If you’re kids are anything like mine then pizza is probably their favourite food. Yael could literally eat it for every meal and she always requests ranch to dip (she is my husbands daughter!! lol). So today Grae and I went to Without Papers in […]
I hadn’t even heard of this place until a follower asked me about it and I use to live like 5 min away from it! How is that possible!? We finally got to checking it out and it had a lot of great aspects; a […]
In December we went to Banffs Christmas on the Mountain and decided to make a weekend out of it and stay the night vs. a day trip. Usually when we do this we stay in Banff but we thought we would change it up and stay in Canmore instead!
In September I ran a half marathon in Canmore and I saw the Basecamp Resorts and thought they looked cool so I decided to book there for the weekend. The prices were very reasonable for Canmore and the rooftop hot tub looked AMAZING.
When we arrived we were informed that we booked the LODGE not the RESORT. Even though they are owned by the same company and right beside each other, they are different hotels and have different rules. This meant that we wouldn’t be able to go in the hot tub since we were booked in the Lodge. This wasn’t good because what are you suppose to do with kids all night in a hotel!? We needed the hot tub!! Lol. It’s one of our favourite parts of a weekend getaway!
We asked if we could switch and luckily they did have a room available. We were a bit disappointed that the 2 hotels were separate and we honestly had NO clue about that when we booked. Yes, I saw there was a Resort and a Lodge option but I thought the only difference was the rooms, I figured you’d still be able to use the amenities of both.
The guy working at the front desk was really nice and called the manager to see if he could price match the other room because we weren’t to keen on paying an extra $70/night just to use the hot tub, haha. The manager agreed and we got our new room.
When we got there it was a nice looking room. Not too big, but big enough. If we were staying there longer then a weekend it would feel small, but I’d say most hotels would! Usually when we go away with the kids I like to separate them by a wall at bedtime, whether that’s just around a corner or our personal fav…. putting one in the bathroom (if it’s big enough- lol!). But this room wasn’t big enough to do either, so they were across from each other. I was a bit worried about this but it ended up being fine!
The hot tub was not far from our room but it was up a few flights of stairs. This was a bit of a pain with the kids in the cold. In the summer it would be totally fine. But not doable with a stroller!
The hot tub has a blocked off lounge area but it wasn’t fully enclosed so it was still cold getting undressed and dressed. The clean towel bin also wasn’t full the couple times we went so my husband would always scout it out first, then call the front desk to restock and then we’d go.
The hot tub was nice because it was outside on a rooftop so the views were stunning, but it wasn’t very big. I think it could comfortably fit max 10 adults. The fact that it wasn’t big was nice for the kids though. Yael could touch the bottom all the way around and she loved that. She had a blast!
We were a bit chilly after the hot tub and realized the heat in our room wasn’t working. We called the front desk and they told us there was a space heater to turn on. We tried this but turns out we were using the A/C because we didn’t even have a space heater in our room to use. The front desk guy came to help but had to leave and come back a few times before it was fixed. This was not a huge issue, but we did feel like we were calling him a lot (between the heat and the towels). It was funny because the same guy who checked us in also refilled the towels and also fixed our heat. It was a one man show!
Even though we did run into a few snags, the customer service was really good. There was nothing kid specific and it is a no frills hotel (which you can tell by the price) so it isn’t the most convenient hotel for kids (honestly in that area nothing beats the Banff Springs with kids!), but it wasn’t bad. I would totally go back to the Basecamp Resort for a bachelorette party or weekend getaway with just Dan, but I think if I was going with my kids I would pick somewhere else.
I was introduced to Communitea years ago when I was pregnant with Yael and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Anytime we are driving to the mountains I always try to get my husband to stop there for food. It is SO GOOD! Communitea info: Only […]
My kids loooove playing in the sand so I was excited to check this place out! It is an indoor volleyball centre with a kids drop in on Monday & Wednesday mornings. The Beach YYC info: Kids drop in is Mon / Wed 10-11:30. $7/ […]
Who doesn’t love a place whose slogan is Cats – Cuddles – Coffee!
Since my kids are such animal lovers, when I heard about this place I knew we had to go and we’ve been SO many times since!
This time we went with 2 other families (8 kids total!!!!) and it was fun, but the cats were totally overwhelmed by all of us. They hid most of the time.
When I’ve gone just with my 2 kids, the cats want to check us out and play, which is super fun for them. So if you do go in a big group, being quiet and calm is key.
I am actually quite allergic to cats, but they keep it quite clean and I am careful not to touch the cat and then my face, so they haven’t been an issue when I come. Only one time did they really flare up. Otherwise, I’ve barely been able to tell that I have allergies when I’m there!
This place is very clean and well maintained. Playing with the cats and then having a small treat makes for a nice hour and a half ish outing. It is good for all ages of kids and since it is in a small room, it is even good with 2+ kids close in age. The $10 per person is a bit pricey (I think I paid $45 total for our entry and for our snacks) but it is fun to do every once and a while for something different.
Go check it out yourself!
We tried Treehouse hoping that it would be Tommy K Play-ish in the way that the kids could burn energy but us parents didn’t have to work too hard. lol. It was mostly like that but to be honest, we weren’t a fan. As a […]
When I was pregnant with my daughter I craaaaaaved waffles so bad! So much so that when my birthday rolled around all I asked my husband for was waffles 😂. Lucky for him there is a place in Calgary that specializes in waffles called Buttermilk. […]
Fish Creek Library has one of the bigger play areas and it is awesome. Another favourite!
The Crowfoot Library is awesome! One of my favourites in the city. It has a large kids area with lots of different things to do. Crowfoot Library Info: Stand alone building Lots of free parking Big kids area with so many options Free registered & […]
Hi, I’m Michelle! A stay at home mom of 2 who is trying to navigate motherhood in Calgary. Come along with me as I share kid friendly places!