I'd like to take my family (twin 5 year olds) on a skiing vacation. The kids have never skied before and my husband and I are intermediate. I'm thinking about the Sundance Lodge. Should I stay there the whole time or should I break up the trip and visit Park City and/or Salt Lake? I imagine we'll want to ski 3-4 days but would also like to have some other options. Thanks for any advice. Does Sundance have a swimming pool?

Amy

I checked the Sundance site and couldn't see anything about a pool. There is a spa and cultual activities.
Sundance is a beautiful resort but they usually don't have as much snow as the other resorts so you may want to spend time at Park City or Snowbird/Alta. I know that the outdoor pools are open at Snowbird in the winter.
Park City would have more options for lodging/dining/entertainment/pools.
December is a popular time so make reservations ASAP. Have a great trip. Let's hope there will be lots of snow in December.

I would not choose to stay at Sundance in December. Opening day this year was the second Saturday in December at Sundance. All the Park City resorts were open before Thanksgiving.

Can you recommend some really nice places to stay in Park City? Would it make sense to stay at Sundance and take day trips to Park City and Alta?

I liked the Marriott Mountainside or Marriott Summit Watch in Park City, both are condominiums, which I would recommend for a family. If you want really upscale, any of condos at Deer Valley might suit you. I would not stay at Sundance and do day trips, but a day trip to Sundance might be nice.

Sundance does not have good snow, it is very small, and the lodging is beyond expensive. And there is only 1 restaurant where you would want to take kids. Park City would have a ton of amenities--swimming pool, the ski area has an ice skating rink. All of the ski areas do ski schools--put the kids in for the day. They will have a blast and you can ski by yourself. The other option is to stay in Salt Lake City. There are very convenient buses up to Alta/Snowbird and Brighton/Solitued. As an intermediate skiier, Brighton would be fun and Snowbird should be ok. The others can get hairy--but they all have awesome snow. If you stay in PC for 3-4 days, You could easily spend a day at each resort while leaving kids in ski school. I hear good things about PC and Canyons ski schools. The Canyons has lots of new condos but if you wantto eat out, PC is the place to be!

Hi Amy,

I would not recommend staying at Sundance either, just because your options with kids are limited. No pools, 1 restaurant. They do have an excellent ski school (like most Rocky Mtn ski areas) and good beginner runs. It's where I learned!

Snowbird and Alta would be good as far as lots of intermediate and beginner runs. Both have excellent ski schools. Limited options for other activities, but all the Snowbird lodging options have pools, hot tubs and a spa. Lots of variety in dining too.

Park City does have the 3 areas right there, but if you want your little ones to learn the most - keep them with the same instructor during your ski days. It will make a huge difference! Same goes for you....

Have fun!