Stimulate your appetite by renting snowshoes or cross-country skis for trails near the lodge. Or you can venture further for downhill skiing at Marmot Basin or back-country powder skiing on a Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing tour. For unique adventures, add a Maligne Canyon ice walk, dogsledding or Icefield Helicopter Tours’ snowy champagne picnic-for-two on Cline Glacier – all easily arranged by concierges.
Bonus: Book JPL’s Romance Package February 11 to 17 and receive the third night’s stay free. It includes wine and chocolate truffles on arrival, dinner, breakfasts, two spa treatments and other extras. Rate: $499 a night. (800-257-7544, fairmont.com/jasper)
Romantic Country Retreat
The Prairie Creek Inn proves you don’t have to sacrifice comfort and luxury to get away from it all. Just 10 minutes from Rocky Mountain House, the four-and-a-half-star country inn offers peace and pampering, with options nearby for outdoor activities like dogsledding or skijoring with Klondike Ventures. “It’s definitely not roughing it,” says owner and operator Terri Cameron. “Each room is individually decorated, with romantic touches like double soaker tubs, four-poster beds and fireplaces.”
Cameron says most guests are content to roam the grounds by the creek, maybe strap on some snowshoes, but mostly just relax. “It’s closer than Jasper or Banff and away from the commercialization of major centres. The inn experience is unique, and I’ve been surprised how popular it is with the 25-to-35-year-old set. They love the luxury of the rooms and the solitude and really don’t want to go anywhere else.”
Pricing includes a three-course gourmet breakfast delivered to your room or enjoyed in the great room. The inn also has an intimate new restaurant specializing in local produce and game and wine-pairing dinners. “It’s a winter wonderland in a secluded mini-hotel surrounded by snow-capped pine trees,” says Cameron. “The star-gazing is amazing, and if you’re lucky you’ll see the northern lights.” Rates: $160 to $285 a night, including breakfast. (403-844-2672, theprairie creekinn.com)