We stayed in the Forest Suite at Canadian Artisans B&B for three nights in September and couldn't have been more pleased. The room was gorgeous, superbly equipped, and was an environment that we looked forward to relaxing in after a day of outdoor activities.

The unique and artistically constructed B&B is located on a quiet street, right next to a walking/biking path to the river and a very short walking distance from restaurants and shops in the lovely town of Canmore (not at all crowded and touristy like Banff).

The breakfasts were truly the best! There were many choices of abundant, fresh and nutritious food, as well as lovely ambiance and presentation. Hosts Bob and Val were so friendly, gracious and generous, orienting us to both the town and the surrounding area and suggesting interesting hikes and drives.

We have very fond memories of our stay at Canadian Artisans and only wish that we lived closer so that we could return more often.

This place was a highlight of my travels. Here's why:

First off the hostess, Val. She really looked out for us. She gave us maps, chatted with us about our itineraries, and made good suggestions. She helped arrange reservations as we planned out our stay and really just genuinely put a lot of effort into making sure we had the best trip possible. I only regret that I missed out on her cooking!

The accommodations were awesome. We had a spacious room decorated in mountain decor. Val said that she and her husband had built the place themselves reusing wood from older places in Canmore. You could really sense that this was a place full of story.

The location was awesome as well. It's walking distance to tons of shops, restaurants as well as mountain trails. It was a perfect home base for our trips to Banff, Lake Louise and other spots in the region.

We chose Canmore as a base for our first 3 nights in the Canadian Rockies and were very impressed with the town and whole area generally. After a long journey we were warmly welcomed by Val and Bob who proved to be excellent hosts during our stay. Our Forest suite room was first class and quirky! Very comfortable and well equipped. Val's breakfasts were simply superb and a work of art, every day being different.

We decided to stay in Canmore rather than the more popular and more expensive, crowded Banff. We chose Canadian Artisans because of its reviews and the fact that it stood out as being more unique than other accommodation in the area. We were not disappointed. As we drew up outside an excited Val, the owner, pointed to a pine marten in a tree by the house. Val is a lovely, friendly person who does her best to make you feel welcome in an unobtrusive way. Each day throughout our 4 night stay she enquired as we were leaving or returning how things were, was everything ok, could she offer any assistance etc. She made useful suggestions about places to visit etc. All in all a great hostess.
We opted not to have breakfast, preferring instead to self cater. The mini kitchen area was sufficient for our needs.
The room itself was really lovely - we chose the larger upstairs room and loved it. The architecture was superb. There were lots of little quirky details which added greatly to its character. The enormous built bed was seriously comfortable - very important after a long haul flight! The shower was, as stated by many others, wonderful.
The house is right by the woods and only a short walk to the river. We saw an Elk in the woods and there was evidence of bears - but didn't see any. It also wasn't far to walk into town but we always took the car.
We found the house very well located and travelled around visiting Banff, Lake Louise and Kananaskis (on Val's recommendation). The scenery was superb and the wildlife sightings were the most varied in our 24 day trip to Canada - beaver, elk, several grizzlies, black bears, moose, wild sheep and goats, 3 other types of deer and a number of birds of prey. A definite place to go if you want to see wildlife - binoculars essential!!
The Canmore tourist information staff were brilliantly helpful, local shops pleasant and varied. There was an excellent quilt shop in Canmore for the handicrafters. Far nicer and more pleasant than Banff which was very busy even though we were there very early summer. I can imagine it would be seriously crowded in high season and really difficult to park. I can definitely recommend this bed and breakfast as being amongst the prettiest places we've stayed in.