Mary's Musings » Travel

Dream Vacation – $3725

mary — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:50:59 +0000

This is in response, or follow-up, to 2 previous blogs titled “Vacation of a Lifetime” which were an attempt to see just what would be involved in a tour of the Pacific Northwest, including sightseeing in Vancouver. Not to my surprise, taking a trip like this costs well over $5K without factoring in meals and, quite frankly, seems a bit steep to visit a couple of National Parks.
So consider this to be a more practical approach, not exactly minimalist but it does seek to capture the essence of the trip, allows more time to explore the two parks (Banff and Jasper), and also includes some pampering as well.
To accomplish this, we eliminate Vancouver entirely. So the airplane portion is round trip to Calgary from Portland, ME. Then we have a car rental from Wednesday to Wednesday.
The flight departs at 7 am and arrives in Calgary at 2 pm. The drive to Banff is only 1 hour 45 minutes so this leaves a decent part of the evening to settle in and check in the town. The first four nights’ stay will be at the Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa. The reason for this is a king-sized bed to sleep in, as well as moderate comfort. It also makes a good base for exploring Banff National Park (including Lake Louise, perhaps a ride on the Banff Gondola). In fact there are 3 whole days to explore, hike, canoe, bike and just enjoy spectacular scenery.
On Day 5, drive about 3 hours north of Banff to Sunwapta Falls Resort. This provides a good base of operations to see Jasper National Park sights but also does not put us too far away from the airport. If you get an early start to the drive, you will have plenty of time to lunch and see the Sunwapta Falls before settling into your room for the night. This will be a 3 night stay and allows 2 full days to explore Jasper Park. On any of the days there are opportunities to take a bus tour to the Columbia Icefields. On the morning of Day 8, get an early start (6 am) for a 5 hour drive back to Calgary Airport in time to return the rental car and catch your 1 pm flight back home.
The surprising part is this package, which includes hotel taxes and bus tour to the Icefields is $3725. 8 total days (including travel days) only reduces the prior packages by 1 day. It does, however, include more time at Banff and Jasper parks.

Vacation of a Lifetime – Option 2

mary — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:13:55 +0000

All my life I have dreamt of hiking in the Canadian Rockies, walking on glaciers, viewing mirror lakes, dining in Vancouver and experiencing pools of hot springs in Banff. It always seems like an unattainable goal; however, for the purposes of scientific research, this is what a dream vacation might be like and what it would cost in 2011. This itinerary offers more flexibility than the first but also more work to make all the necessary arrangements and reservations. It also includes two parks (Jasper and Banff). So it will be called “Jasper and Banff One Way”

We will still assume air travel to Vancouver and then from Calgary back to Boston. Take an overnight flight so that Day 1 is a free day in the city. Check in to the Georgian Court Hotel after lunch and spend the first evening in Vancouver. Day 2 spend most of the day exploring, then pick up luggage for an 8 o’clock train departing for Jasper. Sleep in a private, 2-person cabin and take meals on the train for this 18 hour ride up into the mountains.

Upon arrival in Jasper pick up the rental car and head over to the Sawridge Inn where you will enjoy a 3 night stay while you explore the many sights of Jasper National Park. On the morning of Day 6, drive approximately 30 miles south on scenic Highway 93, also called Icefields Pkwy. This windy road connects Jasper and Banff National Parks. It is over a 4 hour drive from Jasper to Banff town. Day 6 completes about ¼ of that length with a stop at Sunwapta Falls Resort. Enjoy the spectacular waterfall, gourmet dinner and overnight at the resort.

Sunwapta Falls, Jasper National Park

On Day 7, drive the rest of the way down to Banff where you will check in to the Fox Hotel and Suites. Spend two nights here and enjoy a bit of what Banff National Park has to offer.

Day 9 drive directly to Calgary International Airport and the flight home.

Highlights of this itinerary are: Vancouver, Jasper and Banff National Parks, overnight travel so that days can be maximized, week car rental included, breakfasts and meals on train included.

The quality of accommodations is a slight improvement which is why this trip was priced with travel happening in either May or September when rates are lower.

The total price for this itinerary is $5300 for two.

Vacation of a Lifetime – Option 1

mary — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:35:00 +0000

All my life I have dreamt of hiking in the Canadian Rockies, walking on glaciers, viewing mirror lakes, dining in Vancouver and experiencing pools of hot springs in Banff. It always seems like an unattainable goal; however, for the purposes of scientific research, this is what a dream vacation might be like and what it would cost in 2011. Several options are compared and explored here. This option is best described as the “Rail and Drive Package” that is part rail and part auto.

The rail portion of the vacation is aboard the Rocky Mountaineer and the Red Leaf Service for a more affordable itinerary but no less enjoyable. The name of the trip is “Banff the Beautiful Rail and Drive – 2011”. This tour offers an Eastbound and a Westbound option. For the purposes of this research, we will assume the Eastbound option.

Day One-A allows for an all day flight across country to Vancouver Int’l airport. Check in to the hotel and enjoy an evening in the city. This first night is added on at the beginning so that a whole day can be spent exploring the city.

Day One of the tour includes a night stay at the Georgian Court Hotel in Vancouver, BC before boarding the train to the mountains. Commonly this tour “starts” on a Thursday.

Day Two includes breakfast and lunch on the train. An overnight stay in Kamloops is included. Day Three on the train with breakfast and lunch served on board will take us to Banff. After a leisurely dinner in town we settle in to Banff Ptarmigan Inn. The package includes a 2 night stay so that all of Day Four can be spent exploring the sites in Banff National Park.

View of Lake Louise and Chateau

The included rental car is picked up on the morning of Day Four. As part of this included trip, the rental car is a 2 day rental.

As an addition, 2 nights at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise would add some luxury to the trip. This allows the possibility of one or two rainy days and completes the vacation, with the understanding that we will not be returning. This results in 2 additional days of car rental as well. The alternative is to add 2 nights to the existing hotel, Banff Ptarmigan Inn.

The last night of this trip is spent in Calgary at the Sandman Hotel Calgary City Centre. Return the rental car at the airport before departure.

Highlights of this particular vacation option are: 2 full days on a scenic train ride through the mountains, breakfast included every day, and 3 days to explore Banff (canoeing, hiking, lakes, vistas and hot springs)

It turns out that the difference between the Fairmont Chateau and the Banff Ptarmigan Inn is significant. For only 2 nights, the savings is $500. This will allow for more elaborate meals.

Price for the “Rail and Drive Package” for 2 adults is $6,000 at the Banff Ptarmigan. For the Fairmont Chateau it is $6,500. This price includes air fare from Boston. Departure would be on a Wednesday and return would be the following week on Thursday.