Calgary Canada - Weekend Packages
Jul 18, 2002 | 4:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 3
Calgary Canada - Weekend Packages
Has anyone travelled to Calgary recently? What is there to do? What is your preferred hotel and why? I am looking to book a hotel and stay there the long weekend in September and looking for suggestions?
Jul 19, 2002 | 11:05 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: YYC: UA 1K, HH Dia, SPG Plat
Posts: 422
If you're coming to Calgary for the Labour Day weekend, the weather is generally pretty good then - still quite warm (~20-25C)and usually no rain or snow! 
Good hotels - depends on how much you want to spend. Sheraton Eau Claire is one of the newest hotels, next to the river and the Eau Claire marketplace, couple of blocks from downtown, plenty of restaurants and art galleries within walking distance.
Classic hotels are the Westin and the Palliser hotels, both directly downtown.
If you want less expensive, there is pretty much every brand available in Calgary. But I would think those 3 are ranked among the top 5 in Calgary. Walking about in Calgary is very safe for the most part.
If you want to experience a little bit of the natural side of the Calgary area, think about staying in the Kananaskis Lodge area - 3 decent hotels onsite there, you're about a 60 minute drive from Calgary and within the borders of one of the prettiest parks in Canada and if you're a golfer, you can't beat the Kananaskis golf course. Reservations may be hard to get now but you can check it out - www.kananaskis.com.
Things to do can range widely - most visitors opt to head west to the mountains for a day or two at least. Banff (very touristy but still very pretty) is about 75 minutes away and Lake Louise is another hour further west - both have very good hotels, restaurants and you're in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.
You can head north abit (3 hours) to the Columbia IceFields and do a tour of a glacier. You can do whitewater rafting (might be a bit chilly then), you can go horseback riding at any one of a number of dude ranches, you can head east a couple of hours and visit one of the largest dinosaur fields accessible (and visit the Royal Tyrrell museum in Drumheller).
In Calgary, there is the usual - zoo, historical parks, art galleries, science musuem, plenty of hiking trails/walking paths, and the old standby - shopping, which is a bargain for most Americans these days with the Canadian dollar so low.
You should find plenty of things to do and spend your money on, but certainly expect that you will be spending some or most of your time out of doors with us Calgarians.
Good hotels - depends on how much you want to spend. Sheraton Eau Claire is one of the newest hotels, next to the river and the Eau Claire marketplace, couple of blocks from downtown, plenty of restaurants and art galleries within walking distance.
Classic hotels are the Westin and the Palliser hotels, both directly downtown.
If you want less expensive, there is pretty much every brand available in Calgary. But I would think those 3 are ranked among the top 5 in Calgary. Walking about in Calgary is very safe for the most part.
If you want to experience a little bit of the natural side of the Calgary area, think about staying in the Kananaskis Lodge area - 3 decent hotels onsite there, you're about a 60 minute drive from Calgary and within the borders of one of the prettiest parks in Canada and if you're a golfer, you can't beat the Kananaskis golf course. Reservations may be hard to get now but you can check it out - www.kananaskis.com.
Things to do can range widely - most visitors opt to head west to the mountains for a day or two at least. Banff (very touristy but still very pretty) is about 75 minutes away and Lake Louise is another hour further west - both have very good hotels, restaurants and you're in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.
You can head north abit (3 hours) to the Columbia IceFields and do a tour of a glacier. You can do whitewater rafting (might be a bit chilly then), you can go horseback riding at any one of a number of dude ranches, you can head east a couple of hours and visit one of the largest dinosaur fields accessible (and visit the Royal Tyrrell museum in Drumheller).
In Calgary, there is the usual - zoo, historical parks, art galleries, science musuem, plenty of hiking trails/walking paths, and the old standby - shopping, which is a bargain for most Americans these days with the Canadian dollar so low.
You should find plenty of things to do and spend your money on, but certainly expect that you will be spending some or most of your time out of doors with us Calgarians.
Jul 19, 2002 | 9:14 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 14
Having travelled to work in Calgary for over 6 months and trying different hotels downtown, Sheraton Eau Claire is definitely the best hotel in Calgary, hands down. The staff is friendly and they recognize people by name right away. The processes are efficient and staff is flexible. The club lounge has nice balcony and good food selection. The rooms are new and are all suite. The only complaint is the small gym (although there is a water slide for those how like water).
I have stayed in hotels with nicer decor in Canada (e.g. Westin Grande in Vancouver), but all things considered, Sheraton Eau Claire is still my number one choice.
I have stayed in hotels with nicer decor in Canada (e.g. Westin Grande in Vancouver), but all things considered, Sheraton Eau Claire is still my number one choice.
Jul 19, 2002 | 11:21 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Citizen of Canada, Member of the World!
Programs: AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG... you get the picture
Posts: 2,091
Sheraton Eau Claire for sure! Beautiful plush suites in a very modern decor, and if you can wangle an upgrade, they have a huge jacuzzi tub in the bathrooms. Plus, it easily has the best location of all hotels in the downtown core (right next to the Bow River and Eau Claire Market.
After that, the Palliser is also top-notch, with the Westin and Marriott close behind. The Hyatt may be one of the better deals in town with cheapo weekend rates at a brand new hotel.
I'd recommend that you complete a trip to the Rockies by staying at one of the primo hotels in Banff (The Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, the Post Hotel etc.)
NeverAtHome posted some really good suggestions. Other things that might be interesting (if you have the time and money) would be to take a really posh mountain rail excursion on the Royal Canadian Pacific. It's probably one of the best tours you can take if you are a train buff - operated by a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway at www.cprtours.com
Bragg Creek just outside of Calgary is also very nice to hike and bike in - rent a mountain bike and trial ride in some beautiful mountain air.
If you like dinosaurs, the Royal Tyrell Museum about an hour NE of Calgary is an amazing trove of dino bones - it's also a beautiful arid landscape.
Canada Olympic Park on the west edge of town also has ski jumping, bobsledding, and DH mountain biking in the summer... loads of fun if speed and danger are your cup of tea.
All in all, a very outdoorsy kind of town - young crowd with lots of weekend partying at night - it's easy to find the nightlife (i.e. just ask the hotel about "Cowboys" - they'll know!)
After that, the Palliser is also top-notch, with the Westin and Marriott close behind. The Hyatt may be one of the better deals in town with cheapo weekend rates at a brand new hotel.
I'd recommend that you complete a trip to the Rockies by staying at one of the primo hotels in Banff (The Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, the Post Hotel etc.)
NeverAtHome posted some really good suggestions. Other things that might be interesting (if you have the time and money) would be to take a really posh mountain rail excursion on the Royal Canadian Pacific. It's probably one of the best tours you can take if you are a train buff - operated by a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway at www.cprtours.com
Bragg Creek just outside of Calgary is also very nice to hike and bike in - rent a mountain bike and trial ride in some beautiful mountain air.
If you like dinosaurs, the Royal Tyrell Museum about an hour NE of Calgary is an amazing trove of dino bones - it's also a beautiful arid landscape.
Canada Olympic Park on the west edge of town also has ski jumping, bobsledding, and DH mountain biking in the summer... loads of fun if speed and danger are your cup of tea.
All in all, a very outdoorsy kind of town - young crowd with lots of weekend partying at night - it's easy to find the nightlife (i.e. just ask the hotel about "Cowboys" - they'll know!)