Best Western Ptarmigan Lodge

The buildings are older, but they’re kept up well. We’ve seen the owner walking around and tidying up during our visits, which gives the place a cared-for feel. Our rooms have been clean and comfortable, with little odor, and the prices are competitive for what you get. I’ve stayed at the Ptarmigan several times over the past few years, and each visit has been consistently pleasant. Breakfast is one of the best parts. There’s usually bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles, toast, and the usual drinks, plus puddings, chilled fruit cups, milk, and other things. You can also grab a granola bar or another small snack to take along. It’s nice not to have to pay for a room and then go elsewhere for breakfast. One building is marked as smoke-free and pet-free, with signs at the entrances and outside, so they’re hard to miss. On our last visit, though, we smelled marijuana inside. We called the desk, and they were concerned. When we got back from dinner, the smell had gone. I hope the guests responsible were asked to leave, though I don’t know if they were. If people need to smoke, they should do it outside so everyone else doesn’t have to smell it. The staff deserve credit for taking the issue seriously. Thanks for a great place to stay!

The lake view was a highlight, especially from the second floor, and there are lots of places for dogs to go potty. We also enjoyed being able to walk and bike around, and there’s a rack where you can lock up bikes. We wanted a pleasant place near the water where we could bring our pups. We called ahead to ask about a pet-friendly room and learned we needed to book full-size beds instead of a king. That was no big deal. The rooms are older, but very well maintained, and breakfast had a generous range of options.

The best part was the location and scenery, with a beautiful lake or reservoir, the amphitheater nearby, and major ski resorts close by. The rooms were well cared for, and the staff were very friendly. It’s an older hotel, so there were some cleanliness shortcomings, though it was better than many old hotels I’ve stayed in. The hair dryer was broken. The rooms got uncomfortably hot both nights. Even with the thermostat turned as low as it would go and the windows open in below-freezing weather, I was sweating. There’s no AC, just a floor heater that seemed to keep running regardless of the thermostat, and the ceiling fan was too weak to help much. Breakfast was mostly heavily processed food and sugary pastries. The more basic options were boiled eggs, bananas, and apples. The scrambled eggs seemed obviously processed and rubbery, and the sausage seemed the same. There were no plain yogurts, only flavored ones, along with sugary cereal, oatmeal, and granola bars. It wasn’t a good start to a full day of skiing. The buildings are spread out, so getting to breakfast, the pool, office, or sauna means walking outside in the cold. It’s not a long walk, but it’s inconvenient. Our key cards stopped working after a couple of hours. We had to get new ones every time we left the room, four times over two days. Only after the last lockout did someone tell us to keep the card away from phones and other cards. I did that carefully, but it still failed hours later.

The mountain and lake views are lovely from many rooms, and breakfast was amazing. The rooms are great, though they can get warm at night without air conditioning. We opened the windows, which felt okay since we were on the top floor. I wouldn’t have been comfortable sleeping with them open on a lower floor. There’s a large indoor hot tub. The laundry room opens at 9 a.m. and has just one washer and one dryer, which can be handy if, like me, you need to catch up on laundry while traveling.