Once upon a time in Western Canada: Alberta and British Columbia

Alberta and British Columbia are perfect destinations for those who love breathtaking scenery, road trips, hiking and also modern cities.

I would like to share with you my trip to Western Canada (Alberta and British Columbia). It was a popular destination this year, especially for those who did not want to or could not leave the country (because of quarantine, or other reasons).

Like many members of the group, I took advantage of the Aeroplan promotion, which was very generous in giving back 50% of the points. I had been collecting points for a long time and this was the first time I used them.

Normally I plan my trips well in advance, but this one was planned very quickly. I never thought I would be able to go to the other side of the country, since usually, domestic travel is expensive in Canada. I normally prefer destinations with an affordable cost of living.

The most expensive part of the trip was the food, as the hotels were simple and affordable (booked on hotels.com), the plane tickets were paid for with Aeroplan points and almost all attractions in the Rocky Mountain region are free (just purchase the Parks Canada pass).

We bought a package for some attractions in Banff/Jasper and some paid activities in Vancouver. A small part of the trip was paid with Bonidollars and a credit with Expedia, and the last night was paid with a certificate for one free night at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, which I got with the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card..

As the flight arrived in the late morning, we had the afternoon to start discovering downtown, where the tramway is free on the 7th avenue. A taxi from the airport to downtown cost almost $50.

There is a bus, but after two flights, we wanted to arrive quickly and comfortably at the hotel.

We also walked along Bow River to the Kensington area, via the Peace Bridge. After dinner we stayed at the hotel, to relax a little. Anyway, downtown is not very welcoming in the evening.

We went to the Calgary Tower for brunch.

When we make a reservation for the tower restaurant, we can go up the tower for free. The restaurant is just below the pay observatory, so there is little difference in the view. For those who just want to go to the tower, the ticket costs $19.

We spent the afternoon at the Prince Island Park, then we had dinner downtown in the pedestrian street (Stephen Avenue Walk) and finally we spent the evening at the hotel pool (we had reserved it just for us, for 1 hour).

I booked a car with Avis, via the Aeroplan website. I later found out it was more expensive and unreliable.

Apparently, Aeroplan bookings do not take into account the actual hours of operation of the rental agencies. We had a reservation for 8:00, but on the door it said 9:00. We went to have breakfast, came back at 9:00. An employee opened the door and told us that the opening had recently been changed to 10:00 a.m., but still let us in.

Looking at the reservation number, he told me mine had been cancelled. It’s a good thing we were in off-season and he still found us a car.

Given our situation (and disappointment), he gave us a car with winter tires and allowed us to return it to the airport, instead of downtown. So we saved 2 taxis, by leaving the car at the airport just before our flight to Vancouver on our way back from the Rockies (we arrived back in Calgary the day before the flight).

Car problem solved, we took the road to Banff.

We took a quick tour of the village of Jasper, before hitting the road.

Since Jasper’s gondola opens late and closes early, we couldn’t go. 🙁

We saw elk all over Jasper, but unfortunately no other animals.

At Maligne Canyon, we cheated. We did the hike to see the first 4 bridges, but took the car to see the 5th and 6th bridges.

The main attraction of Maligne Lake is the cruise to see Spirit Island, but it was sold out when we tried to buy it.

Medicine Lake was almost empty, but I later learned that this was normal. It empties like a bathtub every year.

We stopped at the IGA in Banff (AIR MILES 😀 partner) to buy personal care products, as my spouse told me he forgot our kit at the hotel in Jasper. It was a kit I bought in the Philippines… (small tears almost flowed:( ).

When we arrived at the hotel near the Calgary airport, the kit was in his backpack. 😀

We left the car at the airport and caught our 6:30 a.m. flight to Vancouver. At the airport we took the SkyTrain to downtown. At the hotel, we were able to check in right away. It was the same everywhere. It started raining, and we remembered we were in Raincouver.

We took bus number 50 to visit the Grandville Island public market.

Despite the grey landscape, we took the small False Creek Ferry for a ride. It felt like a cruise in a bathtub. It was very funny.

Armed with our umbrellas, we decided to walk from Grandville Island to Science World, stopping for grey pictures and to eat in a small Mediterranean restaurant, found by chance (to escape the rain a little).

From Science World, we walked to BC Stadium and then to the Chinatown Gate, where we didn’t stay long, it was so scary (and sad).

Three blocks down we saw the famous Gastown Steam Clock.

We went to a parking lot next to a brewery to see the port and the train cars.

At the Waterfront station, we took the SeaBus to the Lonsdale Pier. The day pass allowed us to take the bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain (AquaBus is not included).

At the small Lonsdale market, we found a Brazilian creperie, where I could practice my mother tongue a bit (I rarely use it here) and eat a big bowl of açaí.

Then, we went back to Waterfront and walked (still in the rain) to see Canada Place, the Convention Centre, the Olympic cauldron, among other things.

The Vancouver Tower (Vancouver Lookout) was closed (open for groups only).

It was still raining and we spent the morning on the phone with Aeroplan to change our return flight for 2 days later. In the afternoon, it was sunny in Vancouver. I couldn’t believe it!

We walked along the Waterfront pedestrian trail, to pick up the bikes we had reserved to ride around Stanley Park, stopping to take pictures and also to try to figure out the way ahead. There was construction work and also one-way trails sometimes.

Since I am always looking for animals, I saw Canada geese, ducks, squirrels and raccoons.

From the park, we walked to Waterfront, to be able to admire it without rain.

We had booked a car with Hertz, through the link on Desjardins World Elite. It was cheaper that way, through World Elite.

The branch was on Grandville Street and we went on foot. There are weird people in this area too, but not as many as in Chinatown and downtown Calgary.

Once we got the car, we drove to Grouse Mountain, via Stanley Park and Lion’s Gate Bridge. As it had been sunny the day before, it was not sunny at Grouse Mountain (two days of sunshine in a row would have been too much to ask). So our gondola ride was super useless (but we couldn’t do it another day).

To go up, there were 7 of us (6 tourists and the employee, who gave explanations, but spoke so fast that even he, I think, didn’t understand anything). Up there, everything was closed. We walked around a bit and saw the grizzly bears in captivity.

In the main building, people were glued together and did not wear masks. Everyone decided to go back down at the same time. They put everyone in the gondola, like sardines. Very little social distancing. It was the first time Western Canada disappointed me (COVID-wise). Everywhere I found people were very rigourous and disciplined.

From Grouse Mountain, we went to a park, not far away, to see Capilano Lake and the Cleveland Dam.

The Capilano suspension bridge was closed for the installation of Christmas lights, so we didn’t go. We tried Lynn Canyon Park, which was open, but the suspension bridge was also closed. We walked for a while before we left.

Still in the rain, we passed by Ambleside and Dundarave beaches, the Point Atkinson Lighthouse Park (we hiked the trail, but the access to see the lighthouse was blocked). We went to eat at Horseshoe Bay, and wait for the rain to let up a little.

On the way back, we made a small stop at Stanley Park, to see the empty tree and the Lions Gate Bridge from afar.

I would like to give my compliments to the people at the Gyoza Bar restaurant in Vancouver, where we went 3 times (the 4th time, they were closing).
It’s cheap, the people are lovely and the Asian fusion food was delicious. I felt like family with them.

We made our last visits, before taking the SkyTrain to the airport. Initially we had a connecting flight to Montreal, but after the change, the connection was in Toronto, and we got a B-777 instead of an A-320. We had a 40-minute connection in Toronto.

We were in row 19, and the flight attendant allowed us to switch to row 18. We only moved forward one row, but it was an emergency exit, with preference seats. I wouldn’t have paid $64 for that, but for free, I made an effort. 🙂

The flight arrived a few minutes early in Toronto, which allowed us to catch our connecting flight without having to run.

YQB-YUL: Quiet, about 30% full;
YUL-YYC: Quiet too, about 30% full. We got the 2 seat row in the A-220 (2-3 configuration);
YYC-YVR: Quiet, almost empty. We also changed our seats for an emergency exit;
YVR-YYZ: the busiest flight, about 70%;
YYZ-YQB: Quiet, about 30%.

Most of the hotels were simple and affordable, booked on hotels.com.

In Banff, the hotel we had booked decided not to open until December, so they transferred our reservation to another, nicer hotel for the same rate.

In Whistler, the hotel was booked on Expedia, because we had a credit.

In Vancouver, the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel cost 35,000 points and we used the free one-night stay certificate that came with the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card.

• Flights: 25,000 Aeroplan points + $422 (taxes)
• Luggage fees: $0 (backpack travel)
• Accommodations: $1,106 + 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points certificate
• Whistler Parking: $21
• Banff and Jasper parking: $0
• Parking Vancouver: $0 ($26 value)
• Car rental: $322 (Avis-5 days-Tucson) + $116 (Hertz-2 days-Camry)
• Gasoline (Banff, Calgary and Vancouver): $120
• Taxi Quebec (one way): $28
• Taxi Calgary (one way): $50
• SkyTrain Vancouver (day pass): $31.00 (with the $5.00 airport surcharge per person)
• SkyTrain Vancouver ticket (return): $9.00
• Taxi Quebec (one way): $28
• Restaurants: approximately $1,000
• Parks Canada (Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper): $80
• Attractions: $348

Thanks to milesopedia and members of the Facebook group for the tips with rewards points and credit card points, as well as travel information. The mutual help relationship we have here is as pleasant as the journey itself.