The Rimrock Resort Hotel, Banff

The Rimrock Resort Hotel rises on Sulphur Mountain just south of downtown Banff, its floor-to-ceiling windows filled with Rockies and valley views — elk sightings come with the room. There is an honest split worth keeping clear: the hotel is AAA Four Diamond, while its fine-dining room, Eden, is AAA Five Diamond, cited as Western Canada's only Five Diamond restaurant and held since 2003. Three hundred and forty-three rooms and twenty-four suites all run from around thirty-two square metres, categorised by view as Classic, Deluxe and Valleyview, the higher floors taking in the full sweep of the Bow Valley. Eden plates French cooking with regional accents and a Wine Spectator-honoured cellar, Primrose handles all-day casual Italian, and the Larkspur and Divas lounges and a signature cafe round out the dining, with twenty-four-hour room service. The Rimrock Resort Spa adds an indoor pool, a whirlpool, sauna, steam rooms, a racquet court and twenty-four-hour fitness. The Banff Upper Hot Springs sit across the way and the Banff Gondola is near, Calgary is around ninety minutes east with complimentary access to Banff transit into town, and the stay is room-only — a dramatic mountain perch for couples, families and groups, anchored by a destination restaurant.