We took a quick family trip to Banff, Alberta last Mother’s Day. After our Philippines trip last year, we decided to take it slow for our baby, so this means shorter flights and time away from home. Banff has always fascinated us, and has been in our bucket list for quite some time now. So when we found a ticket sale for the 3 of us, we just went for it!

When we started planning this trip, we checked the weather in Banff in May. Online it said to be unpredictable, so we already knew that we needed to be prepared in case it was still cold. We also knew that we were going to miss out on a lot of activities (like skiing, dog-sledding, hiking—not that I’m a big fan of any of those), but we wanted to go on a holiday and spend time, just the three of us. We want this to be as enjoyable for Maiella as it was for Warren and myself, so we weren’t afraid of missing out on some places and things to do. If anything, all the things and places we missed will just give us reasons to come back!

Why did we choose the month of May?

For one, it’s much cheaper. Come end of May and the rest of the summer, travel fares and hotels will be more expensive. We have to be weary of our budget because we’re now paying for Maiella’s flight, and most of the time, she finishes kids’ meals already. Gone are the days when she can just eat a little of what we ordered for ourselves.

We also wanted to avoid big crowds. I can’t handle big crowds, I get tired so easily and Maiella gets antsy after a while. We all lose. We learned that we chose a great time to go since Banff actually gets around 3 million tourists during the summer. 3 MILLION. They even reached 4.5 million a couple of years back when they celebrated their 150^th anniversary. It’s too big a number for a place with just a population of 8,000. If it was just Warren and myself, I probably wouldn’t mind, but the dynamics are so different when you’re traveling with a baby or toddler.

Accommodations

We stayed at Charltons along Banff Avenue, which is a good 10-minute walk to Banff’s downtown. We loved it loved it loved it. It’s reasonably priced, came with free continental breakfast, and the King room was bigger than a normal hotel room in the city. We had more than enough space—they even had a coffee table and big chairs facing the window, and you can get a glimpse of the tip of the rockies as a view. It has a little cabin feel as well. For the price we paid, I think we made a great choice with this hotel. I also loved walking to and from downtown—it really gave us the chance to burn calories and enjoy the majestic view of the mountains and this quaint little town resting at its foot.

 

Gondola Ride

Being the planner that I am, I had a spreadsheet of our activities per day, and I wanted to book (some, not all) of them in advance. I got us the tickets for the Gondola ride online, and they emailed us the passes. We got to avoid the line. I was actually surprised because when we came in, we were right up next. I didn’t even have the time to panic! LOL!

The Gondola ride is really worth it. I would say it’s the highlight for me—not only did I conquer my fear of heights, but the view on the top is just indescribable. We had no words—only praises to God for His majestic creation, and the opportunity to see and experience it.

Tour of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Like the Gondola ride, we booked a tour in advance. I know we could’ve driven around, but I liked the thought of just having to sit in the bus (or boat) and listen to a tour guide who can contribute to so much more than what we can search off the internet. There are soooo many tours to choose from, you’re gonna go crazy and will feel that there’s so little time. Thankfully, I have been able to let go of my FOMO (fear of missing out) a while back, so with a little research and checking of time and our schedule (especially Maiella’s nap schedule), I was able to narrow down my choices and eventually landed in what I want the most: the two lakes I always see on social media. Lol. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

We booked Discover Banff’s 4-hour tour passing through the Bow Valley Parkway, Castle Mountain and then leading to the two lakes, where we can spend around 30 minutes around each. Lake Louise also had the grand Fairmont Hotel where we can stroll around and get something to eat. The tour as described was very laid back, which is exactly what we need because we’re traveling with a baby.

Remember how I said we knew it’ll be a hit-or-miss because of the weather? The week before our trip, it snowed—so when we got there, we were told that the roads to Moraine Lake were still closed due to avalanche warning. We were so sad but we were able to spend more time in Lake Louise.

Our tour guide was also funny and had lots of stories to tell—not just generic, historic ones, but personal stories that made us think and appreciate what the government (and the locals, in general) is doing to protect their wildlife. Do you know they actually built several overpasses along the freeways for the animals to be able to cross safely?!? They’re really above and beyond in caring for these animals, and their genuine concern for their welfare also makes tourists like us mindful of our actions during our trip and beyond.

In every new place we visit, Warren and I would ask each other, “Do you see us living here?” and Banff is one of the very few places where we both said YES. We loved the simple, laidback lifestyle, the friendly people and the great food. The weather was so nice during our trip, so I’m not so sure about the long winters, but I really fell in love with the place. Banff is so worth the visit! We cannot wait to go back with friends and family—we may even make going there a tradition!