ROCKY MOUNTAINEER
ROCKY MOUNTAINEER
ROCKY MOUNTAINEER
GolfLeaf Service offers libations between meals
Mount Robson
Pacific Sockeye salmon? To keep you going between meals, friendly young staffers have snacks and libations at the ready. Service options on other routes include SilverLeaf (debuted in 2012), with single-level domed windows and hot meals served at your seat; and RedLeaf, with single-level picture windows and chilled meals served at your seat. While each service category includes comfy accommodations, it should be noted that GoldLeaf treats passengers to properties they will long remember. Such as the Fairmont Banff Springs, a storybook stone castle opened in 1888 (rates were $3.50 per night). The hotel is set smack in the heart of Banff National Park, near the fun resort town of Banff where a world of outdoor action awaits. At the Visitor Information Centre on Banff Avenue, pick up a map for a self-guided walking tour. It will lead you along streets named for the local animal population (think Lynx, Bear, Muskrat) to some 40 heritage sites. Nor are culture vultures overlooked. The town claims bragging rights to The Banff Centre, an eye-popper of an arts institution set on Tunnel Mountain. A sprawling complex, the Centre encompasses a woodsy artists’ colony of secluded studios where composers and playwrights come from around the globe to create in peaceful solitude. Visitors are welcome to stroll the gorgeous acreage, enjoy performances in multiple concert venues, 116
www.southernSeasons.net
Multi-course meals feature regional specialties
check out the art gallery, and sample several restaurants. Home to the Banff Summer Arts Festival, the Centre is showing off its new Shaw Amphitheatre where the fare ranges from Canadian entertainers to Emmylou Harris – or perhaps Stravinsky’s Firebird, or the premiere of a new opera. Among GoldLeaf hotels, there’s also the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the nearby hamlet of Lake Louise, backdropped by snow-topped mountains and a glacier that, via its melting silt, tints the waters a striking turquoise. (At both Banff and Lake Louise, you can board a gondola to take in high-up views of the majestic Rockies.) Among hotels on the GoldLeaf list in Vancouver, there’s the elegant Fairmont Pacific Rim, whose guest rooms and restaurants (the one known as ORU is a don’t-miss) are sophisticated enhancements to an ever-delightful city. Throughout, you’ll be tracing historic rail routes constructed coast to coast some 125 years ago. Travelers with ample time might want to pick the longest rail ride on the roster, rolling in solid comfort from sea to shining sea. Choose a rail itinerary or two, add on your favorite activities, perhaps combine with a cruise...and you can check a trip of a lifetime off your bucket list. Information: www.rockymountaineer.com; (877) 460-3200.