The Lodge at Bow Lake

Unfortunately, our experience staying here was very disappointing. The location is, of course, exceptional, and the staff are very friendly (I particularly loved the effort Bruce made to refer to guests by their names), but one can't help but feel that the lodge is something of a construction zone, or at least very much a work in progress. On our first night we discovered mice in the room. Just when we'd managed to usher them out and get back to bed, we heard the scamper of yet more little paws and got up to discover that more had somehow found their way inside, despite our having stuffed a towel underneath the door. Given where the lodge is located, this feels in part like it just comes with the territory, and we laughed it off the next morning with another couple at breakfast. That day, we returned from a hike at around 3 pm to find two of the staff on a mobile platform and painting immediately outside of our window. It was a hot day, and we wanted to open the window, but unfortunately this prevented that. When the staff moved to the floor above ours, we cracked the window open, but the smell of the paint led us to close it again and head downstairs to the bar. It wasn't mice that proved troublesome on our second night, however, but the arrival of a food delivery truck shortly after 5 in the morning. Given the noise, it sounded as though the truck was parked almost directly under our window, engine running the whole time, the clanging and chatter downstairs filling our room. This disturbance I cannot chalk up to the location, and when you're paying as much as you are to stay in a place like this, you expect to be able to sleep better than you would have at a campground. Unfortunately, the campground would have been much better. As it was, we slept only a few short hours and felt quite groggy the whole next day. The rest of our 10-day trip through the Canadian Rockies was wonderful, and we stayed at a couple of excellent B&Bs and campsites, the total for all of them less than our 2-night stay here. In the end, that's what was so upsetting. Spending $900 per night on an accommodation is a real splurge for us, but given the other reviews and the incredible location, we thought we'd treat ourselves. Given our experience, I really wish we hadn't.

Excellent value, everything was as advertised or better. More food than we could possibly eat but it was so good we wanted to!

An incredible old lodge on one of the most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies. The lodge itself has been extensively re-furbished while maintaining the original character. Staff are truly exceptional, well versed in the lodge and area history and a great source of knowledge in things to do nearby. The lodge sits in a quiet location well off the highway and prides itself in being free of electronic distractions such as cellular and wifi. The menu is fixed each day, however they can accomodate individual restrictions and preferences. We found the food exceptional and plentiful. The dining seating is family style and meal times are fixed. We wound up meeting several other interesting travellors. The lodge has several 'public' areas where you can find a quiet space to read, simply gaze at the beautiful scenery or get together with friends or other guests to socialize. Our room was large and very comfortable.