ldsant

Mid-March is oftentimes dicey in Whistler. Sometimes great sometimes too much rain/ice. The great thing about Whistler is that there are many other things to do!

toadman

Just back from a quick over nighter at the Westin Whistler. Had a left over free night from one of the fall promos, and wanted to get in a day of skiing in one of my favorite places. I was not disappointed on the stay or the skiing^!

We drove up fm Vancouver, and parked Creekside. We spent a day on the Whistler slopes and then went to check-in. Did the valet thing for $28. The valet staff was just super for this short trip. ^ We've never had issues with the valet. The check-in was smooth and efficient and even though it was an award stay, they put us in one of the one bedroom suites with a mountain facing view. We went down to the health club and enjoyed a soak in the hot tub. They have put out some new furniture around the indoor part of the pool and hot tub. (At least new to us since our last visit, which was about 2 yrs ago.) Also enjoyed a steam and then it was off to dinner. Nothing fancy, went to Mongolie Grill and then walked around the village before heading over to Bavaria for some dessert. Chocolate Fondue! What else?

The next day we awoke to 22cm of fresh snow at mid-mountain! Oh yes, time to break out the big skis. Went down to valet and asked them to retrieve my powder skis, which I had left in the car, and then asked about a late check-out. Was told that they had 145 guests checking-in and it wouldn't be possible. No biggie. They still gave us access to the health club and they stored our bags while we hit the slopes.

My wife is not a big fan of deep snow and prefers the corduroy. She set me free to pilage the freshies on Blackcomb. And that's exactly what I did! Lift Lines this time of year aren't too bad, even on a powder day. My wife ended up quitting early and getting a facial at the Westin Spa while I was making fresh tracks underneath the chair on 7th Heaven! Finally my powder appetite satisfied and my quads exhausted it was back down the mountain and retrieval of our baggage. Once again the valets were tremendous. They retreived our skis from the ski valet. (My wife's and a second pair that I had brought.) They helped load everything and then offered us 2 bottles of water for the road.

Anyone that is scheduled to be up for the X-mas holiday should be greeted with lots and lots of new snow over the next week. Up to 10-20 Cm a day for this coming week (Dec. 17th-22nd) Enjoy!

onedog

Can anyone provide suggestions on getting from YVR to the Westin Whistler? There are 5 of us traveling (3 adults and 2 children) and we are staying 8 days. Bus shuttles? Car rental? Is the road to/from Whistler twisty mountain roads? Do cars usually need chains?

Also, any suggestions for ski rentals/ski school for the kids? Prices?

Any and all suggestions/tips/ideas are appreciated.

Thanks,

Onedog

prosen

I have done this several times now and can give you what I think is good advice. Don't rent a car. There is no need for a car once you are at whistler as the village is pedestrians only and parking is $25/day.

I have taken the bus to and from whistler. Greyhound goes to downtown Vancouver and Perimiter goes to and from the airport. One problem I have run into with the buses is they stop earlier (9pm) then my flight usually arrives. While Greyhound is nice and cheap they don't stop right at the hotel so you will need to manage your luggage and children about a 1/4 mile walk to the hotel.

Perimeter goes from YVR to the hotel, however and $67 each way, with 5 people it is probably cheaper to hire a car. The car I hired was $330 with tax and tip; I arranged this at the last minute through the hotel so it can probably be done much cheaper then that.

The roads are under construction in preperation for the winter olympics. This means that the road varies from being a single lane winding road, to a two lane highway that is under construction. The one time I drove it was raining/seating in the valleys and snowing at elevation with occasional fog. While chains arent usually needed (its not as steep as in the canyons of Utah) it can definitely be perilous.

Hire a car. At most it will cost you an extra $50 or so dollars, and the stress/safety gained will be well worth it.

Oh and one note on Whistler. On the weekends the lines get insane. Worse then at any other resort I have seen. Dont be suprised by a 20 minute wait for some of the mid mountain lifts.

prosen

I was up there for during the storm Dec. 14-17. I lucked out with two amazing days of waist deep snow on the 15th and 17th, even got first chair of the season off of the 7th Heaven lift. The 16th was a storm day. Brutal winds hitting 70mph, heavy snow and zero visibility outside of the trees. A classic Whistler weekend really.

ac/elite

Prosen is right that you don't need a car once you're there. The Westin has a free shuttle (SUV) that will take you anywhere you want. They offer that as an included benefit of the resort fee. There are some good restaurants that aren't in the village and I regularly use the shuttle for that purpose when staying at the Westin. If you take the Greyhound, you can call the shuttle to pick you up at the drop-off location and don't have to walk it with the kids.

I notice from your earlier post that you're going in March. The roads are pretty good generally in March. If you do decide to rent a car, you won't need chains, but if there's a big storm the rcmp will check for snow tires. It is quite unlikely that there will be that kind of a storm on the road at that time. I have driven the road many times in March when it has been bare and dry.

As to ski schools for the kids, I'd check out the Whistler Blackcomb website which likely has all the information you require. I think that they operate the only ski school permitted on the mountain. The mountain also rents equipment, but there are some other options to choose from for rentals in the village, particularly if you want high performance stuff.

CarNut

In years of renting cars in Vancouver, I have never found any with snow tires, even when I rent an SUV in winter specifically for driving up to Whistler. Rental cars with snow tires are hard to find even in Quebec - http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_p...html?id=188130 - where it snows a LOT more than in BC.

But I do agree that you likely won't have a problem in March.

Helena Handbaskets

So what does one do if one has a rental car and the RCMP checks for snow tires? Do they make allowances for rental cars?

onedog

Thanks for the heads up on the Westin Shuttle. We're definitely leaning towards not renting a car at YVR. When I add up the cost of the car and parking at the Westin, gas, etc., much more cost effective to take a bus to the mountain from YVR. It seems like there is no problem getting around the village, especially with the shuttle available.

I checked out the Whistler Blackcomb website. It gave me a relative idea on how much $$$$ I am going to be shelling out for the vacation.

Any specific restaurant recommendations/warnings are greatly appreciated.

Onedog

number_6

One turns around and goes back, or waits until conditions improve and snow tires are no longer reqired (this can be days later). I don't think there are other options, such as putting chains on M+S tires, when snow tires are mandatory, and rental cars get no special dispensation. Remember the reason for the check is to prevent the need for search and rescue (or accident cleanup) later.

Bear Bistro. This is actually 2 restaurants in 1 and the cheaper part is almost reasonable (half the price of the expensive part). BB is not just the best food in Whistler, it is also one of the top 10 restaurants in US/Canada.

In general all of the food choices at Whistler are quite good, you have to work at finding a bad one. So picking randomly, or what appeals from walking by, is safe. This aspect of Whistler is one of its special charms (unmatched in the rest of NA at ski resorts). And when Whistler has powder it can really whet your appetite.

itsaboutthejourney

I agree there are lots of great restaurants in the Village. Everything from high-dining to still in your ski-boots casual.

One good casual option is Mongolie Grill; if you don't mind the self-service to select your own items, it's great.

Another tip: your Westin room will have a small fridge/stove/sink so head to the IGA or Nester's Market for breakfast supplies. ("The Grocery Store is in the heart of the Village but overpriced.) You'll save lots of time making your own breakfast.

ac/elite

Like others have pointed out, there are many good restaurants in Whistler. Two of my favorites are La Rua (http://www.larua-restaurante.com/) and Rimrock (http://www.rimrockwhistler.com/). You'll need to take the Westin shuttle to the Rimrock.

For a reasonably priced lunch, or even dinner, I like Mix by Ric's in the Crystal Lodge hotel in the village. Don't get confused and go to Ric's (although that is also good). Mix is their cheaper, funkier restaurant/bar. Another good and reasonably priced lunch place is Pasta Lupino in the Village North, right next to 7-11 (http://www.pastalupino.com).

ferragamo

I stay there when I was gold member 2005.

The resort was nice and the rate is very cheap if you go with 3-4 friends, coz all the suite can stay at least 4 people.

Don't worry about the location, coz whistler is small. It takes about 10 mins to walk to center of whistler....

daytriper

Just returned from New Years week. 10-20cm/day of fresh powder. Initial loads Gondola lines were 20-30min 8:30-9:30AM, but if you upload early and stay up you can get in several runs. They offer "freshtracks" at 7:15 for the first runs and breakfast at the top, for a fee.

Oh, after seeing 15 people in the hot-tub at once, I wondered if I wanted to use it again. The maintenance guy said it's computer cleaned round the clock, plus they change the hot-tub water on Sundays.

The hotel was full, so no upgrade for award stay as plat. Learned that over Christmas and New Years weeks, 60% of occupancy is award stays for SPG members, so we're not as special as we think. Still great location and room/hotel amenities, and value for the points. Same weeks are sold out next year. Enjoy.

SEA-Flyer

I'm trying to book an award stay, and I've been told that Loft suites aren't available at this property using points, only the following:

Junior Suite (SPG4)
Junior Suite w/ Mountain View (SPG4S)
1BR Suite (SPG4SU)

Is this correct? I'd really like to book the Loft Suite (SPG4SS)