Valentine's Contest

Help us celebrate Valentine's Day by guessing the number of cinnamon hearts in the Banff Aspen Lodge Jar to win a free night at the hotel! (FYI the jar can hold 16 liquid ounces).



Please send me an email at sales@banffaspenlodge.com with your guess by Sunday February 14th, 2010 to qualify to win the free night. I will contact the winner by Friday February 19th.

Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival

The third annual Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival is returning to Banff on Friday May 7th and Saturday May 8th, 2010. Enjoy some fantastic wine, port, scotch, beer and other premium spirits, along with delicious food samples prepared by Banff restaurants and hotels. My favourite part of this festival are the cheese samples that The Bison has given out at past festivals....loves their old Cheddar :)

The hotel has a Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Package that includes two night’s accommodation, a Canadian Rockies Continental Breakfast daily, passes to relax in the Banff Hot Springs and entry to either the afternoon or evening tasting sessions at the Banff Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival. This year the tasting sessions take place Friday May 7th from 7-10pm, Saturday May 8th from 2-5pm and Saturday May 8th from 7-10pm. Please call the Banff Aspen Lodge at 1-877-886-8857 to make your reservation: tickets to the tasting sessions are limited.

FYI that the Food and Wine tickets included in our package give admission to the tasting hall. You do have to purchase the Festival Sampling Coupons separately at the Grand Tasting Hall for the actual food and wine samples.

Looking forward to seeing all the foodies and wine lovers at the Festival :)

Guest Comments~

Here are some comments from Mr. D MacNeil who stayed at the hotel this January:

"All of the employees were helpful and courteous all of the time....can't think of anything at the hotel to change...thank you very much for a wonderful holiday."

Thanks for staying with us and hope to have you stay with us when you are in Banff again~

Emerald Lake Lodge

I had a wicked two day mini vacation to Emerald Lake Lodge last week. It is just over a one hour drive from Banff, located past Field British Columbia and is a true winter wonderland!

The food and wine are delicious and staff can be outstanding. We had one staff member build us a snowman one night after we made a jokingly comment about wanting one :)



We ate in the Mount Burgess Dining Room the first night and in the Lounge the second night...both places were awesome. I recommend the Ranch Elk Ribeye Steak and Roast Pumpkin Seed Crusted Lamb Rack.

There are some great cross country ski trails in the area, we did the beginner trail that goes along the lake and around the Alluvial Fan Loop. The scenery is gorgeous and the trail is flat for the most part...so perfect for beginners :)



If you are looking for a secluded winter getaway, check out www.crmr.com/emerald-lake-lodge.php for more information ~

Meeting the Travelocity Roaming Gnome

Last night I had the incredible experience of meeting the famous Travelocity Gnome. He is in Banff to "cure his cabin fever" for the weekend and was the guest of honour at a party at the Elk and Oarsman in downtown Banff.

I wasn't sure what to expect, as I know he is very worldly and I didn't know if we would have a lot in common. I was just so impressed at how nice he is and how he made time for everyone at the party. We chatted for a good 20 minutes and I feel that I've made a true friend :)

Gnomie (as I like to call him) was skiing the Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village yesterday; this is the most extreme terrain at Sunshine and you have to be a pretty incredible skier to do ski this area. He is up in Lake Louise today at Lake Louise Ski Area and enjoying the Ice Carving Competition at the Chateau Lake Louise (part of Ice Magic).

It was great meeting you Gnomie; Banff and Lake Louise are so glad to have had you visit and hope to see you again soon~

Olympic Torch in Banff

I was in Banff's Central Park last night for the Olympic Torch Celebration. I got all decked out in my red and white gear to show my Canadian Pride:



It was a fabulous night with a great turnout. Performers included acrobats and drummers (kind of like Blue Man Group), Bomba (a Canadian Latin-Jazz Group) and the Canadian Tenors who sounded just awesome. I was standing in front of the line and was able to see Banff skier and Olympic medalist Karen Percy Lowe run by me with the flame...it was really an incredible experience.

Travelocity Gnome is Coming to Banff!

The results are in...the Travelocity Roaming Gnome is coming to Banff this weekend to cure his cabin fever! The people have spoken and feel that Banff is the better choice for the gnome for his first winter ski trip of the season and I couldn't agree more.



Enjoy your time in beautiful Banff National Park Roaming Gnome and please stop by the Banff Aspen Lodge for our delicious homemade granola if you have time :)