Staying at moraine Lake lodge
View of the cabins from a canoe on the lake:
We have stayed at numerous accommodations inside of national parks for convenience, but this was one of our first experiences where it felt luxurious at the same time. Many people fork out a large sum of money to stay at the Fairmont Lake Louise, but we found Moraine Lake Lodge to be a much more secluded and intimate experience compared to the masses of people at Lake Louise.
We loved having a private entrance to our room, and all the details in the room were remarkable – such as a welcome letter, maple chocolates, and the cozy wood burning fireplace.
View from our balcony:
It was obvious that the hotel’s priority was to make our stay as easy and enjoyable as possible. The staff even packed us sandwiches for our day of hiking. Everyone was extremely friendly and always willing to help. Afternoon tea and cookies were also a huge hit! We received a 10% discount at the lodge gift shop, which was awesome for me since I love a good souvenir! Breakfast was included in the room rate, so naturally I was expecting a low-end buffet. I was pleasantly surprised when we were offered items from the daily menu of the kitchen, as well as homemade pastries and breads. Breakfast was absolutely delicious and blew our expectations out of the water! Dinner was great as well, just quite pricey. I got the vegetable pave and farro salad, and Jacob got the beef tenderloin (not pictured because he was too hungry to wait).
The canoeing line we got to bypass:
In my opinion, staying at Moraine Lake Lodge provides a more private experience than the Fairmont Lake Louise. The lack of public vehicle access made it feel much more exclusive, and for that same reason, after about 6pm most of the public was gone. Sunrises and sunsets were much more peaceful and enjoyable with fewer people around, and it felt quite special to get to enjoy such a famous and beautiful place in a way that felt like we had it almost entirely to ourselves.
It costed us about $1100 USD a night, but we found it worth the price and are willing to pay to stay there again in the future after our wonderful experience.
Pros: private vehicle access, can retreat from the crowds and still enjoy the lake from the room, cozy and comfortable room, private fireplace (in the cabins), amazing staff, complimentary canoeing, delicious food, gift shop discount, exclusive lake access after shuttle buses stop running
Cons: cost, length of time getting up and down the access road (if you want to leave and do other activities outside of the Moraine Lake area), limited dining options, not open year round