Douglas Fir Resort and Chalets

Great location just outside of the hustle & bustle of downtown Banff. Well appointed unit (although the 1 bedroom is a bit smaller than we'd hoped). Very friendly and helpful staff. The water slides, quiet pool, jacuzzi, sauna, and indoor playslide made this the very best place to stay in Banff to keep kids busy and happy. The woodburning fireplace was great - unlimited, free firewood is made available for pickup. Will definitely stay there again on our next trip. The rate was considerably lower on online travel website by pre-paying in full (might want to purchase trip cancellation insurance just in case - but we risked it and were fine). We stayed 5 nights but wished we had stayed longer. Did the zip-line tour (a bit overpriced and overrated), white water rafting which was great, and reasonable (Chinook Tour), horseback riding at the Banff Fairmont Hotel stables (great trail - 1 hour ride - fair price).

Our second stay and we will stay again. Indoor and outdoor playground, kiddie pool and 2 waterslides the kids loved it all. Kitchenette allowed us to feed the kids whenever without waiting at a busy restuant. Nice trails right at the hotel, great view, and we had a large deck for the kids to play on.

I have stayed here a number of time single with the girl friend and now with the wife and kids age 7 and 5. When single we appreciated the cozy chalet type accomodations, Now with kids the pool and waterslides are the big thing. A great break from the city and an opportunity to spend some famlily time.

The fun center for the children closed early for us. We returned to the hotel just after eight and it was closed or closing at 8:30. When we left the first day and returned the curtains were open and lights were on. The room was awesome and the beds were great.

During a 10 day road trip with 3 kids this is where the kids wished we spent the whole vacation. Indoor pool open until 10:00pm and the waterslide pools open until 9:00 pm. The murphy bed was very comfortable so the kids got the loft and we got the murphy bed to relax and watch TV after they were in bed. We could do touristy things (gondola was a hit, get discount through the resort!) and still keep our promise of going swimming in the evening! Nice to have kitchen available since the meal prices in the resort town were insane! Did our laundry while at the pool one evening, grabbed a bottle of wine at the little store and put the kids to bed exhasted! Drive to downtown Banff in 5 minutes and see what you need to see. I did not think it was that important to be within walking distance to downtown, especially with younger kids. There were only so many hours of shopping they could take! There is a cow store downtown that has the best ice cream and cute cow themed things. Hope this helps! I know I toiled over the decision of where to stay, but the kids made a point to tell me "this is the best place on earth!" (ages 9, 4 and 2)