The Aspens by Whistler Premier

The pools and hot tubs were nice, and the facility was clean. Getting to the slopes and gondola was easy, and the front desk was helpful during our stay. The ski valet is convenient, but it can take a while to get your gear. Since they want you to store it there, the process could be faster and work better. The key codes for accessing things were a bit annoying, and the walk to the shuttle was a little long.

We liked the room and its location, which were as expected. The front desk staff were friendly, but since we booked through a third party, they had limited ability to help and didn't know much about our room. The location worked well: high enough to ski down to the gondola, but low enough that walking down the hill to town was manageable. One memorable moment was seeing a snowboarding Batman who could even open the gate! The ski valet was slow and short staffed. It's separate from the hotel and not hotel staff, but it's still something to consider. We often had to wait for help or get things ourselves. Also, the access codes for the door from the mountain into the hotel and for the hot tub area were unreliable. Once, at least 10 people were stuck waiting to come in from the mountain because no one could get the code to work. At the hot tub, we had to let one another in when the code failed. A tip: you can enter and leave the hot tub area through the workout room.

We had a great ski vacation here, and the slopeside location makes it easy to ski in and out. The nearest restaurants along the slope are about a five-minute walk from the room. Skis have to stay in the valet near the pool, which is convenient in some ways, though there can be a morning queue when everyone heads out and just one person is serving. Boots and poles can stay in the room. The outdoor heated pool is open until 10 PM, with one whirlpool, and both were relatively empty. The other two whirlpools allow alcoholic drinks and were crowded with people drinking beer. There's a convenient ski rental in the lobby, though we didn't use it. The small gym has cardio equipment we definitely didn't need after a full day of skiing, but no free weights or pulleys. Overall, it was a great place for a skiing holiday.

The place is bright, clean, warm, and cozy, with a feel that brings the winter holiday indoors. It has unmatched access to the slopes, without the village bustle. You're able to head out refreshed without dragging your skis and boots through the village, possibly after a few too many drinks the night before.