The Best Luxury Hotels

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (Vancouver; tel. 800/441-1414): Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway on the site of two previous Hotel Vancouvers, this landmark opened in 1929. The château-style exterior, the lobby, and even the guest rooms -- now thoroughly restored -- are built in a style and on a scale reminiscent of the great European railway hotels.

The Fairmont Empress (Victoria; tel. 800/441-1414): Architect Francis Rattenbury's masterpiece, the Empress has charmed princes (and their princesses), potentates, and movie moguls since 1908. If there's one hotel in Canada that represents a vision of bygone graciousness and class, this is it.

Hastings House Country Estate (Salt Spring Island; tel. 800/661-9255): This farm matured into a country manor and was then converted into a luxury inn. The manor house is now an acclaimed restaurant; the barn and farmhouse have been remade into opulent suites. You might feel like you've been transported to an idealized English estate, if it weren't for those wonderful views of the Pacific.

Poets Cove Resort & Spa (South Pender Island; tel. 888/512-7638): Poets Cove may be on a remote bay on a rural island, but don't let the isolation fool you. New and dazzling, the resort has beautifully furnished rooms, villas, and cottages, all overlooking a peaceful harbor. The spa, restaurant, and facilities are absolutely first class.

Wickaninnish Inn (Tofino; tel. 800/333-4604): Standing stalwart in the forest above the sands of Chesterman Beach, this new log, stone, and glass structure boasts incredible views over the Pacific and extremely comfortable luxury-level guest rooms. The dining room is equally superlative.

Four Seasons Resort Whistler (Whistler; tel. 888/935-2460 or 604/935-3400): This grand -- even monumental -- hotel is the classiest place to stay in Whistler, which is saying something. This is a hotel with many moods, from the Wagnerian scale of the stone-lined lobby to the precise gentility of the guest rooms to the faint and welcome silliness of the tiled and back-lit stone fixtures of the restaurant. This is a hotel that's not afraid to make big statements.

Fairmont Palliser (Calgary; tel. 800/441-1414): Calgary's landmark historic hotel, the Palliser is permeated with good breeding and high style. The magnificent lobby looks like an Edwardian gentlemen's club, and the guest rooms are large and luxurious.

Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (Edmonton; tel. 800/441-1414): When the Canadian Pacific bought and refurbished this landmark hotel, all of the charming period details were preserved, and the inner workings were modernized and brought up to snuff. The result is an elegant but still-friendly small hotel. From the tuxedoed bellman to the gargoyles on the walls, this is a real class act.

Rimrock Resort Hotel (Banff; tel. 800/661-1587): Banff is known for its scenery and its high prices; this is one of the few luxury hotels whose rates are actually justified. New and architecturally dramatic, it steps nine stories down a steep mountain slope. A fantastic marble lobby, great restaurant, and handsomely appointed bedrooms complete the package.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (Lake Louise; tel. 800/441-1414): First of all, there's the view: Across a tiny gem-green lake rise massive cliffs, shrouded in glacial ice. And then there's the hotel: Part hunting lodge, part palace, the Chateau is its own community, with sumptuous boutiques, sports-rental facilities, nine dining areas, and beautifully furnished guest rooms.

Post Hotel (Lake Louise; tel. 800/661-1586): Quietly gracious hospitality in a dramatic Canadian Rockies setting is the hallmark of this luxurious lodge. The original log-built dining room and bar remain from the 1940s, now joined by a new hotel wing with extremely comfortable and beautifully furnished rooms. The "F" suites are the most desirable.