Whistler hotels & recommendations for roadtrip
 

Hi

We are heading over to Vancouver for Easter for 1 week of skiing and 1 week of touring the region. I have a few questions that hopefully someone can help on:

1. I found a deal to stay at the Fairmont Chateau for US$249pn. Seems quite cheap for there so would you recommend it as a good place to stay? We like the ski in/ski out and luxury of this hotel but are worried about the distance into the village and extra costs that inevitably arise when staying at a nice place (tips, extra charges for services, breakfast?, etc). If this is not ideal then where else would you recommend? I am an intermediate skier and boarder and my wife an experienced beginner so not sure whether to be on the Whistler or Blackcomb side yet.

2. We arrive into YVR at 8pm - is it cheaper/quicker to hire a car to drive to Whistler and then drop it off, or just take the coach? Which ones should we use?

3. After our week of skiing I plan to hire a car and then drive around the region. Can I do this from Whistler and do I need any special equipment on it for winter driving?

4. I have so far read about Squamish and the Garibalidi Park as places to stop off for hiking and sightseeing. I also want to do the Sunshine coast and Vancouver Island circle tour for whale watching and more scenic drives. Finally I guess we should leave a couple of days for Vancouver. I know that all this is too much for 1 week so what do you recommend our itinerary should be? We prefer the scenic stuff to being in large cities, particularly as my wife has been to vancouver before. Any recommendations for this 2nd week would be much appreciated.

Many thanks
John

It's an easy walk (5 minutes or less) from the Fairmount to the village. I haven't stayed at the Fairmount but we had dinner there. It's a much quieter area than the village. I liked it. Unless you are looking to spend late nights in the bars in the village, I suggest you go with the deal at the Fairmount. You can take the short lift up from the Fairmount, then ski the road/green run down to Whistler mountain.

1. The Chateau Fairmont is an excellent hotel, and is close to the main part of the village. The entire village is fairly small and as long as you aren't walking around in ski boots is very convenient. I can't recommend either Whistler or Blackcomb mountain over the other - they're very different mountains and offer different types of skiing. If you're there for a week, try them both!

2. Looking at the rates on the Whistler website, it'll cost you at least $120 to do a 1-way transfer with a rental car between Vancouver and Whistler. The bus will certainly be cheaper and you don't have to worry about driving up a twisty road you don't know in the dark (the Sea to Sky Highway is notorious for poor conditions and accidents). I don't know which bus company is the best - I've done the greyhound and it was fine.

3. If you're driving around up in the mountains, you're probably going to want 4-wheel drive, preferably with all-season tires at the very least. There's isn't a tremendous amount up around whistler for driving - basically you can go north to Pemberton and if you're feeling adventurous you can take the Duffy Lake road over to Lilloet, or head back to Vancouver and go east.

4. I would pick one or two of those options and go with it - not sure what the "Island Circle tour" is, but the island is certainly scenic. If you want to do both the island and the Sunshine coast, you could take the ferry over to Gibsons, drive up to Powell River, take the ferry from there over to Courtenay/Comox, and drive back down the island to Nanaimo/Victoria, then across to Vancouver. If your wife has been to Vancouver before it might be nice to explore Victoria a bit instead of spending a few days in Vancouver.

The Fairmont Chateau is a lovely hotel and you seem to have a good rate, so I'd grab it.

Squamish is known for its outdoor recreation as well as for the amount of rain it receives. You might encounter a serious amount of rainfall when hiking in the spring.

Vancouver Island is a large island, and the Sunshine Coast is not on VI but on the mainland. This is way too large of an area to explore in one week so I'd suggest reading a guide book or two to pinpoint two areas you might want to visit.

Tofino/Ucluelet on the west coast of VI is beautiful. Our family has been a half dozen times or so, and I highly recommend it.

We've seen whales in the summer and fall both on the east and west coasts of VI, by chance and not with a tour company. You would want to check out whether the spring is a good whale watching time and that may help determine where to go.

Thanks for the replies. Any ideas on what we can do on non-skiing days? Outdoor activities still preferred.

after a week of skiing, i'd head over to vancouver island and head to tofino for 3 nights. then do a couple of nights in victoria or some other area of the island and then end the trip in vancouver.

We enjoyed dog sledding in Whistler last year. The sledding operation picked us up at our hotel and took us to their kennel about 15 minutes north of Whistler.

Dog sledding, zip trekking, snowshoeing, tubing, skidooing, or just some plain hiking, enjoying the Recreation Centre indoor pool with its fabulous views of the mountains, eating and drinking well, etc.

Our family just got back from five days in Whistler. My husband and two sons skiied and boarded, and had a great time. I did pretty well nothing except swim, read books, relax, go for walks, etc. We had a great time, and will return in the summer (and that time of year is really fun in Whistler).

We enjoyed horseback riding in Pemberton, about 30 min north of Whistler. It is one of the most beautiful valleys i've seen! We sent in July, not sure if they ride in the winter...

have fun!

Hi - one more question. I am due to arrive into Vancouver at 6.30pm and want to book teh bus service to Whistler at 7.30pm. How long can I expect it to take from disembarking, going through immigration and picking up my bags, to getting to the bus stop? I am in a premium cabin so should be one of the first off.

Thanks