We love booking holidays, especially when they involve creative tailor-made dream trips to celebrate those extra special occasions. Our wonderful clients, Nick and Lydia, were after just that. A unique experience to Canada to commemorate Nick’s birthday. Here’s how we did:
“Firstly, a massive thank you goes to the team at Abbotts Travel, for all the planning and organising of this unique and bespoke tour of the Canadian Rockies. Our high hopes were massively exceeded.
We started in Vancouver and made our way on the Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf to Kamloops.
Being waved off by the Rocky Mountaineer staff was just one of the small ways we were made to feel extra special.
The glass domed car was stunning, staff were very friendly, attentive and constantly providing drinks and snacks. They were also extremely knowledgeable, being able to name all the iconic mountains we passed.
The food was unforgettably delicious. Gourmet meals so mouthwatering that I bought the chef’s cookbook to take home as a souvenir.
Our stay in Kamloops for one night was fantastic. We were given a suite, which went above our expectations. The staff there were just as friendly, even calling our room to see if there was anything extra we required.
We jumped back on the train, this time heading to Jasper, where our accomodation for the night saw us in another suite. This time we were greeted at the hotel by moose munching on the hotel flowers.
Brewster coaches took us from Jasper to Lake Louise. The coach driver provided a fantastic commentary of all the sights en route, even stopping for us to take pictures of a black bear eating berries on the side of the icefields parkway.
We stayed at the Chateau Lake Louise, where we enjoyed superb views of the lake and a delicious meal.
Our last stop of the trip saw us arrive in Banff for four nights. We hired a car and drove to Golding, where we did a 12,000 feet skydive with Extreme Yeti. What an experience!
A helicopter ride took us up close and over the rockies and glaciers, providing an unbeatable view of the region.
White water rafting on the Kicking Horse river was so much fun - at the end I was able to jump in the water and float with the rapids for a minute or two.
Arriving back in Vancouver, we took a 30 minute seaplane to Victoria and went whale watching. We were extremely lucky, seeing orcas, humpback whales, sea lions and bald eagles. Sarah, our guide, had an incredible knowledge of the wildlife and knew exactly where to go for the best viewing (whilst also keeping a respectable distance).
The gondola up Sulphur Mountain is a must, you get two hours to enjoy the view and our favourite place to eat was Wild Bills on the main strip.
Overall it was a fantastic adventure, thanks again for creating our trip of a lifetime.”
Nick and Lydia