Ski Packages at Jasper Hotels

In the Canadian Rockies the ski season is well underway with excellent snow conditions, and most hotels in Jasper have put together some attractive ski packages to give you the best value for money when combining your Jasper hotel with lift tickets for Marmot Basin.
Here are some of the best deals we could find:
One of the most competitively priced packages comes from the Whistler’s Inn, where their 3 for 2 offer includes a 3 day stay and a 3 day ski pass, plus apres ski, starting at just $88 per person per day.
Marmot Lodge has a couple of 3 day ski packages. Their Ski 3 for 2 offer starts at $264 per person and includes lodging for 3 nights plus a 3 day lift ticket. At just $88 per person per day, this is one of the lowest priced offers we have seen. Possibly better value is the Ski Jasper’s Ultimate Get-Away midweek offer which starts at $334.75 per person and includes a 3 night stay, 3 day ski pass PLUS a hot breakfast each day and a $40 food credit per adult per stay, so for the extra $70 you get 3 breakfasts and $40 to spend in their restaurant!
The Sawridge Inn is offering a 2 day ski package starting at $248 per person which includes 2 night’s accommodation with breakfast, plus a 2 day lift ticket. Click here for details of this package.
On most midweek dates from Feb 1st 2010 until the end of the ski season, Maligne Lodge is offering the most competitive rate we have seen for their Midweek Ski Madness package which includes a 1 night stay plus lift ticket for just $85.67 per person.
To celebrate the opening of Marmon Basin’s newest lift the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is offering a Ski for Free package which includes 1 free day of skiing for a 2 night stay, 2 free days of skiing for a 3 night stay and 3 free days of skiing for a 4 night stay. This offer is valid for the whole ski season and starting at $229 per room per night seems to be a very good deal for a luxury hotel.

Ski and Snowboard Rental

If you need to rent equipment, both Totem Ski Shop and Jasper Source for Sports offer a good range of skis and snowboards for adults and children as well as helmets and cross country ski packages.

*The above offers are subject to a minimum occupancy of 2 people per room, and are subject to availability, subject to taxes, subject to change, and certain date restrictions may apply. To confirm full details and for reservations, please contact your Jasper accommodation directly.

Stay at a Jasper Cabin in Winter

The idea of putting your feet up in front of the fire in a cozy log cabin after a day on the slopes is a dream many of us have had. While there is certainly a good variety of cabins in Jasper National Park, most are closed for the winter season, however the following Jasper cabins are open year round and can turn that dream into reality.

The Bear Hill Lodge offers cabin and chalet style lodging in a quiet forested refuge, yet is conveniently located within walking distance of the shops and restaurants of downtown Jasper. With a variety of accommodations ranging from chalet rooms to deluxe chalet suites, the Bear Hill Lodge caters to all tastes and budgets, but those looking for the Canadian Rockies cabin experience will surely be drawn to the Heritage Log Cabin. These two bedroom cabins boast a full kitchen, full bathroom, plus a sitting room with a gas or wood burning fireplace. The bedrooms have either one double bed or a double plus two twins, and there is a double pull out bed in the sitting area, meaning that a variety of family scenarios can be catered for. With the beautiful log construction visible on the inside, the cabins have a wonderful rustic charm, made even more cozy when surrounded by a blanket of snow.
For further information, rates and for reservations, please visit the Bear Hill Lodge website by clicking here.

Another excellent option for Jasper cabin accommodation during the winter season can be found at Pocahontas Cabins, located in a stunning natural location 25 minutes drive from downtown Jasper and just 5 minutes from the Jasper National Park east gate. The Panebode motel units are keenly priced and will suit those with their eye on the budget, however it is the Deluxe Log Cabins that will really appeal to those looking for a romantic retreat. These cabins feature a queen bed, full kitchen and bathroom, a living room with TV/DVD, gas fireplace, verandah and the fabulous setting means that you’ll enjoy magnificent mountain views right from your door!
To find out more and for rates and reservations, please click here to visit the Pocahontas Cabins website.

Family Day Weekend & Valentines Day

Family Day Weekend is set to be a busy one in Jasper, and at the time of writing many hotels are already full for Saturday night. Most hotels still had some availability for Friday and Sunday (Valentines Day), but the message is clear – if you are planning to come to Jasper this Family Day Weekend, you should make a hotel reservation as soon as possible.
One of the few hotels we checked with availability for Saturday was the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, where you can find a Family Day Weekend Package for two adults and two children under 18yrs which includes accommodation and a full program of family activities, starting at $349 per night for a minimum 2 night stay. The family activities include bedtime stories, family movies, ice skating with free hot chocolate, family craft time, mini family Olympics, and a family Sunday brunch ($27.50/$19.25). Click here for details of this package.
Other hotels we found with limited availability for Saturday night were Whistler’s Inn and Mount Robson Inn, although it’s unlikely these rooms will last for long.

If you can’t find a room for Saturday night and are considering coming to Jasper with your loved one, remember that Sunday is Valentine’s Day and you could combine a romantic Valentines dinner with a Sunday night stay in a Jasper hotel.
Silverwater at Chateau Jasper is offering a Valentines Day special with an appetizer of smoked salmon bisque with a feta and spinach puree, a seafood sampler plate as a main course, including scallops, prawns, crabs legs, tuna tartar and mussels, and a trio of citrus sorbets for dessert, costing $42.00 per person.
The popular Andy’s Bistro in downtown Jasper has a 5 course Valentines dinner menu for $55 per person including soup, salad, hot appetizer, choice of 3 entrees plus dessert.
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is offering a St Valentine’s Day Celebration Package which includes two nights accommodation (min 2 night stay), with roses, champagne and strawberries in your room, a romantic dinner for two, daily breakfast, cross country ski rental and skate rental. The package starts at $399 per night for two people, and is valid from Feb 12 to 14 2010.
And finally, Overlander Mountain Lodge has a Valentine’s Day Package including one night’s accommodation, wine & truffles in your room on arrival, a 4 course Valentine’s dinner for 2 with live piano, plus breakfast for 2 the following morning, costing $299 per couple.

The above packages and dinners are subject to change and availability. We strongly recommend making reservations early by contacting the hotels or restaurants directly.

Jasper Ski Holidays from the UK

There’s no doubt that Jasper is a superb destination for a ski holiday and UK skiers have been travelling here for many years, attracted by the uncrowded slopes, the excellent Canadian Rockies snow conditions, and the warm hospitality found throughout the area. Most ski holidays to Canada from the UK are organized by the many UK tour operators, who sell packages to all the major Canadian ski resorts, including Jasper.
While the package holiday certainly seems to be the easiest option, is it the most cost effective? To find the answer we compared the cost of some packages offered by UK tour operators with the cost of organizing an equivalent trip independently.
We based our research on an 11 day holiday for 2 people departing on March 13th 2010, flying between London and Calgary. We also looked at 3 different price points – a charter flight combined with a mid range hotel, a scheduled flight combined with a luxury hotel, and a charter flight combined with a luxury hotel.
Here is what we found:

Charter Flight & Mid Range Hotel

The best direct deal on a charter we could find was with Canadian Affair, where a Monarch flight from London Gatwick was available for £403.20 per person.
For accommodation we chose the Astoria Hotel, and were quoted a total of $1520.70 CAD for the 11 night stay.
Using today’s tourist exchange rate of £1.00 = $1.71 CAD, the total price for this combination booked independently was £1695.70 for 2 people, not including airport transfers.
Inghams are now the only major UK ski tour operator using charter flights into Calgary. Their holiday included a Monarch charter flight from London Gatwick, an 11 night stay at the Astoria Hotel, and airport transfers between Calgary and Jasper for a total of £1325.00 for 2 people, a saving of £370.70 compared to the independent trip.
We also did the same comparison but including 10 day lift passes.
The Astoria Hotel was able to package together the 11 night stay with 2 x 10 day passes for a total of $1864.48 CAD, making the total price of the direct deal £1896.74 for 2 people.
The Inghams price including 2 x 10 day lift passes was £1915.00 for 2 people, which is £18.26 more expensive than the direct deal.
A third option we looked at was a package provided by a tour operator based in the Canadian Rockies. Ski Holidays Canada quoted an 11 night stay at the Whistler’s Inn including 2 x 10 day ski passes and a free ski shuttle (valued at $14 per person per day) for $1699. Adding the Monarch flights for £403pp brings the cost of this package to a competitive £1799.56 for 2 people. Airport transfers are not included in this package, however car hire can be organized through the same company, costing $423 (£247.37) for 11 days full size car with unlimited mileage.

Scheduled Flight & Luxury Hotel

The best direct deal we found for a scheduled flight was with British Airways, which came in at £592.90 per person return from London Heathrow.
For an 11 night stay at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, we were quoted a total of $2732.22 CAD. The total for this combination of flights and accommodation is £2783.59 for 2 people, not including airport transfers.
With the tour operator Crystal Ski we found the same holiday including airport transfers between Calgary and Jasper for £2229.68 for 2 people, a saving of £553.91 compared to the independent option.
Including passes, it just so happens that the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is offering 2 x free 10 day passes with an 11 night stay, as part of their remarkable Ski for Free Package, so the total independent holiday cost remains at £2783.59.
Crystal are selling 10 day passes on their website for £231 pp, bringing the total cost of the Crystal holiday to £2661.68, which is still cheaper than the direct deal by £121.91.

Charter Flight & Luxury Hotel

Combining the Monarch flights with the direct deal at the Jasper Park Lodge above including ski passes, gives us a total of £2404.19 for 2 people for an independent package, not including airport transfers.
Inghams price for the same package, but including airport transfers, was £2636 for 2 people.
Ski Holidays Canada were able to offer the same package including flights, accommodation at the Jasper Park Lodge and 10 day ski passes for £2384.36 for 2 people. Adding the optional extra car hire for £247.37 brings this total to £2631.37, beating the Inghams package price.

Conclusion

In most cases the ski holidays booked through the UK tour operators are cheaper than trying to book the same holiday independently, over 20% cheaper in some instances. That price difference is reduced when you include lift passes, thanks to the competitive ski packages offered locally by Jasper hotels. It’s important to note that the independently booked holidays do not include airport transfers between Calgary and Jasper, and due to the limited scheduled shuttle service in the winter, most independent travellers would be forced to either rent a car, or pay the considerable cost for a private transfer.
Taking the price differences and the airport transfers into consideration, it seems that the most convenient and most economical way to come to Jasper on a ski holiday from the UK is to book a package holiday. However for the more independent traveller, using a locally based tour operator can help keep the cost down while also providing a more tailor made Jasper ski holiday.

*The information contained in this article was correct at the time of writing, but can change at any time. To confirm current prices and packages, please contact the respective tour operators, hotels, and airlines directly.
While we have made every effort to display accurate information, we cannot be held responsible for any discrepancies which may occur.

Jasper Park Lodge at Christmas

There is no doubt that the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is a magical place to be during the Christmas and New Year holidays, in no small part due to the wonderful events taking place at the hotel throughout the holiday period. The staff at JasperHotels.com have had a good look at the Festival of Christmas brochure put together by the Jasper Park Lodge, and we’d like to share of our favorite activities from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.

Christmas Eve, December 24

To jump into the Christmas spirit straight after breakfast, we like the idea of Santa’s Stocking Workshop from 9.30-11am, which we are sure will be a hit with the kids. The Wagon Ride sounds like fun and is running at various times throughout the day, and needs to be booked ahead of time. We’d probably take the 2pm slot, so that we’re back in time for Skating with the Elves which runs from 3-5pm, on Lake Mildred. The Manager’s Yuletide Reception sounds festive and takes place from 4.30-6pm, leaving time for dinner before joining in with Caroling by the Fire from 8.30-9.30pm.

Christmas Day, December 25

After spending a relaxing Christmas morning opening gifts, we thought Christmas Cookie Baking would be a fun activity from 3-4.30pm, and Family Games Night from 5-9pm would be a chance for the kids to interact and swap stories about their favorite Christmas gifts, while the adults take a deserved break. Once again Caroling by the Fire from 7-8pm promises to be a festive round-off to a fun-filled Christmas Day.

Boxing Day, December 26

As soon as we saw Chocolate Tasting on the schedule, we started to lick our lips and we’re sure that will be a popular activity from 4-5pm. If you haven’t taken a Wagon Ride yet, then Boxing Day evening is as good a time as any, at either 7pm or 8pm. Who can say no to a sing-song? We certainly can’t which is why we like the idea of Family Karaoke from 8-11pm.

In addition to our picks above, there are many other special events taking place at the Jasper Park Lodge throughout the holiday period. For full details, visit the Jasper Park Lodge website and download the Festival of Christmas brochure.
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is also offering a 3 night Festival Of Christmas Package which includes accommodation, many of the holiday activities, plus a christmas tree and decorations in your room! To find out more, click here.

To make reservations for Christmas events and dining, please call the Jasper Park Lodge directly at 780 852 6052.

Peak Season Hotel Deals

It may well be the middle of summer, which is peak tourist season in the Canadian Rockies, but several Jasper hotels are offering considerable discounts for dates in August when some other years you might have struggled to find a vacancy. Maybe it’s time to consider bringing that Fall trip to Jasper forward a few weeks!

The biggest discount we found was 40% off regular rates for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Astoria Hotel. The Astoria is also offering 30% off the rate for all nights until the end of August.
Whistler’s Inn has a 30% discount off room rates until August 31st, which would bring an economy room to below $135 per night before tax.
The Sawridge Inn is also offering a 30% discount on regular room rates until October 8th, as well as a $25 daily dinner credit for their restaurant plus discounts off spa treatments and selected tours & activities.
Finally, both the Tonquin Inn and Maligne Lodge are offering from 10 to 35% off room rates until September 30th, as well as a ‘last family outing before school starts’ promotion from August 24th-27th, which at the time of writing, gave us a standard room with 2 queen beds for less than $149 per night before tax at both hotels.

The above special rates may be subject to change and availability.
To confirm rates and for reservations, please visit the websites of the individual hotels.

Spring Specials at Jasper Hotels

May is a wonderful time to visit Jasper Alberta. The town is free of snow and uncrowded, yet the views of the snow-capped peaks are in many ways better in spring than during the peak months of the summer. An additional bonus of visiting Jasper National Park in the springtime is the low rates offered by many hotels. We have scoured the websites of all the major hotels in Jasper looking for deals, and have uncovered some specials which we’d like to share with you:

Marmot Lodge has a bed and breakfast special for the month of May, which includes a one night stay with breakfast for $153 for 2 people. There are also various other special packages for May at the Marmot Lodge.
Maligne Lodge and the Tonquin Inn are both offering a Spring Bed & Breakfast special from May 1-31 which starts at $60 per person for 1 night’s accommodation including breakfast.
The Sawridge Inn is offering a special Summer Time Out Package which starts May 18th and is valid for the whole summer. The package includes a 30% discount on regular room rates, a $25.00 daily dinner credit per room, plus spa and activities discounts.
Last but not least, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has put together an Alberta Escape Package valid until August 31st, which starts at $249 per night and includes a $100 Resort Credit per room per night which can be put towards a meal or drinks in one of their fine restaurants.

With all of the above specials, some restrictions may apply. Be sure to confirm rates and reservations directly with the appropriate hotel.
For more places to stay, take a look at the JasperHotels.com hotels and bed & breakfast guides.

Mountain Park Lodges

Probably the largest selection of Jasper hotels offered by one company is found under the umbrella of Mountain Park Lodges. This group manages the accommodation at the Amethyst Lodge, Chateau Jasper, Lobstick Lodge, Marmot Lodge, and the Pocahontas Cabins.
The Pocahontas Cabins are located 25 mins from Jasper in a quiet, natural setting, while the other four properties are in the town of Jasper itself. Between the five properties you can find hotel, motel or cabin style lodging, and a price point to suit any budget.
For more information visit www.mpljasper.com.

Park Place Inn

For accommodation in downtown Jasper Alberta with some character and history, you can’t go far wrong at the Park Place Inn. This boutique hotel was recently renovated, and all the rooms have been furnished and decorated in a tasteful heritage style. The hotel does not have its own restaurant, but the central location means that you can find a selection of Jasper restaurants within a few minutes walk.
For more information and reservations visit www.parkplaceinn.com.