Just returned from Whistler Saturday night. It snowed the entire week I was there! Last week Whistler got 26" of snow! Everytime I would look out the window I would turn to DH & say,"It's still snowing!"

We left Chicago Saturday, January 5 on United. The plane began to pull back from the gate when all the power went off. The plane was delayed for 1.5 hrs while the generator in the plane was replaced. Of course we all sat in the plane for the 1.5 hours.

Since the flight from Chicago to Vancouver was 3 hours there were only snack boxes available for purchase. Luckily, we had brought sandwiches with us so we were in good shape. I did overhear someone asking the FA if there was a sandwich available for purchase & the answer was no. I was given a free wine b/c of the delay.

We arrived in Vancouver & made it to Whistler without any further adventure.

We were booked into the Whistler Village Inn & Suites. I was very unhappy to find out that there was no regular bed in the room just a Murphy bed and two single hide-a-beds. The room was quite large with a kitchenette, table & 4 chairs, and a sofa & chair. I wanted to switch rooms but DH talked me out of it b/c he said that no one in our group of 20 seemed to have anything better.

There was a fireplace in the room but it could not be used b/c there was no wood or tools for the fireplace.

The TV could only be viewed from the bed- not from the sofa. There was a DVD player in the room. We did not use it so I cannot review it.

We were on the 2 nd floor. The elevator was out of service the entire week. I usually don't mind walking up a couple of flights of stairs but it would have been nice to use the elevator with the luggage.

It took several days to get the heat in the room to a comfortable level. A word to all you Yanks, 20-25 C is room temperature, not 30 C!! We turned the thermostat above the sofa down but the room was still too hot. Then latter we found the second thermostat between the wall & the side of the Murphy bed.

The walls are extremely thin. I could hear the houskeeping staff talking outside the room. (Our room was near the supply closet). On our last day I was awakened at 5 am b/c the kids in the room above were running around.

There was no Whistler information in the room explaining hotel amenities or local restaurants, shops, etc. I finally found a dinning guide at the grocery store.

On the plus side, the room was clean & there were fresh towels every day. Housekeeping even did our dishes for us. The staff were extremely helpful & friendly. There was a small buffet breakfast everyday of cereal, juice, fruit & waffles. There was also a ski locker for the skis. At least I didn't have to carry my skis up & down 3 flights of stairs all week.

Saturday, after our arrival, check-in & orientation DH & I decided to wander out & find some dinner. The only thing I can say about Whistler is that it is very expensive. Plan on $50/pp for dinner on average. DH complained so much about the cost of the restaurants I had to speak sharply to him.

Saturdy night we ended up at a little restaurant called Brasserie. DH had a bowl of homemade soup. It was a beef broth soup with peas & flavored with curry. We both thought it was outstanding. Then we shared a hamburger. Jamie, our waitress was great. The kitchen staff split the burger & salad & fries onto two separate plates. Jamie served our shared burger to us as if they were two separate dinners. Plus 1/2 liter of wine the total (before tip) was $35.91.

The skiing was outstanding. There was about 5" of new snow every day. We would alternate days between Blackcomb & Whistler.

I geuss the title of my trip report should actually be, "Whistler - Home of the $15 Hamburger"

Sunday we skied at Whistler & ate lunch at the Longhorn. The Longhorn is located at the bottom of the mountain next to the Whistler Gondola. 2 bottles of water, 1 glass of wine, 1 hamburger w/fries. Total (before tip) $26.45

I did not think that the burger at the Longhorn was as good as the burger at the Brasserie.

After skiing we went back to the room for a nap. We did not head out to dinner until quite late (about 8:30 pm). This ended up being a very good thing.

Several days later I heard that on that Sunday there had been an accident on the highway between Squamish & Whistler. Due to the accident the highway had been closed. Many people who had been planning to leave Whistler that Sunday evening ended up staying in Whistler & having dinner. That would not have been bad by itself. However, because of the accident many of the restaurant staff could not get to Whistler. So there were extremely crowded restaurants and barely any staff. I heard from several different people who had eaten at different restaurants that Sunday night was a nightmare.

We ended up eating at Caramba. DH & I split a salad caprese. He had a veal tortellini with parmasan cream. I ordered woodfired penne which ended up being nothing more than baked mostaccioli. Plus 1/2 L of wine. Total (before tip) $64.95

Monday we skied at Balckcomb. We met up with a couple of people from our group. We ended up eating at Christine's. Christine's is a "sitdown" restaurant at the top of the Solar Coaster lift. DH had the chicken club (I though it was a very small chicken breast). I had a bowl of mushroom soup & a glass of wine. Total (before tax & tip) $29.50.

For dinner that night we went to The Brewhouse b/c someone in our group had told DH that it was cheap. At DH's urging I had the prime rib. He had the parmasan chicken. Plus 1/2 L wine. Total (before tip) $76.33 And my "garlic mashed potatoes" were instant!!! I am sorry, if I am eating a $30 prime rib I expect real mashed potatoes.

Thanks for posting, cheri, it's always helpful to read visitor's reports.

Our family has stayed at Whistler Village Inn & Suites a couple of times, but not for about five years or so. We never had a Murphy bed configuration, but we had a couple of kids in tow. You're right, it's a very average place but a great location. We now usually stay across the square at the Mountainside Lodge, a level or two up in decor and amenities and not that much more expensive (I think).

Whistler's restaurant prices can be expensive and I think whenever you're eating at a mountain location, you're going to pay for it. Some of your meal tabs I don't find that expensive, but hey, we're all different.

Sounds like the skiing was great. My youngest son was up for six days over New Year's Eve and had a great time.

Hope you had time to do a short hike or two and enjoy some Whistler nightlife.

Again, thanks for posting.

Linda

"There was no Whistler information in the room explaining hotel amenities or local restaurants, shops, etc."

I recently stayed at the Westin in Whistler (which I highly recommend) and had the same problem: no information in the hotel room about the rest of the resort, not even any info as to when the ski lifts open and close.

One way to beat the high cost of eating out at Whistler is to make use of the in-room kitchens. There is a full service supermarket (IGA) and rooms come equipped with dishes, utensils and cutlery

I'll try to finish up this report.

Monday night after dinner we finally found the grocery store! For some reason Whistler is a very confusing town to find your way around. The grocery store has a great deli and they sell gelato!

Tuesday we skied at Whistler again. We also had a group lunch at the Roundhouse at the top of the Whistler gondola.

Later we had a little apres ski at Black's at the foot of the Blackcomb gondola. Holly was our waitress she was terrific.

Then I was off to my massage. I actually walked around in a circle looking for the place. Finally, I went back to the hotel & one of the front desk staff actually took me to the spa!

When I booked the massage the receptionist asked me what type of massage I wanted. I said that I did not know. But that I was very sore from skiing & wanted that worked out. So the receptionist booked me a Swedish massage. It was really one of the worst massages I ever had. The massuese did not touch the pressure points in my glutes or touch my quads which were very sore. In fact, I left as sore as when I had arrived. I am used to walking out of a massage feeling ready to ski another week! But I blame myself for not getting the correct type of massage. I think I should have had a deep tissue massage.

For Tuesday night dinner we dined with another couple at the Mongolie Grill. $3.00/100 g. This is a place where you select meat & vegetables & then they are cooked for you on a grill. Dinner for 4 plus 2 glasses of Inniskillen wine & 1 beer Total $185.72 (before tip)

One of the best parts about being in Whistler was being able to buy Inniskillen wine. I can't get it here in Chicago. Everyone who tried it agreed with me that it was excellent.

Wednesday it was back to Blackcomb, lunch at the Rendezvous Restaurant, and apres ski again at Black's.

Wednesday night we had the most wonderful Fondue dinner at The Bavarian Restaurant. There were three courses - cheese fondue, fondue chinoise, and chocolate fondue. Our waitress was Amelia. When she saw me scraping at the cheese in the bottom of the fondue pot she offered to take the pot to the kitchen & scrape the cheese out & bring it back to us on a plate. I said that in all the fondue restaurants I had eaten at no one had ever offered this before. She said it was because she was French & knew that the toasted cheese at the bottom of the pot was the best part. The chocolate fondue was the best I ever had. Plus 2 half liters of Inniskillen pino grigio. Total $177.60 (before tip) and DH raved about what a great restaurant it was and how wonderful the service was.

Thursday we were so tired we decided to take the day off. So we lounged around the room until noon & then headed off for lunch & shopping.

Lunch was at a great little restaurant callled Crepe Montagne. Dh had a crepe cordon bleu and a lemon curd crepe for dessert. I had a ham & cheese crepe & a warm berrie crepe w/creme anglaise for dessert. I had never eaten such wonderful crepes. Plus 1/2 L of Cote du Ventoux. Total $87.01 (before tip) Our waitress' name was Axelle. She was very charming.

After lunch I found a little crystal store near the restaurant. I bought a couple of Christmas ornaments & a wine stopper. That was all the shopping I did.

There was a group dinner that night at The Brewhouse. This time the dinner was a set menu. We were offered either 1/2 a roast chicken or salmon. I was still full from lunch but many of the group managed to eat the whole 1/2 chicken! The bartender at the Brewhouse can make a mean Mango Martini also.

Firday was our last day in Whistler. We were going to ski Whistler but when we got to the gondola all the Whislter lift indicator lights were yellow (on standby). So in the end we skied at Blackcomb again. Lunch again at the Rendezvous Restaurant. Lunch there would cost us about $30. I would have soup & a wine & DH would have soup, burger, fries & water.

Apres ski again at Black's (are we in a rut?). Dinner at Milestones. This was DH's favorite restaurant. He said he wished we would have found this restaurant sooner b/c he would have liked to eat there a couple of times. He had pesto chicken fettucini & a glass of pino grigio. I had portobello mushroom chicken & a pomegranate martini. Total $56.11 (before tip). Our waitress was Inga. She was very sweet.

One more comment, I would have loved to eat some ling cod or halibut. But cod was not on the menu at any of the restaurants where we ate. Halibut only seemed to be offered at the high end restaurant's like Rick's or Araxi. Salmon was the most common fish dinner offered on the menus.

There are a lot of asian/sushi restaurants in Whistler and not one mexican restaurant. (However, I was told that there is a mexican restaurant over in Creekside.)

Then Saturday it was back home to Chicago. It was a very uneventful trip home. I was very sorry to have come to the end of a great trip. I think Whistler is a great ski area.

Thanks for the trip report Cheri. We're heading to Whistler mid-March so I appreciate the tips. I've been to many ski resort in the US & they are all overpriced, I think this is expected & like pp mentioned, get a condo & cook yourself some nights to save $$.

Thanks Cheri for the trip report. We will be in Whistler starting this Sunday and have heard all about the high prices! Actually any of the Western (and Eastern for that matter) ski resorts generally have higher prices so it won't be total sticker shock!

We will be at the Westin in the village. Does anyone know of any grocery stores on the way from Vancouver to Whistler? We will have a rental car and I would think groceries in Squamish would be cheaper than Whistler.

Thanks,

Marc

Marc - I don't know if you've already purchased lift tickets, but I found a post on this board that said you can get discounted lift tickets at the 711 in Squamish. There are also grocery stores there too.

Marc, yes there are grocery stores in Squamish and they will be cheaper than those at Whistler. My recollection is that you can see the grocery stores from the highway.

I recently stayed at the Westin at Whistler, if you have any questions.

Hi Cheribob,
I wish you would have searched the posts here for restaurant info. There are quite a few good fairly inexpensive places to eat ( and stay) if you know where to go.
There is a tourist information center close to the suites that has all of the info that you need,and there are village host booths all through the village manned by locals that are there to help you find your way. Just look for someone wearing a red vest with village host wandering around and ask them anything you need to know.
Gores, I posted a response to your other post about groceries.You can get discounted lift tickets at 7-11 in Squamish, but also look online at www.whistlerblackcomb.com for package deals on tickets ,lessons, and rentals. Cheers, Al

THERE ARE MANY PLACE IN THE VILLAGE THat are not expensive.beavertails for one is an outside stand I even get my golden retriever a cheese berger here for 6 dollars,by the lift gondala has good food for around 12 dollars,. there is also a crepes place on main street that serves many dishes for under 15 dollars.You also have the spagetti factory and mc donnalds....aivlance pitza..good price.The glacier hotel on the blackhomb benchland has really good food,like wild salmon salad for under 20.but iga is the cheapest.I usually stay at glacier reach .rent from owner direct ,ones that let me bring my golden.Glad you had good snow.