Ultimate Canadian Rockies Fly Drive - Customer comments
A really ground breaking itinerary. With our location aware touring Sat Nav, you have a system that knows exactly where you are and not only gives you correct directions, it shares useful local information and points out sites - just like a tour guide would. Add to this the world famous Rocky Mountaineer Railtour, a host of other exciting inclusions and you have our signature Canadian Rockies itinerary. You can scroll down to read our customer experiences or click the link below to view this itinerary.
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16 Responses to “Ultimate Canadian Rockies Fly Drive - Customer comments”
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Hello Kerry (and Rachel)
We’ve just returned from a wonderful holiday in Canada and I wanted to express our sincere appreciation to you (both) for getting it all organised - everything went like clockwork with no hitches - many many thanks.
Will now need to save our pennies for the return trip - some way off I’m afraid!
Thanks again.
Hello Claire
Just a note to say what a fantastic holiday we had in Canada, thankyou for your efforts in organising such a wonderful trip which was extreemly well organised.
Kind Regards
Iain and Carole Dandy.
Felt I had to let you know how great our holiday was. Thank you so much for all your expertise in arranging such a wonderful holiday.
We had perfect weather and the experience was a delight from start to finish. we shall definately be recommending you to our friends.
Thank you .
yours Margaret Jones
Dear Kerry Costa,
Just a note to thank you for a wonderful holiday in Vancouver and the Rockies. Every day was a highlight but the revelation was your company’s organisation and documentation.
Not only did we receive the comprehensive package of literature, tickets, itinerary and vouchers from you before we left, but also a further package was waiting for us at the hotel in Vancouver. This contained duplicates of your own documents and, in addition, pamphlets of all destinations, comprehensive route-maps and directions and a Michelin guide to Canada. To say we were impressed is an understatement.
Everything went through without a hitch; everyone was expecting us; and, with one exception, we wouldn’t have changed anything, even with hindsight.
As to the itinerary, itself, we would only change two things - one our misjudgment and the other a slight improvement to your plan; the only one, we must stress.
Our own mistake was to eliminate the day or two in Victoria. Everyone we met said it should not be missed, and we only had an hour there - but we did fly in a float-plane AND see whales on the sea trip.
The slight hitch is in connection with the helicopter trip over the Cline Glacier and we were at fault in not reading the directions until the day before (after arrival at Emerald Lake). If we had done so earlier, we would have been able to re-arrange the flight for the day before (at about 2 p.m.), so that we could turn off The Icefields Parkway while driving down from Jasper, and then go on to the Hotel in Field afterwards. As it was, the scheduled booking required a re-run half-way up the Parkway again and a 5-hour round trip, just for 20 minutes on a helicopter. Unfortunately, having already driven so much, we could not face the extra mileage, and were very reluctantly forced to cancel it.
The helicopter company were very understanding and said they would make no charge - not even a cancellation fee! So, either they will refund any payment you made in advance, or, alternatively they will not be sending a bill. That being so, I look forward to a refund, in due course. We did not have time to organise an alternative trip but we did get details of two other helicopter companies, both operating out of Canmore and much closer to Banff, but I expect you already know of them.
Our only other comment is to say that the GyPSy guidance system is a touch of genius and an absolute MUST. It greatly enhanced and enriched an already spectacular trip.
Finally, we would be happy to give you our impressions of the hotels we stayed in, if you wish, but will not burden you with it unasked.
Once again, congratulations and many thanks for your expertise and experience, the benefit of which did, indeed, give us ‘the holiday of a lifetime’.
Yours ever, Ann and Geoffrey
Dear Sir,
I would like to thank your company for the way our latest holiday was conducted.
We have just returned from a trip using your Ultimate Canadian Rockies package and have to say that it has been the most proffessionally managed trip we have ever taken. Everything was as it should have been as advertised - it did what it said on the tin. All the hotels were of the highest calibre,though the Sawridge hotel in Jasper was advertised as a 10 minute walk from the town, believe me this was considerably more than 10 minutes. However, this hardly detracted from what was the trip of a lifetime.
I would like to thank and congratulate you on the efficient and proffessional way this holiday was conducted not only by yourselves but the hotel staff and anyone who was involved in this holiday. I would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone who is interested in this holiday in the future.
Again, many thanks.
Mr & Mrs Wollaston
**CNA Comment**
Apologies for the optimistic walking time in Jasper, our Operations Director who wrote that piece does tend to run rather than walk!
Hello
Just a word of thanks for all your arrangements for our recently completed holiday to Vancouver and the Rockies. Everything turned out as planned and all the accomodation was very good. In particular Moraine Lake Lodge near Lake Loiuse was fantastic although I was surprised to see their room rates !
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Jon
**CNA Comment**
Thank you Jon, the rates you will have seen would be the book direct rates, much higher than the special negotiated rates we have obtained from this property for our clients.
Hi David
Many many thanks for your organisation of our trip to Canada.
Arrangements were first class class and everything worked out really great.
Hotels were super, Gypsy satellite guide was fun and helpful, car was good, Rocky Mountaineer great fun and relaxing and the Emerald Lake Lodge was superb. Afternoon tea in Chataux Lake Louise was excellent and I recommend that for future customers.
We had a wonderful trip and only wish we had stayed for a month.
Thankyou for your excellent organisation and advice and bookings.
Eric and Joyce
Lorna/Roger
Just back from our Canada trip - it was really excellent. Everything worked really well. The hotels were good - perhaps a little too posh for our needs but very good. One observation is that the North Wing at the Laurel Point Inn in Victoria, where we were put, is quite different to the rather more opulent Southern Wing of the same hotel. I suspect the staff spent more time attending to the Southern residents than to those in the ‘cheap seats’ - a tray of used room service stuff sat outside our neighbour’s room for 24 hrs!
Another thing was that we decided to pick the hire car up from Hertz in Banff a little later that the time on the sheet of paper you gave us - 1300 instead of 1000. They had given the car away because we weren’t there at 10 on the dot - perhaps worth highlighting in the instructions. They got a car for us the following day - we were not inconvenienced at all.
The ‘jewel in the crown’ was Moraine Lake Lodge, as I am sure you have heard before. Dinner was a little pricey and not that good, but otherwise it was a perfect end to the trip.
Your inventory and our ‘Rough Guide’ to Canada did us very well indeed. The Michelin guide provided by discovery holidays is a little too brief to be of use. They also include a map of Alberta, and one of the whole of Canada in their folder. The Alberta one really wasn’t any good - badly printed, so difficult to read, however the series seems to be popular in the gas stations, so maybe tha Canadians like it.
The GyPSy guide was really good too.
Rocky Moutaineer superb too. No complaints at all.
All in all it was a brilliant trip - the boys had a great time too. We haven’t seen the Visa bill for the extras yet (!!!), but would highly recommend this to any of our friends (and to the taxi driver who brought us back from the airport!)
Many thanks
Rod
Dear Sirs,
Thanks for yet another meticulously planned holiday - our two-week air-coach-cruise-rail (and ice explorer!) exploration of British Columbia packed in a wealth of different experiences, and all without a single glitch. Travelling Gold Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer was the jewel in the crown but - as with the holiday you arranged for us last year in Western USA - it was a holiday full of contrast and variety. The northern part of the circle - North Vancouver Island, the Inside Passage, Prince Rupert and the Skeena train is clearly the path less trodden, but well worth it for the real sense of nature and remote beauty you get up there. Thanks again: I’m sure we’ll be back for more!
Alan and Margaret
CNA Comment.
Alan and Margaret took a heavily modified version of our Ultimate Canadian Rockies tour
My friend Caroline and I have just returned from a wonderful trip incorporating Vancouver, 2 days on the Rocky Mountaineer, Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise and some more Calgary tagged on for good measure. We must thank you for the superb arrangements - everything fell into place so easily as we travelled around. We had a wonderful view of the harbourside and over to North Vancouver from our room in the Renaissance Hotel in Vancouver, where we were treated with the utmost courtesy. The staff were all so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The 2 days on the train were magical, although the hotel in Kamloops (arranged for by the train company) was too far out of town for us to have a good look round in the evening. The hire car arrangements with Hertz were excellent and once we had found our way out of Calgary we had no problems with navigation or the driving. The Caribou Lodge in Banff is a lovely place to stay too. I think you should make it clear in your notes that the expectation of driving from Banff to Jasper in under four hours would be a pipe dream, and four hours could only be achieved if no stops were made to look at the views. Under that time would be very difficult if adhering to the speed limit, which is quite slow in places due to the risk of wild animals crossing. Besides, who would want to hurry past that scenery?
The Deer Lodge at Lake Louise was a stark contrast to all our other hotels. We were expecting quaint, but were rather taken aback at the very small room with two single! beds (after the king and queen size beds we had been given everywhere else), and no facilities for making a hot drink in the room. The food was good, and the facilities we did have were comfortable. The fact that there was a mother grizzlie and two cubs just round the corner made up for everythng. I note from this year’s website that you are now using a different hotel in that area.
We met so many friendly people and saw so many incredible sights - now we want to go back again! We had more than our fair share of wild life sightings and have a stack of great photos to help the memories stay fresh. Thank you again for setting out such a great itinerary and making it all so smooth.
Anne and Caroline
C.N.A. Comment
Anne and Caroline did a modified version of our current Ultimate Canadian Rockies itinerary. We have indeed changed the hotel used in the Lake louise region to the Moraine Lake Lodge or Emerald Lake Lodge both of which are stunning and more in keeping with the high standard of accommodation used on on this itinerary.
thought I would just e-mail you to thank you for arranging a most successful holiday in Canada, and telling you of a few of our experiences.
All the arrangements went like clockwork and we were made most welcome throughout our stay.
At the Renaissance Hotel in Vancouver we asked if we could be transferred to a smoking room, and this was granted. So rather than being in a room looking at other high-rise buildings, we were given a room overlooking a building site and an airport. But the building site was 15 floors down and very quiet, and the airport was for the few seaplanes, so we had the most marvelous view over Burrard Inlet and a better room - not a bad swap.
Two hours after arriving in Vancouver my wife and I went for a walk to stretch our legs after the flight. After a bit my wife decided to return to the hotel while I walked further. When I returned to the hotel, there was a message on the phone saying my wife was in hospital !! She had tripped on an uneven pavement(sidewalk) and fallen on her face. After care from some doorstaff of an office block, she was taken to hospital by ambulance and had to have 12 stitches in her forehead, nose and lip, but the service she received was of the highest order. Though she did not do much on the following day, for the rest of the holiday it did not affect our plans.
The whale watching from Victoria was superb, a clear blue sky, a calm sea and two pods of killer whales.
Then on to the Rockies where the scenery was breathtaking and we were blessed by good weather throughout. The Rocky Mountaineer was a marvelous experience (the Gold Leaf Service was well worth the extra), the Calgary Stampede was fascinating and well worth the visit, though not entirely our cup of tea. We were fortunate on our trips (including an evening nature tour at Jasper) to see quite a lot of the wildlife - a bear with two cubs, another couple of bears, two wolves, two mountain goats, a coyote as well as many elk and bighorn sheep.
We thought that Moraine Lake Lodge was a superb hotel in an unbelievable setting, and waking in the morning to look over the lake and mountains (before the tourist hordes arrived) was something we will never forget. So much more intimate and peaceful than Lake Louise.
We are still sorting through our hundreds of photos, reluctant to throw any out as most are so spectacular! Overall we would like to thank you again for arranging such a smooth running and memorable holiday.
Peter and Margaret
Just to thank you for a wonderful holiday in BC and Alberta… we loved the itinerary and got to do everything and see everything we wanted to. The hotels were excellent and Hertz were also efficient. It was also a nice gesture from you to send us a little welcome home gift. We were delighted with your company’s attention to detail (the maps were excellent) and are recommending you to our friends. Just a small thing though… perhaps you could warn future clients of the cost of the Park Pass. The cheapest option was to buy an annual pass - a good excuse to get back to Canada before it expires!!! thanks again.
David and Veronica
C.N.A. Comment
From 2007 our ‘Ultimate Canadian Rockies’ self drive package will, amongst many other extras, include the National Park Pass and this will be an optional pre-purchase item on all other Western Canada itineraries.
Finally I’ve got round to thanking you for organising such a good trip to the Canadian rockies. The hotels, the car, the scenery, the people, the food and the wildlife were all fantastic.
Christopher and Judith
Just a brief email to say thanks for the whole organisation of our trip. All hotels check-ins were great, car hire collection and drop-off without a hitch, Rocky Mountaineer was fab and the decision about selecting Moraine Lake ahead of Chateau Lake Louise was undoubtedly the right one, Moraine Lake was the highlight for us. Thanks again
Dave
Now that the jet-lag has subsided, I thought I’d drop you a line to let you know how fantastic our holiday was. We saw Orcas, a Moose, Brown Bears x 7 (two mothers with 2 cubs each at two places on the road to Lake Maligne), a Beaver, Elk, Chipmunks, Osprey and Bald Eagles. We also managed to fit in loads of other things and the Glacier at the end of the Tonquin Valley was amazing - especially when it let go of some ice and it sounded like a thunderclap! Your arrangements were perfect and I’d recommend Complete North America to anyone! What a fantastic holiday.
Pete, Sue, Greg and Joe.
I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch earlier to thank you for arranging another wonderful Canadian holiday for me. All the bookings you’d made were in place. Like last time, I was really able to relax and enjoy the skating performances I’d gone to see. I was also able to do some really good sight-seeing. Thank you very much for all your help.
Charlotte