Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Canada

One can easily see why Fairmont decided to build Chateau Lake Louise where it is: right next to mirror-like Lake Louise, surrounded by the snow-capped mountain of Banff National Park. Everything is reflected upon the water of Lake Louise with astounding clarity.

To enjoy Lake Louise, all you have to do is exit the back doors of the Fairmont hotel.

The Chateau is surprisingly a great base for nature and hiking lovers. There are trails accessible both to the left and right of this point. There's an overlook a short hike to the left. To the right there's a walking trail that goes to the other end of the lake (one hour round trip) and along the way are access points to other, longer trails including Lake Agnes (4.4 miles)

In May, there was still ice in some parts of the lake (yes, it was cold).

Chateau Lake Louise is an old hotel, originally built at the end of the 19th century. The oldest part of the building dates back to 1913 (the newest in 2004), so you can expect large, spacious rooms with smaller bathrooms.

If you can, grab a room with a lakeview.

The view from the lakeview room at Chateau Lake Louise

In keeping with Fairmont's impeccable hospitality, lovely chocolates await in the room upon check-in!

There are plenty to do here both in the summer and winter! In the summer, you can go hiking, horseback riding, canoeing in the lake and even whitewater rafting nearby. In the winter, Lake Louise ski area is the biggest in The Rockies with 4200 acres that are ski-able and you can ice skate on Lake Louise itself.

PS. If you join the President's Club (free to join), then wi-fi is complimentary.