The Mountain Club By Kirkwood Resort

We were glad the hot tub was working, despite earlier reviews saying it was out of service. It's pretty small and hot, though, so the kids didn't stay long. Seems better for adults than families. The room was comfortable for all of us, if a little dated, and had the appliances we needed; everything seemed fairly new. When our door code failed, the front desk got it sorted out quickly, though it took them a bit. The elevator was slow, and there was usually a long morning line, but it wasn't too bad. There are food, coffee, ski shops, and tickets close to the front door in the morning, and Cornice, a great family restaurant, is across the street and open until 9pm. You can walk to the Gondolas, but beginner skiers and anyone going to ski or snowboard school will need the shuttle two stops down to Timber Creek, so allow some extra time. Our family of five stayed over a holiday weekend for a ski trip. The staff were incredibly helpful getting us checked in and ready to ski. When one of our kids was crying about an issue, a staff member took them to get snacks and drinks, which made their day. They also found us a spot in the club garage, so we didn't need to park down the mountain. We enjoyed the stay, and it had what our family needed for skiing in and out at Kirkwood.

We found fresh rat droppings on the bed, and the amenities were very limited. The after-hours check-in was awful. It took an hour of walking around and calling the after-hours service just to find our room, because the map they gave us sent us to a different building. We had booked two queen beds but got one bed and a pull-out couch instead. A really disappointing stay.

Being so close to the lifts is hard to beat, and I'd stay here again for the ski-in, ski-out access alone. The rooms, though, need a major redo from top to bottom. Be ready for a rustic setup, especially if you get a Murphy Bed room.

We stayed at the Mountain Club in early August, midweek, for a fishing trip nearby. The room was nice, parking was easy, and the views from both the room and parking lot were breathtaking. The place was basically a ghost town then, which was fine for us. The mountain wasn't running at all during our stay: no lift rides or mountain biking, and no services or restaurants. The lifts do run on Saturdays and Sundays for mountain biking. We had specifically asked when booking whether the pool and sauna would be available and were told yes, but at check-in we found out they were closed. That's why I took off a star. I hadn't been to Kirkwood in over 10 years, and I was shocked to find that you can no longer see the cross-country meadows as you drive into the lodging area. There are homes all along the way in. They're gorgeous, but they're everywhere. I'd love to come back to where we stayed in winter.