Moraine Lake Lodge

Expensive, yes., but worth it. Beautiful food and exceptional staff. The eco talk given one evening was informative and entertaining. The guided hike was personalised and informative. We had the whole lake and rock pile lookout to ourselves after the tourists went home in the afternoon/evening. That wad really special

Traveling quality had been degraded due to tremendous tourists at daytime. Staying at this one and only lodge beside the lake is the best way to experience the true beauty at different time of a day. Enjoy a peaceful night and morning is a unofrgettable memory of a lifetime.

This is a beautiful lodge in an incredible location with great access to fantastic hiking trails right on the properly. The staff were friendly and tried to be helpful. However, it is also very expensive and so, when they told me at the time of my reservation that they would cater to my dietary restrictions (due to an intestinal disease), I believed them. Unfortunately, they did nothing to help me out and I inadvertently ate dairy (which does not agree with me) on multiple occasions because I didn't realize it was a part of the dish. On other occasions when I requested non-dairy alternatives to the offerings I was told there weren't any. And on each day's packed lunch, I sadly had to peel off the cheese they had added. Other issues - we stayed in one of the king cabins, the most expensive room they offer. The mattress quality was not good. On the last night, I threw the sofa cushion on the floor and slept much better there than I had on the bed. Also - when one hikes all day, a space to stretch would be very helpful. The room did not have enough floor space to throw down a towel or mat to stretch and there was no place to stretch in the main lodge. This would be a simple addition to their facility. I wish I could say that I will return. I'd love to, but only if I were to receive convincing reassurances that my dietary issues would be handled better in the future (but this seems unlikely given that management did not answer my email describing what happened to me).

I stayed one night at the Moraine Lake Lodge in July. I chose this place primarily for the easy access to the Rockpile for the iconic views of Moraine Lake. I went up to the Rockpile at sunset, sunrise, and in the middle of the day. And the views were spectacular each and every time! Seeing the lake during the sunset golden hour was quite serene, as there were very few people (just lodge guests and a few hikers who hiked in from a nearby campsite) up at the Rockpile at that time. That allowed me to find a couple of locations for the next day's sunrise. Sunrise at the Rockpile was more crowded than I expected; prime viewing locations were already taken when I arrived about 30 minutes before sunrise. But I was still able to get my photos for the magical sunrise that day (July 10). As for the lodge accommodations and food, they were fine for me as a solo traveler. Special shoutout to Tayla in Reception!

We stayed at Moraine Lake Lodge in a Deluxe King lakeside cabin. We were in #14 just behind the canoes. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay although I agree with others who stated there are far too many day visitors. They have closed the road to private vehicles unless staying at the lodge. We found day visitors worse at The Chateau who sees 20,000 a day. We loved our cabin and the balcony. After the last bus leaves at 7sih pm it becomes the most magical beautiful place as only guests are there. We arrived in between lunch and tea and went to the cafe for a snack. It was so crowded! We were able to go to the gift shop early in the day when it opened and it wasn't too bad at that time. We found the food good, enjoyed breakfast, the light lunch and our dinners. The Minestrone soup is wonderful. Evening meals were fantastic! My husband loved the Pickerel and enjoyed the special of the day. I fell in love with the Braised beef gnocchi, and the wild mushroom pappardella. We enjoyed tea and cookies in the library and often sat on the balcony. We found the staff friendly and professional. Hiking and the trails were so lovely. Canoeing was not available as the lake was far too low. They were hoping for the glacier melt to fill the lake soon. If we return to Banff, we will stay at Moraine Lake Lodge.

Location, Location, Location. Says it all. A breathtaking location, and staying at the lodge the best way to access the Lake and the incredible views. Deluxe King cabin was great, all facilities and a fabulous view. BUT, the lodge itself does not come up to expectations in trying to be a "Luxury " experience. The food was very mediocre, breakfasts particularly, and very expensive for the standard you received. The lodge area is swamped with tourists arriving by bus transfer from early morning to late evening, always crowded, always aware of their presence. The gift shop & cafe for visiting tourists are physically linked to the lodge, so you are always aware of their presence. We tried to access the gift shop before it opened to tourists, but even as guests we were not allowed in - one of the thoughtful things that would have elevated the experience. A light lunch is provided, but when we asked for coffee to accompany the meal, we were told to go to the cafe and get our own, and wait in the considerable queue. Wouldn't have missed the experience of staying at Moraine lake, but could be so much better for the prices charged.

Perhaps as there is a lot of hype about this hotel, we really expected more. We had a King Lodge which had lovely large windows overlooking the lake. However, bathroom was tiny, difficult shower over bath, little storage, no fridge. The restaurant was a bit pretentious, food good but overpriced but the main complaint would be with the "complimentary" breakfast (rooms $1,500) in that there was no choice, no fruit and plates cleared before we finished. For a luxury resort, they need to try harder. Although the hotel has no control over the actual Moraine Lake area, the huge amount of tourists completely spoilt the tranquility of the setting.

A beautiful setting, with an unrivaled mountain view! We spent three nights in their Lodge King room - which had amazing views...I could see the mountain peaks while laying my head on the bed pillow. My recommendation is to enjoy the property early (before 8:00am) or late in the day (after 7:00pm) - otherwise it is extremely busy with many, many busloads of people running around everywhere. The only downsides we experienced, which is due to the over-crowding of the location were people "screaming" down by the lake between 1:00am - 2:00am and another day people hijacked one of the canoes at 6:30am in the morning with "screams" of cheering and clapping. I would say this place needs some security put into place. The food overall was good, and we loved the afternoon tea and cookies - such a treat after a day of hiking. All of the staff were very friendly with the front reception were always accommodating.