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Solara Resort & Spa in Canmore

Solara Resort & Spa is one of Bellstar‘s newest properties! It offers a new modern ambiance, and the interior decoration and design is very sleek, modern and masculine. The resort opened it’s doors to the public at the end of 2010, where it was loved by many – even with the amenities not completed. Today, the pool has opened, and the kids water play area, and some other, but I have not been back yet!

The resort is really warm, and quiet! The floors are cork flooring, which really softens any noise you may hear around! The patios/balconies are really large, and the space overall in any suite is really big and comfortable! It is an excellent resort to park yourself at! Solara offers complimentary secure underground parking with a car rinse stall for you to wash off all the highway pest!

My favourite part about my Solara experience would have to be the bathrooms. In our suite we stayed in, it had a lovely stand alone soaker tub that I took advantage of! After a long day of hike, my feet were tired, and really appreciated the tub. In the morning, I loved the walk in shower! It has a large rain shower faucet, as well as body jets!! You can use both either to relax after a long day, take a nice refreshing shower to start a long day, or just use the extra faucets to get wet, and rinsed as fast as you can!

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Glacier Saloon – Lake Louise, Alberta

Glacier Saloon is located downstairs of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which is a lovely resort. We went there for Valentines day, and we had failed to make reservations for dinner. We ended up at Glacier Saloon, and it was a pleasant surprise! The prices were actuaally reasonable considering the location!

I tried 8 oz Spring Creek Flat Iron Steak Sandwich grilled sour dough, portabella mushroom, arugula greens, blue cheese cream sauce & fries, where the food was really good!

The other dish we ordered was the special, a pork chop on a bed of whipped buttermilk potatoes, seasonal vegetables.

Both dishes were really tasty, and I would be back, even if places weren’t filled up!

Glacier Saloon

Chateau Lake Louise,
111 Lake Louise Drive
Lake Louise, AB

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Chez Francois – Canmore, Alberta

We made it to Chez Francois one long weekend evening, and it turned out to be a fantastic place to eat!! We sat down, pretty late, and no one gave us any problems for coming in an hour and some before closing!

They started our evening with an awesome greeting from their friendly staff, and gave us some bread with duck pate. The bread was really fresh, and the pate was really tasty, smooth, and creamy! It was quite delicious.

We started off with Feuilleté d’Escargots which were escargots in puff pastry with a creamy herbs & garlic sauce, and it was really wonderful!! It’s been awhile since I had great escargot, and Chez Francois prepares it to perfection!

For the main, I enjoyed the Saumon Colbert which was poached salmon topped with shrimp and scallop mousse glazed with a Hollandaise sauce.

We also ordered the Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise grain fed chicken breast light creamy raspberry vinegar sauce

With such a wonderful experience, we definitely will be returning, as we didn’t order a dessert since it was getting quite late. The best thing about Chez Francois, it’s opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll find another opportunity to return again!

Chez Francois

1602 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6111

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Sage Bistro and Wine Lounge – Canmore, Alberta

Sage Bistro and Wine Lounge is a great place to go — whether you’re looking for a quiet place for dinner, and a nice place to gather and celebrate! It seems to have the ambiance to cover it all!!

We were lucky to be able to make reservations the same day, even though we had to compromise the time a little. I’m sure glad we did though! Our dinner here was really good, it’s always nice to have a great meal from start to finish.

I didn’t want an alcoholic drink, so I opted for Homemade Honey Thyme Lemonade which was really refreshing lemonade with a hint of honey and thyme. It was a perfect drink for the day as we spent the entire afternoon outdoors!

We started this great meal with duck rillettes, which was riesling braised duck confit, a small amount of lingonberry compote, topped with petite cornchon on grilled baguette. It was just amazing!! We piled a huge spoonful of duck confit on the tiny grilled baguette, then topped it off with the lingonberry compote (jam like) — and like a cherry on top, the little pickle! It was quite a memorable appetizer and one I’m still drooling over while thinking about it!

For the main, I had the special, which was a Maple Sockeye Salmon and that was excellent. The Salmon sat on top of a great chilled noodle salad filled with julienne vegetables. It was quite refreshing of a meal, and it tasted light! It’s something I wish I knew how to make!

The other dish we enjoyed thoroughly would be the Lamb Shank, where the lamb is braised in port & rosemary topped with gremolata with saffron risotto on the side.

Since everything has been so wonderful, we ordered a dessert to share as we were stuffed. We ordered the Neapolitan Tower which had layers of cinnamon phyllo squares, mixed berry compote and lemon custard cream. You really taste the great crisp texture of the phyllo squares which contracts really nicely with the lemon custard cream, which is probably mixed with the mixed berries as it tasted a lot like a raspberry mousse. Regardless, it was a wonderful dessert, and I wouldn’t mind to enjoy this meal again.

Sage Bistro

1712 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-4878

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Mystic Springs Chalets & Hot Pools – Canmore, Alberta

Who doesn’t like to travel well?? Traveling from your own house to another house is what Mystic Springs really feels like! These chalets are complete 2-story town homes with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms!

This luxurious style of living is wonderful for families as it offers 2 double beds in the second bedroom — so kids don’t need to sleep on the same bed! On top of that, there is a pull out sofabed downstairs in the main living area. The master bedroom has an uber comfy king bed.

I found the space to be very comfortable, and with TV’s in each of the room, you’re always able to go find your own space if you need to step away for a bit inside the condo.

The bathrooms are full and complete with AVEDA bath amenities and quite satisfying for both guests who like soaking in a tub, or getting a quick shower. The master bathroom however is a walk in shower only.

The dining space as you enter the condo is a large comfortable table that looks into the kitchen. It is a very convenient set up for any meal if you were going to stay back and prepare your own meals! The kitchen comes completely stocked with all the cooking and eating utensils you would need to prepare, cook and eat your meals! On top of that, there is a dishwasher for you to clean up after yourself — as required!!

The living area is one of the highlights of the chalet for me. There is a door that opens straight back towards the pools, and it just looks great! The fireplace quickly fills the room with warmth, which is fantastic for those cold winter days when you come back from your cold adventures outdoors.

The outdoor heated pools are opened year round and even though I didn’t go out to enjoy either the pool or hot tub, lots of other guest were outside having a blast over the weekend! I was happy to hear them enjoy themselves! Outside in the courtyard where the pools are is a lot of common area amenities such as the barbeque area, the fitness machines, and even coin laundry! Other amenities the resort has to offer is a spa treatment room right behind the front desk agent, and there is also the Riverstone Hall, which is like a beautiful space you can rent with large windows and with a kitchenette and fireplace! Mystic Springs is truly a nice place to stay, and is pet friendly in most of their suites!

Mystic Springs Chalets & Hot Pools

140 Kananaskis Way
Canmore, AB