April 30, 2025

A Canadian winter wonderland

Chiara Di NORTH AMERICA, TRAVEL Banff, Canada, Lake Louise, Toronto, Vancouver, Wanderlust, Winter Wonderland 0 Comments

From Whistler, the wonderful Canadian hospitality continued on my winter wanders through Vancouver, Banff and Toronto.

It was nice to return to a bit of luxury in Vancouver with a stay at Fairmont’s Hotel Vancouver, centrally located in downtown and with Concierge dogs to greet you. I always wanted to stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise but price and availability didn’t allow for it on this occasion, so Hotel Vancouver made up for it. And what a sweet icon it was, noticeable from any side of town.

On my first night, I was joined at dinner by a friendly face, one of my international colleagues which was nice to take a break from solo dining. She took me to Cardero’s seafood restaurant, resembling a wooden boat, with beautiful views overlooking the harbour, in hopes I would cross paths with one of her friends she wanted to set me up on a date with. He was travelling so her plan to keep me in Vancouver didn’t go to plan ha! I enjoyed the entertainment of it all with some linguine vongole.

The rest of my Vancouver weekend was full of exploring and eating my way through oshi sushi. I was told by a number of friends before my trip, that Vancouver has some of the best sushi in the world outside of Japan and it didn’t disappoint. Minami had been recommended by my hotel and was my favourite – the sushi was really exceptional, melting in your mouth-like. I dined on miso soup, the oshi sushi sampler of salmon, prawn and scallop, and their signature bluefin red wave sushi rolls. More to come on my other sushi experiences.

Before Minami, I took the Aquabus ferry to Granville Island Public Market for breakfast. There was everything from eggs on toast to toasties, bagels, pies, bakery goods and more. I settled for a rosemary salted bagel with cream cheese from Siegels Bagels and a honey glazed donut from Lee’s Donuts which came highly recommended. The bagel was real New York style – you could see why they were selling their sweet and savoury varieties to locals by the half dozen.

Granville Market has a variety of shops and galleries, artisan goods, performance venues, food and drink outlets and kid’s shops. I wandered the public market and found some locally produced maple syrup, browsed the boutiques at Net Loft, the kid’s market and high street shops. Then I hopped back on the Aquabus to Yaletown dining precinct for my Minami lunch.

That afternoon I wandered Capilano Suspension Bridge, taking the free shuttle from Burrard Street. It was a very mystical forest experience with colourful lights through the trees, bridges and pathways. The suspension bridge swayed a lot, but was very pretty amongst the forest and mist at dusk. Once over to the other side, there were a number of trails to take below and above including a tree house trail. On the return side, there’s a large gift shop and a few eateries, as well as live entertainment. It was nice to feel nature so close to the city, but it sure was a cold and misty evening.

I tried my first and only Bloody Caesar, Canada’s take on a Bloody Mary and the ‘better version’ according to my bar man, at Fairmont’s Pacific Rim. It contains vodka, clamato, spices and Worcestershire sauce and tasted a bit like a green olive to me – quite salty.

A snowstorm came through on my supposed last day in Vancouver and was quite magical. I enjoyed a walk along the Seawall surrounding Stanley Park amongst the flurries and sludge. The Seawall is a lovely walk with great views over the Vancouver skyline, the harbour and North Vancouver, I can only imagine in the summertime with the ability to ride around it. I walked all the way from the entry at West Georgia to Lutherman’s Arch, passing the Naval Museum and Brockton Point Lighthouse, before cutting through one of the park’s trails to get back to where I started.

I then set off for Coast Bar which had been recommended for happy hour. Their happy hour conveniently runs from midday until 5.30pm on weekends and offers a menu of cold and hot seafood plates – oysters were only $1.50 each! The bar also features fresh seafood including lobsters and oysters.

In the evening, I walked to Rogers Arena to watch my first ice hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. I was given a ‘my first game’ badge by the bar man which was a nice touch. I put a lot of thought into my seat purchase, trying to get as close to centre court as possible without paying too much. I think I did pretty well, but I don’t think I would attend another for the price.

There was a kind Canadian sitting next to me who brought me up to speed with the game, which was very quick with players substituting every minute. The game went to a tie at full-time, and into overtime, with the first to score the winner. The Red Wings won and I was surprised at how quickly the teams disappear off the court, win or lose – I was ready for some player celebrations.

My flight the next morning was cancelled due to the snow storm impacting the airport. I had to move to another Fairmont property due to mine being full, but I wasn’t complaining with the room upgrade and warmer staff at Hotel Waterfront. It did mean I needed to cancel one day of snowboarding in Banff and I wasn’t sure if I was secretly happy about that.

I was recommended a couple of Australian-quality coffee places during my visit including Rocanini Coffee Roasters which I visited on my now free morning and enjoyed a very smooth coffee with a delicious ricotta and roasted tomato Danish.

I then headed to Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver via the Seabus ferry from Waterfront Station. The journey was super convenient being able to tap on with credit card and taking only 15-minutes. On a clear day, the views from the waterfront to North Vancouver are exceptional – it looks like a city on a mountain with the beautiful snow-tipped pine trees sprouting up.

I wandered the Lonsdale Quay Market – it was mainly food but a few boutiques with local jewellery and artisans. The snow was still falling as I continued up Lonsdale Street to Green Leaf for some more oshi. Honestly the rice hits different here, so soft and melt in your mouth-like. Almost like it’s glazed in maple.

I took the Skytrain to the Airport which was a very easy 30-minute journey during peak hour. I had another two-and-a-half-hour flight delay due to a mix of a delayed plane arrival and two air start machines breaking down, before finally taking off for my one-hour flight to Calgary.

I felt so lucky to have a window seat for this route as the views over Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies were just spectacular!

I arrived 27-hours after planned to minus 24-degrees in both Calgary and Banff, the coldest temperature I had experienced in my life. Banff Airporter transported me the 90-minute drive to Banff National Park in their comfortable and cosy vehicles dropping me at my accommodation, Brewster Mountain Lodge, oozing with character in the heart of the village.

Banff is a beautiful holiday village surrounded by mountains, a bit novelty-like but the perfect size to be able to walk around everywhere in spite of the freezing temperatures. It was my first time experiencing frozen nostrils and being warned of frost bite, which was fun to be mindful of. I also crossed paths with so many West Aussies on working holidays all over town, making me feel right at home.

I had planned for two days of snowboarding in Banff but lost my day at Mt Norquay due to my delay. I had also been a little indecisive on if I was going to board at all due to the freezing temperatures but I decided I’m here and I’m determined and you never know I might be able to book a last-minute lesson and finally connect my turns (there was no availability unfortunately). So, I picked up a snowboard and face mask from Snowtips-Bactrax and caught the free shuttle to Sunshine Village outside Banff Park Lodge – the shuttle picks up from 10 locations and is a 20-minute drive to the base of Sunshine.

I don’t want to say it was a disaster of an experience, but it was a little. Between the warnings of frost bite, the freezing temperatures, wind and low visibility, sticky snow, and the strap of my back foot getting stuck and me thinking I was going to freeze to death on the mountain, I was surprised I didn’t break down in tears. When I did finally manage to get my back foot out, I didn’t give it another chance and walked the final part of the mountain back to base. It was safe to say it was one green run and done for me.

There were some positives though: the runs were much shorter than those in Whistler, so even though it was a terrible experience, it wasn’t for long; the ramen restaurant was just what I needed to warm up over lunch; and the bar at the Village base coming though with the wine goods while I waited for the return shuttle.

Lake Louise was always a dream for me to visit and stay at the Chateau. Even though I wasn’t able to stay, I planned a day there to experience the famous lake and treat myself to a lovely afternoon tea. I took the Roam Transit express bus to Lake Louise Lakeshore from the Banff High School Transit Hub.

I walked along the pathway to Lake Louise, which is currently frozen and covered in snow. I was a little nervous taking my first step on it as ‘what if it cracked’ thoughts came to mind.

They groom a section of the lake to use as a public skate rink where you can use your own skates or hire some. I decided to skate in Toronto instead as I had friends to experience it with and it wasn’t as cold to be outdoors. I could still only stand a certain amount of time outside in these freezing conditions. I also thought it was going to be more of a vibe with activations and offerings, but it wasn’t to be.

I found my way inside the Chateau for some much-needed warmth. I was taken back by all the signs saying ‘hotel guests’ only. It was a little uninviting and made it uncomfortable to find a spot to wait for my afternoon tea reservation.

On arrival to Fairview Restaurant for my indulgent afternoon tea, the host took my coat and seated me at one of the best seats in the house, by a window overlooking the lake. I was delighted! Once settled, the server introduced himself and the menu. I had the house sparkling package for $105 including a glass of sparkling and tea of choice. I opted for the earl grey which was very smooth with hints of vanilla. The refills were appreciated as I spent a leisurely couple of hours taking in my experience and the gorgeous view.

The tiered afternoon tea menu included a savoury and sandwiches plate of devilled egg and parma ham en croute, a croissant with roast chicken and herb salad, and three sandwich fingers including candied salmon with cream cheese; cucumber and sumac crema; and grilled zucchini, hummus and goat’s cheese.

The middle tier came with two house-made scones, one traditional and the other white chocolate and saskatoon berry. They were both nice and crispy but also crumbled easily. Then came a plate of the real sweets; pear and yuzu blossom on vanilla shortbread, caramel spice pumpkin parcel on a dry cinnamon cake, lychee framboise choux, and salted café latte chocolate tart. The chocolate tart was my favourite with crispy bits in the chocolate. The spiced pumpkin had great flavours too, although a bit creamy for me. After a couple of hours, I was finally happy to give up my window-seat and move to the lobby lounge for a glass of red before taking the Roam Transit bus back to Banff.

For dining during my time in Banff, I enjoyed pizza and a pale ale at Three Bears Brewery and rotisserie Wednesday with a mountainside margarita at Park Distillery, where they distill their own gin, vodka and rye.

On my final night I went to ‘Greek night’ at The Balkan – they have belly dancers and plate smashing entertainment on Thursdays. It wasn’t long before another solo female traveller sat next to me at the bar and we realised our accommodation had set us up, almost like a blind date, by suggesting the same experiences for our evening. We had a really nice dinner together enjoying our $20 souvlaki special before heading to St James Gate Irish Pub for ‘Irish night’ where live music was playing until midnight. It was a fun night of drinks, dancing and meeting more Canadian boy’s trips.

The next day I couldn’t leave without popping into The Spirit of Christmas shop for a Christmas decoration to remember my winter in Canada. I left with three!

I headed back to Calgary for my flight to Toronto and it was another delay with Westjet. When I finally arrived, it was a much warmer welcome with both the temperatures and greetings from my soul sister who lives there. This was my third time visiting her and third season I’ve experienced in Toronto – having previously visited for her wedding in spring and my birthday in the summertime – so we embraced all that winter had to offer and it was a joy to see her two boys in real life for the first time.

We started our winter adventure with a drive to Moonstone, 90-minutes north of Toronto to experience dog sledding. There had been a lot of snowfall out there, with people’s houses surrounded by mountains of snow. We were expecting to be lead on a large sleigh with a pack of dogs and a guide, but we had to ride each other along on a single sleigh. The stress quickly subsided as we took off and I realised it wasn’t that difficult to lead the sleigh. I was a little skeptical about participating in dog sledding in the lead up and it did feel a little cruel witnessing it first-hand. I don’t need to do it again.

We had lunch at Smokin Pete’s Burger Stop in Barrie, offering a lengthy menu of retro and non-retro burger and loaded fries options.

Then it was onto Snow Valley Tube Park for two hours of snow tubing. It was a larger tube park than Whistler but I’m glad I did the Whistler one, so I knew what to expect and was ready to roll. It was a little higher tech too taking us up on our tube attached to a roping system instead of the magic carpet, there were more slides including a higher Peak section, and we were able to link arms and go down the slide together. It was a lot of fun with the added touches of snow in our faces from the speed and wind. Snow Valley also has a ski lift and zip line. I think the slopes around here would have been more my comfort zone, looking much more simpler for a beginner.

We enjoyed dinner at Cafe Renée, offering a French and Italian-inspired menu, with snow still magically falling outside. We shared a bottle of Italian red with steak frites, crab spaghetti, fried branzino and a Caesar salad. We then moved upstairs to their speakeasy bar, Charlemagne, for a Sex and the City inspired cocktail.

My winter activities ended with ice-skating at Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of downtown with Malado’s niece and nephew. It was $15 to hire the skis and the ice rink is free to use so if you have your own skis, you don’t have to pay anything – a great public space activated for locals and visitors. I was surprised at how much better I was at ice skating compared to snowboarding. Perhaps the split legs are more for me now and I should have given skiing another go. I mean initially it felt very icy and I didn’t move very fast, but I got there with some guidance from the nephew and was very happy with the groove I got into.

Our last night was spent watching the Super Bowl at Local Public Eatery with some of Malado’s girlfriends. It was a great vibe there, with a free beer on arrival, impromptu shots and lots of Philadelphia fans which worked out well as they were the winning team.

My Canadian winter wonderland wander was truly majestic and filled with beautiful people who definitely tell you they appreciate you. It was so nice to have the quality time with my soul sister and introduce her family to Vegemite and quokkas, and I was grateful to be leaving with so many fond memories shared with both new and old friends, as well as a few new Christmas decorations.

I’d love to return to west Canada during spring or summer to enjoy the sea, lakes and hiking the mountains. For now, I have a few closer to home wanders coming up which I will share soon.

Until then…

LWL xxx