While we were in Canada we were fortunate enough to be able to experience three different Fairmont Hotels. The Fairmont at Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and the Fairmont Palliser Calgary. The Fairmont has quickly become one of my favorite hotel groups, and here's why!

The Fairmont at Banff Springs

If you've ever seen pictures of The Fairmont at Banff Springs then you know it looks like a fairytale dream, and I can tell you that it lives up to the hype!

Not only are the views from the hotel spectacular, but over Christmas there were fun, festive activities every day at the castle. From ice-skating, making s'mores around an open fire, to gingerbread house workshops. They also pay a lot of attention to small details, which I think really makes the whole experience magical. In our room was a small decorated Christmas tree, we often found little treats and champagne in our room upon returning after spending the day exploring, and on Christmas morning there were stockings full of gingerbread men, chocolates and other treats waiting for us at the door!

If you feel like being pampered, I'd recommend a dip in the outdoor pool, where you can swim, enveloped by warmth, as snow falls all around you. There is also the renowned Willow Stream Spa on site with a fantastic gym, another pool indoors, a sauna, massage, facials, and just about any pampering service you can dream up.

If food is more your thing, you need never leave the hotel. The Fairmont at Banff Springs has more restaurants, lounges, cheese and wine bars, and sushi than you could poke a stick at. My favorites were the Bow Valley Grill, Waldhouse Pub, Grapes Wine Bar, and the Rundle Lounge (they have great live music in the evenings).

One of my favorite meal experiences though was just having breakfast in our room each morning. We got to sit and look out at the amazing view, while enjoying fresh croissants, fruit, eggs, and of course, Canadian bacon. Plus, I have to mention that their chai is the best I've tasted....anywhere, world wide.

The view from our room!

The Waldhouse Pub is just down some stairs at the back of the Fairmont, and has a more formal upstairs dining room, or sports-bar style area downstairs.

On Christmas day we booked ourselves into both the brunch buffet and one of the Christmas dinners, complete with Sinatra-style live music. I've never eaten so much, the food was just fantastic, and incredibly diverse. If you can swing it, I recommend breakfasting in the Conservatory. Check out those views!

The brunch buffet had everything you could imagine, including a s'mores chef who would whip you up a gooey, chocolatey treat. Did I have one with my breakfast? Of course!

If you do start to get cabin fever, there is no shortage of fun activities within a short drive of the hotel. Check out some of my favorites:

 - Dog Sledding through Banff National Park
 - The Banff Hot Springs
 - Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain
 - Helicopter Flight over Banff National Park
 - Strolling along the streets of Banff Town itself

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Nestled on the shore of Lake Louse, the Fairmont Chateau feels much more European than North American, and you'll expect to hear a wider variety of accents among the guests than at the Fairmont Banff Springs (which appears to be frequented by Australians more than any other group).

Like it's Banff Springs neighbor, the Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise has more than enough activities to keep you busy. They have a rental shop inside the hotel, where you can get ice-skates, snow shoes, skiis, and sleds and take yourself on your own adventure, or go on one of their guided mountain adventure programs.

Lake Louise has been voted one of the world's most picturesque places to ice-skate, and I have to admit that it's hard to pay attention to your feet, when there are spectacular mountains rising up all around you. Not to mention that the hotel builds an ice-castle on the rink, and also has an ice-bar where you can rest in between skating sessions!

Fairmont Palliser Calgary

We only stayed in the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary for one night, and while it is more of a typical city hotels than the castle-style hotels at Banff Springs or Lake Louise, the quality and service was on par.

The Palliser is also located directly next door to the Calgary Tower, which is great for first time visitors to Calgary to get their bearings and check out the city from above.

We certainly had some fun with the glass floor!

Calgary certainly isn't my favorite Canadian city, but we had to stop there on your way to Banff National Park. While I'll admit we were only there for a short time, it felt dirty and industrial, with half-finished construction everywhere, closed off footpaths, potholed streets etc. The downtown area didn't seem like it had that much going on either. We saw plenty of drug deals and pan-handling, but not much in the way of culture, museums, good food etc.

I'm happy to be corrected though, if you know of some great Calgary gems, in case we ever find ourselves back there. Learn more »

Last week I flew into Los Angeles and drove down the coast to San Diego. Along the way I stopped at a few different places, including Santa Monica Pier, Huntington Beach, and Rancho Santa Fe.

I stayed at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe for a few nights before flying out. It's a beautiful spot, the food is great, and it's perfect for a relaxing long weekend! They have a gorgeous little pool with cabanas, a croquet lawn, cottages, and outside fire pits perfect for sipping cocktails next to.

Here's a quick wrap up of my road-trip highlights.

It was so much fun that I think I'll start up at San Francisco next time! So if you have any suggestions for things to see and do along the way, let me know!

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On Saturday May 17, 2014 we participated in the ninth Worldwide Instameet. It's where Instagrammers from all over the world get together, meet new people, take photos, and share their love of Instagram.

I organized a little meet-up in Fort Collins, Colorado. There was a threat of rain and thunderstorms, but the group still turned up to climb around on the rocks and appreciate the sunset of Horsetooth Reservoir.

Here's a stream of photos from the crew:

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Last month, my boyfriend whisked me away to Paris on a surprise trip, and proposed! Here's how it went down...

I was on a work trip right before Thanksgiving last year, when the boy surprised me by showing up at my hotel with two plane tickets to Paris. The only problem was that I didn't have my passport! So while I was at work the next day, he drove back to Denver, got the first flight to San Diego, searched through the house for my passport, and made it back to the airport in time to get the last flight back to Denver, then driving for an hour through the snow to get to where I was!

The next day (Thanksgiving) we headed back to Denver to fly to Paris for five days. Let me tell you, no-one actually flys on Thanksgiving Day so we had the plane almost to ourselves! We did have to eat McDonalds in the airport for Thanksgiving dinner, but we more than made up for that meal with all the amazing food we ate in Paris. 

We arrived, and were taken to our hotel, which was only a block away from Trocodero Square, with our room looking straight through to the Eiffel Tower!

We spent the next two days exploring Paris, the museums, walking along the Seine, shopping, eating, and eating some more.

 

Then on the evening of December first we went all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was too busy taking photos and looking at everything, to notice whether he was nervous or acting strangely. 

It was freezing up there, so he pulled me close to keep me warm, and proposed. I could only tell you about half of what he said, I think excitement took over and made things a bit fuzzy. But I said yes. 

So, now we are embarking on the journey of planning our internatinoal wedding. You see, we have family and friends all over Australia, all over the USA, and we are also completely in love with France. So just picking the destination is proving to be difficult!

If you'd like to follow along as we plan our big day, check out Our International Wedding Blog or find us on Instagram or Twitter!

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New York City is one of my favorite places on the planet. It is busy, there are a lot of tourists, but it is such an incredible place, full of art, food, music, stories, and opportunity.

And New York in the summertime? It is hot, steamy, and well worth a visit!

I couldn't possibly fit even 1/1000th of the incredible stuff there is to do into just one blog post, so I'm going to break it up and do a series of posts, highlighting a few of my favorite moments in The Big Apple.

So, first up, when it's really hot I like to seek shade in New York's beautiful parks. Central Park, being the biggest and most well known, has so much going on in summer. There are games, live music, sunbathers, dance classes, theatre performances and so much more!

This is the view from Belvedere Castle (built in 1869), I recommend climbing to the very top!

Rent a boat and take a romantic paddle around the Central Park lake, or have afternoon tea at the famous Loeb Boat House. Stroll the cool, tree-lined avenues, stopping in at the MET or Museum of Natural History (which is fun for kids big or small) along the way.

Or, grab a hotdog from a street vendor, and take in a baseball game. Or simply sit and people watch, you won't be bored, I promise.

One of my other favorite green spaces in New York City is Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library, apparently it's also one of Elmo's favorites as well. ;)

Bryant Park is such an oasis of calm amongst the skyscrapers. You can enjoy lunch at one of the cafes or restaurants, grab a snack from a street vendor and sit in the sun, ride the carrousel  play a round of petanque, and afterwards wander through the beautiful library.

They also have the Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, so pack yourself a picnic dinner and get there early for a good seat!

If you find yourself in the Village, Washington Square Park is a must. In the summer time it is full of live music, street performances, sunbathers, and is surrounded by some great places to eat.

Here's a little video view of the park:

And here's a taste of Colin Huggins 'The Crazy Piano Guy' playing piano in the park:

Just a short walk from Washington Square Park is a french patisserie called Mille-Feuille. They have the most amazing macaroons, croissants fresh from the oven, and pastries this side of France, I highly recommend a visit....or seven!

Another small, but not to be overlooked, park space is the New York High Line. The High Line was transformed into a mile-long park from the old, elevated, West Side rail line.

 

The High Line offers interesting views of the Meatpacking District, both looking up and down, as you walk along the old tracks.

And last, but certainly not least, head down to the Financial District and spend some time relaxing along the New York Harbor in Battery Park. There are lovely views of the Statue of Liberty, you can watch the yachts sailing, or visit the Skyscraper Museum. 

And this is going to sound strange, but be on the lookout for Zelda the wild turkey that lives down there in the park, I see her every time I visit.

While you are down that way, you could always jump on the Staten Island Ferry and take a trip across the harbor, past the Lady of Liberty. It's free too!

Next post I'll share a few more of my favorite New York moments with you, but for now, here's a quick time-lapse video including Grand Central Station and Bryant Park.

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