Pure Destinations | Holiday Builder, Trips, Resorts

Andrew’s Adventure To Canada and Rocky Mountaineer

Our customer, Andrew treated his mom to an unforgettable holiday to Canada, a destination, which his mom had been dreaming of visiting. We caught up with them after their return from an action-packed adventure in Toronto, Banff National Park and Vancouver. Read on to discover all the incredible things they got up to on their once-in-a-lifetime trip…

How was your time in Toronto?

“Toronto was an amazing city, as we flew in everything was smooth and well organised and the organiser we were given with the tickets helped as Simone had organised everything in order. The Niagara Falls trip was definitely a highlight, especially at the time it was relatively quiet. The falls themselves literally took my breath away and my mom and me got soaked but loved every minute. The food at lunchtime was a lovely buffet with views of the falls as we ate and overall it was a great excursion that I would definitely recommend. On the day after Niagara Falls we both did the edge walk on the CN Tower, my mom was a bit nervous to start but once she got used to the height she loved it and wants to go back and do it again. We also had lunch at the revolving restaurant at the top, which capped off a lovely day the views were amazing and if you want to see the whole city do the CN tower edge walk. Overall we both loved our time there.”

What was the Panoramic Helicopter and sightseeing tour like?

“It was the first time me or my mom had ever been in a helicopter and it was at the beginning of Rocky Mountaineer, so this was our first glimpse of the mountains! We loved it and getting to see the mountain views and experiencing the ride was amazing. My only criticism is that I wanted it to be longer. Overall the trip was very professional and well organised and I would recommend anyone to experience a helicopter flight once in their life.”

How was your experience on the Rocky Mountaineer Train?

“The main reason we did the mountaineer train was because with my mom being 74, it gave her a chance to see the mountains and not have to go hiking. The train and service was outstanding, the red carpet as you board, the comfy seats and lots of room, the staff were informative and very friendly. It far exceeded expectations and it was a joy to chill out with a beer and have lovely food brought to you as you could soak in the gorgeous scenery. Along the way the journey started off with high mountains where we saw black bears and further in you could see the scenery change to dessert vistas and lots of sights in between where the staff told you stories and explained the views.  The food was well presented, tasty and in plenty of supply along with the alcohol. At the end we even had a food box and a journal as a memento, which is a lovely touch.  Its made me want to explore more train journeys and go off hiking in the mountains.”

How were the hotels that you stayed in during the Rocky Mountaineer train journey?

“The hotels were fine, the best one being the Fairmont on Lake Louise, which had gorgeous views over the Lake and a special mention for the Arts Hotel in Calgary as we had a lovely Mother’s Day buffet meal, which my mom loved. The best thing about the tour was that all the cases were picked up and dropped off to our rooms as we went from hotel to hotel.”

What was your time like in Banff National Park?

“ Banff was a gorgeous town, it was a lovely and sunny day and it was a joy seeing all the mountains and breath taking views. We even saw a grizzly bear on the way into Banff, which was amazing! I loved the Banff gondola and the views and clean air at the top were beautiful, we even managed to video call my nieces at the top as there was Wi-Fi to show them the views. Also we saw kicking Horse River and the hoodoos and overall Banff is a place I would like to go back to and explore further hiking.”

How did you spend your time in Vancouver?

“Vancouver is a totally different city to Toronto and a lot more relaxed and gritty. It was at the end of the holiday so we mainly explored the city, did some shopping and walked round Stanley Park enjoying the weather. Gastown is worth a visit to get the souvenir shopping and we both loved Stanley Park where you had cityscape views of Vancouver. I think Vancouver was a great place to end the holiday, as it was a chilled out city so good to unwind and recharge our batteries.”

What were your highlights of your trip to Canada?

“Overall the whole holiday was a highlight, but the highlights had to be the CN Tower edge walk which was amazing fun with great staff especially a girl called pepper who took us out on the walk. It was great that the pictures and video were well priced and it’s an experience we will never forget. Niagara falls should be on everyone’s bucket list and the boat trip into it was breath taking seeing all the water and the spray. The trip was very well organised and the food lovely for the lunch stop. The mountaineer train for seeing the sights, experiencing the mountains and the level of the service was first class. We were only in the Silver Leaf and the food, alcohol and staff were fantastic. Lake Louise and the sunshine and snow with the Lake iced over was majestic, and with the hotel view looking out from your room from the Fairmont was beautiful. The whole holiday was amazing and everything was a highlight.”

How was the service that you receive from your travel agent Simone?

“Simone was amazing, from the first time we walked in with my mom and dad (who’s in a wheelchair) we were well looked after. She planned everything amazingly well and gave us ideas for trips etc. Everything went really smoothly and the whole holiday was an adventure for my mom that needed a break from being a full time carer. And all that was thanks to Simone’s planning :)”