Buffalo Mountain Lodge: A Banff Favourite for Winter & Summer

After saying our “I do’s” in a small and private home ceremony, we couldn’t think of a better place to spend a romantic weekend away than at a cozy mountain lodge in the heart of Banff National Park. We loved staying at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge so much that we returned back in the summer when restrictions had loosened and the new construction of The Prow was ready for opening!

If you’re contemplating where to have your next weekend getaway, or if you’re coming from out of town and hoping to find an accommodation away from Banff Avenue that will meet all your needs, this most might just help you make a decision on where to stay.

Buffalo Suite

Let’s talk about the Buffalo Suite for a minute. Part of me thought it felt more like home than… well, home! It was the epitome of cozy and we could have really gotten used to lodge living if it resembled anything like this. The Buffalo Suite was absolutely spectacular given that they just renovated in 2020. They made some major cosmetic changes like modernizing the bathroom vanity, shower tiles and kitchenette, and updated the floors to a trendy vinyl, while still maintaining the key necessities and woodsy features of what makes a mountain lodge!

The bedroom was probably the part of the suite that changed the least apart from a new wall-hung flatscreen TV that was awesome to stream shows and movies from! The red cedar wood complexion was definitely most prominent in the bedroom and gave us the cabin vibes we were hoping to have for our mountain escape.

One thing we noticed that we typically don’t see a lot in the cabin lodges we’ve stayed in is how much natural light our entire suite got! You could especially tell this in the bathroom, what with it having a glass block window in the shower and white ceramic tiles. What a dream! They really managed to brighten up the place with the new renovations. The white quartz counters in both the kitchen and bathroom, driftwood cabinets and new spotlight fixtures were definitely great contemporary touches that I adored! Though I knew I would have to leave eventually, I was thinking “please let me take this place home” the entire time we were there!

The kitchenette had these gorgeous new additional appliances: an induction stove and a mini under-counter bar fridge that really made the best use of the space layout! Although, as you’ll see soon, we didn’t have to prepare any of our meals, the stovetop and bar fridge came in handy during our stay here for any leftovers we had.

My favourite part of the Buffalo Suite was by far our wood fireplace. Jason was on cloud 9 as he put the fire wood together each night and would get so excited to light it up! As soon as the fire would ignite, we could feel how toasty the suite would get. And at this moment, watching, hearing and smelling the fire crackle at our stone fireplace, we really felt at home in our mountaintop cabin.

Just outside our door was a firewood rack to be shared with our next-door neighbours. In the case that the wood is damp from rain or snow, give Front Desk a call and they’ll gladly bring you some more!

As I hinted before, we didn’t have to make our own food during our stay because the Buffalo Mountain Lodge had put in place a way for people to have the restaurant brought right to them! Because of the restrictions surrounding COVID, Alberta had to say no to in-restaurant dining for nearly two months, but the Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts team was able to turn this restriction into a new experience for their guests! For all our meals, we were able to order over the phone by calling the Sleeping Buffalo Dining Room and our food and drinks were hand-delivered right to our doorstep. While we had to plate most of our dishes, they still managed to provide us with cloth napkins, adequate cutlery and fancy glasses for our cocktails! We were so grateful to have our own private restaurant dining room during these times and still indulge in this restaurant experience.

A few of our favourites off the lunch and dinner menu include:

• Artisan Leaf Salad
• Wild Mushroom Flatbread
• Chicken Flatbread Sandwich
• Bison Burger
• Roasted Chicken Supreme
• Wild Boar Chop

For dessert, it’d have to be the White Chocolate Cheesecake and Warm Apple Pie. And the cocktail list is incredibly intriguing! They really put a mountainous twist on them like the S’Mores Martini. If the Ultimate Hot Chocolate is ever on the menu, you’ve got to try it!

Property Amenities

With restrictions now fully lifted, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the property’s amenities like the outdoor hot tub, the indoor swimming facilities and the wine cellar that would have been cool to check out (see the feature photo of this post)!

Thankfully, the Buffalo Mountain Café was open for a freshly hot cup of Joe. If you’re hoping for coffee in your suite, there is a Keurig available to use with various coffee and tea pods at your disposal. We always appreciate complimentary tea and coffee in our accommodations as it gives us more time for adventure instead of chasing down a coffee shop prior to! But the Buffalo Mountain Café is just a short walk away from any room or suite on the property.

The Buffalo Mountain Lodge has the perfect location, I have to say! It’s on Tunnel Mountain which is favourable for a number of reasons: you’re able to avoid traffic on Banff Avenue, it’s the right amount of secluded and quiet, and it’s in walking and driving distance from mountaintop vistas you have to visit! Here are a few iconic spots near Buffalo Mountain Lodge you don’t want to miss:

• Surprise Corner – View of Fairmont Banff Springs (5 minutes away)
• Hoodoos Viewpoint (4 minutes away)
• Central Park (5 minutes away)
• Banff Avenue Centre (3 minutes away)
• Vermillion Lakes (9 minutes away)

After staying at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge for the first time, our perspective on what it’s like to stay in Banff has completely changed for the better! We cannot wait until our next time here (and hopefully get some time in that hot tub)!

This blog post is written in collaboration with CRMResorts after a PR stay. As always, all opinions are our own! This post may also contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through them, we may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting our blog!

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