Since Banff, Alberta is such a popular tourist destination in both the summer and the winter, there are plenty of places to select from when looking for hotels, hostels, and bed and breakfasts. The most famous of all is the Banff Springs Hotel, which looks like a castle, is rumoured to be haunted, and is totally on my bucket list. I have yet to check that one off. (At what point do travel bloggers start to get free stays in fancy hotels? Because I'm still waiting...)
However, two weekends ago my family and I reserved rooms at the Fox Hotel and Suites on Banff Avenue right downtown, and it was an amazing mini-vacation. I'd like to give you the details on our stay so you can decide for yourself if this hotel is right for you when coming to visit Alberta's mountain wonderland.
If you are looking for star rating, the Fox Hotel and Suites is typically a 3-star hotel: it is considered family friendly, is reasonably priced, has a good location but is not right at the heart of Banff (about a five block walk from the downtown area), and boasts some pretty cool features. It isn't overly swanky - save that lah-dee-dah visit for the Banff Springs Hotel - so we were extremely comfortable as a family there, and the entire staff treated our kids wonderfully.
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| The woodsy lobby of the Fox Hotel and Suites in Banff, Alberta. |
But don't let that 3-star rating fool you: the Fox Hotel and Suites works hard to create a very unique ambiance and environment. The hotel has based its design on the Banff Cave and Basin hot springs, an underground spring and one of the original hot springs in the Banff region. (More on that place in a later post.)
Because of this foundation for design, the Fox Hotel and Suites is replete with rock formations, beginning in the lobby. As soon as I entered the lobby, I noticed a warm, crackling fireplace surrounded by a stone wall, then a sleek, slate grey floor leading up to the front desk, and a bubbling fountain made of what seemed to be piled rocks (but was probably concrete) mimicking a burbling hot spring erupting from a mountainside. Despite very obviously being inside, I had this weird feeling I was walking through the forest to go confirm my reservation.
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| The rock fountain in the hotel lobby that my kids used as a wishing well. |
Checking in was a dream: it took about 60 seconds and then I was hopping back into our vehicle and headed for the underground parking lot.
A little note about the underground parking: maybe don't bring a truck when you are staying at the Fox. Although my husband's big red truck was able to enter the garage, it just barely fit and we had the warning chains scraping our roof every time we entered and exited the parking garage. I nearly had a heart attack a couple of times watching low-hanging pipes appear out of nowhere through the sunroof and look as if they were going to smash into us. A car or even the much-lower SUV would have been a bit easier to navigate around this little underground warren.
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| The Fox Hotel and Suites in Banff comes highly recommended by yours truly! |
The room I had reserved was a two double-bed room with no special requirements. We had a little bathroom with a tub and shower combo, a vanity mirror with sink located beyond the washroom, a little desk that my daughter claimed as her own, and a TV with cable and external cables in case we wanted to plug our computers in and view them through the TV screen.
The beds were very comfortable and warm, and I had a great sleep there both nights. There was no fridge in our room, which I would have really appreciated since my kids NEVER finish a meal and we always have leftovers to store. We did have a safe, ironing board, hair dryer, coffee maker and all of those little extra touches that hotels often have. But a fridge would have been nice.
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| Our room at the Fox Hotel (princess pillow not included!) |
I can't speak for all of the rooms in the hotel, as we only stayed in the one, so they might have larger suites. This one was... cozy. It wasn't intolerable, and I had a great stay, so don't get me wrong. I am in no means bashing the room or the establishment. But it was a touch cramped with two adults and two kids and all of our gear, so I want to give people fair warning, in case you are coming with a lot of stuff. If you want to know how much we spent per night, feel free to ask but I don't usually like to publish that information, since prices are always changing.
What I really did love about the rooms were the ways in which the hotel kept up the outdoor / fox den / nature theme throughout. The wallpaper was light green with creatures found in Banff National Park patterned across it. Our lamps had metallic foxes as toppers. Our mirror was edged with rustic wood, and the entire room had a 'cabin in the woods' atmosphere. I really liked it.
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| The nifty wallpaper in our room at the Fox Hotel and Suites. |
As for the rest of the hotel, there were some great amenities. The attached restaurant was a Chili's, which offered typical American food and then some really delicious Mexican food. (That's what I ordered, along with a margarita bulldog because it seemed fitting.) The portions were big, and our kids probably could have shared just one kids' meal and still had leftovers. We sat near the window and got treated to a beautiful view of a roaring patio fireplace and the mountains just beyond. We are so lucky to live this close to the Rockies!
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| The Chili's restaurant attached to the Fox Hotel and Suites. |
In the mornings, the Chili's restaurant offered a free continental breakfast for hotel guests, with cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit, yogurt, toast, pastries, and my kids' favourite, waffles. We ate breakfast there both mornings of our trip.
The hotel also featured a sports bar, a weight room, a room with free computer and Internet access (as well as free wi-fi in your room too), and best of all, an underground grotto hot tub.
And here I am revealing the main reason why I booked us in at the Fox Hotel and Suites. I forced you to read all the way down to here to earn your treat!
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| The amazing hot tub grotto at the Fox Hotel and Suites. |
The hot tub is in the basement of the hotel, build underground. Designed to replicate the first ever mineral springs located at the Banff Cave and Basin historic site, the grotto hot tub looks like it has been carved from the bedrock beneath the hotel. Rocks (made of concrete) jut out from the steaming water, while hot rivulets of running water create mini-falls coursing down the outcroppings.
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| My daughter enjoying all of the bubbles in the hot tub. |
The grotto hot tub area is dim, with orange and yellow lighting placed strategically around the room in an effort to make the area look like a cave tour. The only natural light comes streaming through the giant hole in the ceiling, which opens up to the sky and the courtyard above, located just behind the front desk. In the day, sunlight brightens the grotto room up and makes it much cheerier. In the evening, you can watch the stars twinkling through the steam curling up through the hollow.
Aside from the hot tub itself, the grotto also offers a sauna and some showers. The hotel provides towels in the change rooms, so you don't have to worry about packing extras.
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| My son was in love with this hot tub grotto (as were the rest of us!) |
I don't know what else to say about that hot tub. Make sure you watch the video below to see just how magical it was. We are definitely hoping to stay again at the Fox Hotel and Suites, just to soak in that grotto.
Have you ever stayed at the Fox? What are your thoughts? Is there anything important that I missed in this post? Please leave a comment below and share your story.
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