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3 Stars - 413 Opinions
Deer Lodge is for travelers who enjoy rustic and not high tech. The rooms are small but comfortable, the staff is helpful and pleasant and the location is superb. A five minute stroll can bring you to Lake Louise with all the tourist buses you can imagine. But the Lodge is a quiet haven for those who enjoy reading the morning paper by the fireplace in the lobby and enjoy superb food in the dining room. If you like U.S. National Park Lodges you will like Deer Lodge.
We have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Canada and stayed just the one night at the Deer Lodge Lake Louise thank goodness. We had a booking for two rooms which were nowhere near each other, both rooms were tiny infact our friends couldnt even get out of bed at the same time because the room was so small there was nowhere to put the suit cases so you had to climb over them. We new that there was no phone or TV but with no hair dryer or cooffee making facilaties and a very expensive bar/restaurtant we did feel that with such lovely surroundings the hotel let itself down badly. our meal that evening in the restaurant was cold and if i had been blind folded would not have known what i had been eating , it was the most expensive meal we had the whole holiday and deffinatley the worst.
Has old world charm. Stayed in room with three beds for family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 children. Room was large enough, but bathroom was very tiny. Great spa on roof and nice sauna for cold nights.
Food very gamey. Ok for one night, but needed a few more options for the kids to eat there a second night. Breakfast on the pricey side - $14.00 for continental breakfast.
Great location to Lake Louise. Just a 5 minute walk up the road.
Glad we stayed at Deer Lodge. Would recommend this property if you want to be near Lake Louise. Good property for the price.
My friend and I stayed at Deer Lodge for 3 nights while we’re touring the Banff & Lake Louise area and it lived up to our expectations given the rate we paid ($94 per night for a double bed). It is conveniently located across the street from Lake Louise’s parking lot, beside Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel is clean with friendly & professional staff. The room is a little small with no TV but we’re there to sleep so it’s not an issue for us at all. Do expect noise in the hallway (and next door) as the walls are pretty thin. Amenities I find useful are the in-room safe, free & fast Internet (downstairs in the recreation room), and the outdoor hot tub. The restaurant has good breakfast but could be pricey for budget travelers. A good alternative would be Chateau Lake Louise’s Deli, they are open 24 hours.
I would recomend the hotel. Those who rent it should expect that it is not intended to be a luxury hotel, but a basic place to sleep. The Lodge had very friendly and responsive staff. The food and service was excellent in their restaurant. The roof top hot tub was very nice with an incredible view. The lounge was rustic and warm. And best of all you could walk over to Lake Louise and not worry about all the crowds.
On the negative side, the lodge room is pretty small (@ 8ft x 12 ft with a little alcove and a bathroom). One suit case is about all the luggage you can fit in the provided space. But if you feel cramped, you can always walk over to the Fairmont Chateau and lounge. I like a firm bed, but Deer Lodge's beds were extremely hard. As others have written, you can hear people walking in the halls and above you. However, we always found it to be quiet between 11 pm and 7 am. Oh, and don't forget to check out the game room downstairs. It's a nice area on rainy days with a pool table, board games, T.V. and an Internet connection.
My wife and I spent one night at Deer Lodge. All in all, we enjoyed our stay, but there were definitely some drawbacks. First the good points.
Location: Can't be beat. This is the only hotel other than the Chateau that puts you within walking distance of Lake Louise. When I say within walking distance, the hotel is basically the same distance from the lake as the visitor parking for the Chateau. That alone probably made it worth it.
Common Areas: We loved relaxing in the sitting room with a drink from the bar. Sitting in our big chairs in front of the fire. It really felt like a lodge, and it was a good opportunity to read the newspaper or meet other travelers. We had a great time speaking for over an hour to a nice couple from England. The restaurant was also pretty good and obviously very convenient. A little expensive, but that's Lake Louise (and Canada for that matter if you're an American tourist as the exchange rate is horrible).
The downsides:
The rooms: We got the cheapest room. It was tiny and "tired" as another reviewer put it. Keep in mind that there is no phone or TV in the cheaper rooms. There was, however a giant empty armoire taking up a lot of room. The room appeared to be clean, but I still wasn't to comfortable walking on the 30 year old carpet in my bare feet. Don't know if larger rooms are better.
The noise: We had a first floor room facing the courtyard and a couple of doors down from the lobby. It was loud in there pretty late with people talking and slamming doors. Little kids running around yelling. Very frustrating as we tried to sleep. I used earplugs and was able to sleep. My wife wasn't as lucky. If this is a concern, I'd at least see what you can do about not getting thrown in a room on the first floor so close to the common areas. This might help, though I don't really know for sure.
If the two downsides above don't bother you too much, I would definitely consider this place. To me, it's all about your expecations going in. The location and rustic atmosphere of the sitting room are two very strong benefits which could outweigh the downsides. Especially considering the limited number of affordable choices in Lake Louise. Still, it's not the Chateau.
Also, I'd suggest eating at Bill Peyto's Cafe at the hostel if you're looking for a good cheap meal. Seriously, it's nice (Frommers liked it). The hostel looked as nice as Deer Lodge from where I was sitting.
This was the most expensive place we stayed on our 3 week trip around Canada but knew this was largely due to the location and it being the middle of August. However we were quite happy to have paid the money by the end of our 2 night stay. The hotel is in a fantastic location just a few minutes walk to Lake Louise, as someone put in another review, ideal for an early morning or late night stroll up to the waterfront. Our room, a lodge room, was small but we only really slept there and the bed was so comfy and the room was very clean and nicely decorated. We could see the hot tub from our window too but we viewed this as a bonus, we were able to see when it was free!! Sitting in the hot tub looking across at the Victoria Glacier was excellent after a day of hiking. Had dinner one evening in the Lounge and the food was lovely, especially pudding. A friend of ours had stayed here a few years ago during skiing season and he told us he had very fond memories of it, this is exactly how we now feel.
Looks nice from the outside...however it ends there!
Rooms are beyond pokey - hardly any floor space in the room, about 1ft around the bed, a chair dumped in the corner and a wardrobe that wasnt really a wardrobe but a hole in the wall. The room was hot and stuffy and we overlooked the roof top jacuzzi which is lovely when people are having loud conversations at 11pm at night. Also, being right next to the main staircase we could hear everything, creaky stairs, people talking on the ground floor and doors banging in the corridor all night. All in all, if you dont have to stay in the area, dont bother - its over priced and uncomfortable.
I've read most of the reviews and have to agree with the view that its where you are staying ... its old and expensive but has a lot of charm. Pay the extra for the 'better' room...but don't expect a TV! They tell you that they don't have any in the rooms. It is what it says...an old lodge! The rooms are basic but clean...and yes, the restaurant is expensive (especially the wine!) but it was one of the best meals we had on our trip. Enjoy it!
We spent two nights here in September 2005 in a lodge room. I had done plenty of research and knew what to expect so I was neither surprised or disappointed by the room. Yes it was small, but the bed was good and the bathroom was good sized. The room had a closet and a dresser with four large drawers and one sitting chair. Our biggest problem with the room was not the size but the fact that controlling the heat was somewhat difficult. However, cranking out the window helped cool things down. We spent very little time in the room, using it to sleep in only. We slept well and had good showers and had no problems with the water pressure or temperature.
We did not eat any meals in the hotel as we were out and about all the time. We found the best place for breakfast was Laggan's in the village shopping center. We had dinner at the Fairmont in the Glacier Saloon and it was quite good.
The real advantage of this hotel is that is 5 minutes from Lake Louise and the Fairmont yet the rooms are a fraction of the cost of the Fairmont. We have no complaints about this hotel, but as I said we pretty much knew going in what to expect. It was exactly as we expected. To us it felt a lot like the small hotels we have used many times in London and Paris. The staff was very nice as well and we did enjoy sitting in the lounge having coffee.
All in all, a decent place that fully met our needs and we left happy.
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Address: 109 LAKE LOUISE DRIVE, Lake Louise, AB T0L1E0
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