Bride-to-be Blogger Kristy: Our Amazing Canadian Honeymoon

By Kristy Schultz· 7/26/2013, 10:10 a.m.

Kristy and Erica on their wonderful Canadian honeymoon!

Eric graciously took the lead on the honeymoon planning and during those hectic weeks leading up to the wedding, I kept my dreams of relaxing in Alberta in the back of my mind. (I switched the background of my work computer to images of beautiful Alberta, and it was my saving grace during the busy times of wedding planning.)

So after our amazing wedding, we quickly packed our bags Sunday afternoon and spent our last evening in Philadelphia at the Hotel Monaco located near the Liberty Bell before catching an early flight north. We were exhausted and slept most of the flight to Calgary, so we hit the ground running upon our arrival. We had our hotels booked for the next 10 nights but little other on our itinerary planned. Nine nights were spent at Fairmount hotels: three in Banff Springs, three at the Chateau at Lake Louise, and three at Jasper Park Lodge; our last night close to Calgary airport to ensure making our early departure home. Our honeymoon was far from the norm, with so many newlyweds on the east coast heading to some tropical island or all-inclusive in South America—we were taking the complete opposite route and heading to the Canadian Rockies!

Eric and I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting and enjoyable trip, and we really have to thank the amazing staffs at the Fairmount hotels and every friendly Canadian we ran into. They made it so easy to create a schedule on a daily basis and simply go with the flow, exploring the beautiful scenery of Canada.

Our first day in Banff Springs was Canada Day, similar to our July 4th celebrations. We settled in our room, enjoyed some complimentary champagne, and took the 20-minute stroll to downtown Banff Springs. Everything was in full swing, with everyone offering us Canadian hats and flags to help us celebrate. We watched the fireworks, and it was an amazing start to our honeymoon.

The rest of the days spent in Banff Springs were filled with short hikes, amazing views of the town, and lots of exploring downtown enjoying good restaurants and night life. We had an hour drive to Lake Louise, with a few beautiful stops along the way exploring canyons and waterfalls, but we arrived at Lake Louise during the peak time of tourist exploring. Eric and I were surprised at how many people were also there to see Lake Louis, but I don’t blame, them because it’s gorgeous. We ended up arranging our plans to get in and out of the area either early or late in the day to enjoy the scenery without the tourists. Once settled into Lake Louis, we planned a day of hiking, a road trip to a neighboring town—Golden—and simply sipping beverages while enjoying views of the gorgeous lake.

A few days later we arrived in Jasper, a quaint train town about four hours from Lake Louis. We stayed pretty active with horse back tours, a boat tour of Lake Maligne, and a tram tour showcasing views of the surrounding mountain ranges and glaciers. We spent our nights relaxing by the lake near our hotel, or on the outdoor patio of our room. Our last stretch was the trip back to Calgary, and we insisted on enjoying a night at the Calgary Stampede before jumping on an early morning flight. It was one of the best decisions we made—there were horse-and-carriage races and an amazing outdoor show ending in a fireworks display! How fitting for our last evening.

Before we left for our Canadian honeymoon, many people kept asking why we decided to go there. Once in Canada, every time we mentioned that we were on our honeymoon, everyone responded that we were at the perfect place to celebrate. It is truly a beautiful country and the people couldn’t be friendlier. I highly recommend taking the less-traveled path when planning your honeymoon, and doing something that compliments your personalities and interests. We relaxed, saw some amazing sites, and enjoyed each others company as husband and wife! (See the pics, below!)

Did you go on a not-so-standard honeymoon? What did you enjoy the most about your honeymoon?