed by a main course of turkey or honey glazed ham, apple sage stuffing, parmesan mash, yams and spaghetti squash plus seasonal vegetables, with a choice of apple crisp or vanilla ice cream for dessert. All for a very reasonable $23pp ($13 for children). The restaurant is open 5pm to 9pm and the special menu runs from Friday to Monday.

At the Banff Park Lodge you can enjoy a Thanksgiving Sunday Brunch on October 11 from 10am to 2pm for $31pp ($21 for children 6-12yrs) or a Thanksgiving dinner from 5pm to 9pm in the Chinook restaurant for $20pp. Also coinciding with Thanksgiving is the Oktoberfest special in the Terrace Dining Room (5.30pm to 11pm), where German specialties such as schnitzel, goulash soup and apple strudel can be ordered from their a la carte menu.

At the Rimrock Resort Hotel, a Thanksgiving dinner is being served in the Primrose Dining Room. The delicious menu, costing $39pp can be seen here. A special children’s menu is also available for $18.

The Fairmont Banff Springs are offering a Thanksgiving dinner buffet from Friday to Monday in the Bow Valley Grill for $50pp ($25 for children 6-12yrs), and the Waldhaus restaurant is presenting a Thanksgiving table d’hote from Friday to Sunday for $54pp ($27 for children 6-12yrs). The excellent regular Sunday brunch also takes place on Thanksgiving Sunday in the Bow Valley Grill and costs $39.50pp ($14.95 for children 6-12yrs). It’s not a “Thanksgiving Brunch” as such, but we wouldn’t be surprised if you find some turkey on the menu!

Please contact the above restaurants directly to book your table.
To avoid disappointment, early reservations are recommended for Thanksgiving events at all Banff restaurants.

Buffalo Mountain Lodge are tempting visitors with their Brunello in Banff package which includes one night’s accommodation for two, a Brunello di Montalcino guided wine tasting evening with game platter on May 1st, breakfast for two, and two tickets for the Grand Tasting Hall at the Food and Wine Festival on May 2nd.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, where the main event at the Grand Tasting Hall will take place, is offering Festival rates starting at $179 for stays on May 1st and 2nd.

If you would like to take advantage of the fantastic spring skiing conditions in Banff, you should consider staying at Sunshine Mountain Lodge where they are offering an overnight stay and free shuttle to the Grand Tasting Hall on Saturday May 2nd, and free lift tickets for Sunday May 3rd starting at $199 per person.

For further details about these and other Wine & Food Festival packages, visit www.rockymountainwine.com.

The above was correct at the time of writing but may change as more reviews are written.
See the full current list here.

The HI-Banff Alpine Centre, perched on the slopes of Tunnel Mountain offers shared accommodation from $28/night per person for HI-Canada members and private rooms from $80.50/night for members. While it’s true that a lower price can be found at some B&Bs, the rate for one person in a shared dorm is hard to beat.

The Samesun Backpacker Lodge offers dorm style accommodation, starting at $32/night per person, and has a good location within walking distance from town and is popular with international travellers.

Banff Y Mountain Lodge offers a good standard of accommodation close to downtown and the scenic river walk, starting at $30/night per person in a shared dormitory room, with private rooms with shared bath starting at $65/night.

If you already own the gear, camping can be a great way to save some money while bringing you closer to the natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies than most hotels in Banff National Park. There are several campgrounds around Banff which range between $20-$30 per night for a site.

Best Gourmet Breakfast in Banff

Most Banff bed and breakfasts serve a continental breakfast, but at the Buffaloberry B&B guests are served a gourmet breakfast with a different hot item each morning, along with fresh fruit, juice, home baked goods, coffee and tea. Hard to beat!

Best Healthy Breakfast in Banff

The Banff B&B with the best healthy breakfast is undoubtedly Treetops Banff Bed and Breakfast. Their continental buffet breakfast includes seasonal fresh fruit, which is often locally grown berries, a variety of cereals, yoghurt, a selection of breads, bagels and muffins which can be toasted, preserves, hard boiled eggs, a selection of juices, coffee and a selection of teas. The perfect foundation for a healthy day in the mountains!

Best Breakfast for Treats

Mountain Home B&B host Lynne is an expert in the kitchen, and each morning guests enjoy the fruits of her labour, such as home made baked goods, home made preserves, blueberry pancakes, Belgian waffles and French toast. Needless to say, breakfast is one of the highlights of staying at this Banff bed and breakfast.

Johnston Canyon Resort is located west of Banff on Highway 1A, between Banff and Castle Junction, and offers cabins and chalets of various sizes. The resort has an idyllic location at the end of a picturesque canyon, which guests can walk up on a series of interpretive trails and bridges that take you past amazing waterfalls and geological formations.

Castle Mountain Chalets are located roughly half way between Banff and Lake Louise on Highway 1A not far from Castle Junction. The accommodation is in the form of log cabins or chalets of varying sizes, each with a kitchen or kitchenette.

Storm Mountain Lodge is found on Highway 93 south of Castle Junction, around 25 mins from Banff. Accommodation is in log cabins which are well appointed and charming, with the type of rustic feel only attainable in such a historic location. The fine dining restaurant is excellent and is well regarded throughout the area.

Baker Creek Chalets is a charming property located on Highway 1A, approx 15 minutes east of Lake Louise. Choose between 3 types of Lodge Suite or 3 sizes of chalet, each with kitchen or kitchentte. The locally sourced water is magical both for bathing and drinking, and the Baker Creek Bistro provides a fantastic dining experience.

Fairmont Room

This is the standard entry level room for the Banff Springs, with either one king, one queen or two twin beds. At around 250 sq ft, these rooms are fairly small by Canadian standards and you are really paying for the facilities of the hotel rather than for the room itself.
$429/night

Fairmont Viewside Room

Identical to the Fairmont Room but with valley view.
$489/night

Deluxe Room

At 385 sq ft, these rooms offer more space than the Fairmont Room, and come with either one king, one queen, two twins, two queens, or one queen plus one twin bed. This room type is an upgrade from the Fairmont Room, however at the time of writing it was surprisingly available at a lower price.
$419/night

Deluxe Premier Room

These rooms are bigger still at 400-500 sq ft and have the same bed configuration as the Deluxe Room above but offer the added comfort of a sitting area.
$549/night

Deluxe View Room

Identical to the Deluxe Room but with valley view.
$529/night

Deluxe Premier View Room

Identical to the Deluxe Premier Room but with valley view.
$589/night

Signature Room

These rooms are approx 450 sq ft, have a valley view, one king bed, and are more elegantly decorated and furnished than the rooms above.
$629/night

Fairmont Gold Room

The Fairmont Gold floor is like a boutique hotel within the Banff Springs, with a private reception, dedicated staff, and exclusive Fairmont Gold Lounge where complimentary breakfast and evening appetizers are served.
Fairmont Gold Rooms are 268 sq ft, exquisitely appointed, have one king bed and either mountain or valley view.
$589/night

Fairmont Gold Deluxe Room

At 306 sq ft, these are in a similar style but larger than the Fairmont Gold Room, with either one king or two queen beds, also with mountain or valley view.
$649/night

*The example date used for room rates was July 21st 2009. Please note that these rates can and probably will change, and are included purely for comparison purposes. For current room rates, please visit www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/.

For reservations at the Banff Springs, call 1-800-257-7544, or visit www.fairmont.com.