A Pit Stop a Day (Day 15): Westgate Park City Resort and Spa

July 11, 2010 By

View of resort from our seventh floor balcony.

On Day 15, we traveled down Hwy 89 from Grand Teton National Park to Park City, Utah to stay overnight at the Westgate Park City.

The Westgate Park City is a beautiful resort nestled against the base of The Canyons ski resort about five minutes from downtown Park City. Winter is their peak season (no pun intended!), which makes it a great choice in the summer months to beat both high prices and crowds. And lest you think they only offer ski-oriented activities, rest assured: there’s plenty to do! In fact, had our itinerary allowed for it, we’d have gladly stayed two nights so the kids could spend more time at their Kids Club, pools, basketball court, playground, and nearby hiking trails, bike rentals, and alpine slide.

For our party of six (three adults and three kids), we were reserved the Presidential suite, which comprised of a similar layout to a two-bedroom suite plus adjoining one-bedroom suite, and had more than enough room. With a full kitchen (with granite counter-tops and quality appliances), we could have prepared Thanksgiving dinner had we wanted to (but who would, with all of Park City’s great restaurants?) and with three bathrooms, no one had to wait for showers. There was also a full dining room and living area, which made for a cozy place to share a dinner ordered in after a long day of traveling.

Full kitchen in suite.

Westgate master bedroom.

Full dining area.

The beds were ‘super comfortable with tons of pillows’ (in Nate’s words) and the living room also offered a pull-out bed/couch. With working fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, and a large balcony, the Westgate suite was the perfect place to spread out and relax for prices lower than you might think (as I said, I wished we had more time).

As guests of the ‘Moose Lodge’ section of the resort (buildings are distinguished by various animal names), two pools were at our disposal: the main indoor-outdoor pool (protected by a glass ceiling and walls for winter months) and hot tubs, and a smaller outdoor pool and hot tub closer to our lodge. The kids had fun at both, and Toby especially loved that each were only 3-4 feet deep max…making it easy for him to keep up with his older brothers without too much swimming. Another perk of the main pool was its proximity to the basketball and tennis courts; you could keep an eye on other kids playing while in the pool area.

Indoor-outdoor pool with atrium.

The Westgate also offers a fitness center (which I used) and exercise studio (offering yoga and other exercise classes at designated times), an adult-only relaxation pool and sauna, and a Kids Club, which had an extensive itinerary of programs and supervised care for kids 2-12 ($15/hour for non-Westgate Resort members).

Date Last Visited: July 5, 2010

Room Rates: At the time of this posting, rates ranged from studio rooms started at $107 per night to two-bedroom units from $215 per night during summer (off-season) months. Since Westgate Park City is a timeshare resort, you can also rent the units directly from resort owners, sometimes at cheaper rates than when you book through the resort.

Restaurants and Dining: Westgate has a quick service pizza counter and marketplace on-site for sundries and convenience foods (limited hours in summer) and a fine dining restaurant (closed Mondays) which offers room service. Otherwise, guests need to drive into Park City (five minutes) for their choice of an array of dining options. We ordered pizza from http://www.davanzas.com/, one of the only places with delivery to the Westgate, and it was delicious and fast.

Distance off the interstate: Minutes off I-80 on Hwy 224.

Directions: From I-80, take Exit 145/Highway 224 South toward Kimball Junction/Park City. Travel 2.7 miles and turn right onto The Canyons Resort Drive. Continue 0.5 mile to Westgate Park City Resort & Spa.

Note: Our only criticism of Westgate was its confusing layout. To their credit, they did try to warn us: right after I checked in, I was sent to guest services, where they explained how to find my rooms. Helpful, but not a good sign for me after a tiring travel day! The way the resort is divided into ‘lodges’ causes a complicated system of various elevators (especially when trying to approach from the underground parking garage). After another day on-site, I’m sure we would have had the route down, but for the first day, we were certainly lost more than once in the vast resort, and we weren’t the only ones. My advice: accept the resort’s offer of a valet to help show you to your room; the escort will be worth the price of a tip!

As I disclose with all compensated reviews, Westgate Resorts hosted us free of charge. While we greatly appreciate their hospitality, this compensation came with no expectation of a positive review.

Up Next: We drive south to Zion National Park and check in to the Cliffrose Lodge and Gardens.

A Pit Stop a Day (Day 8): Big Sky Resort’s Summit Hotel

July 4, 2010 By

After driving from Glacier National Park to Boulder Hot Springs, we were more than happy to end Day 7 and enjoy Day 8-9 at the Summit Hotel at The Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Montana, our home base for family fun and a little R&R before continuing on to Yellowstone.

I cannot say enough good things about Big Sky Resort in general and the Summit in particular. If you have kids in tow (or even if you don’t) and are looking for a base camp for your Yellowstone and Big Sky adventures, look no further. A ski resort in winter, Big Sky Resort doubles as a summer mecca of outdoor activities in a breathtakingly beautiful setting, and for families with kids weary of riding in the car, it’s a godsend: restaurants, pools, activities, stores, and luxury accommodations (with kitchens!) are all at your disposal without getting back in your car for a few days.

The Summit in summer.

Located directly slope-side at the Big Sky Resort, the Summit Hotel is situated well within the hub of the Big Sky Mountain Village. In fact, the central outdoor plaza of the village is right out the back door (as are the ski lifts in winter), lending to a feeling of connectedness and community with the adjacent restaurants, play areas, pools, and accommodations (there’s even a putting green the kids can play on while adults try their hand at relaxing for more than five minutes straight!).

We arrived at the Summit on a Wednesday evening and, despite a summer rain shower, bell services was instantly on-hand to help us with our bags (why does it always feel as though we travel with the entire contents of our house?!). We had a group of six (two grandparents, myself, and three kids) and opted for a two-bedroom unit with plenty of room to spread out. The arrangement was three rooms total adjoining: the center room had a fully stocked (cutlery, dishes, cookware) kitchen, a table for four, a living area with couch and arm chair, a flat screen TV, fireplace, double Murphy (hideaway) bed, and full bathroom. The other two rooms had two double beds and a bathroom and one king bed and whirlpool tub plus bathroom (and additional fireplace), respectively. Needless to say, we had plenty of room.

Our full-service kitchen in main room.

Master bedroom (view overlooking the ski slopes and alpines.

The Summit houses an extensive exercise facility complete with cardio and strength machines, sauna, changing rooms, and a 100-person indoor-outdoor hot tub. Yes…100-person. And when you have it practically to yourself (a perk of ski resorts in summer), it’s basically a swimming pool at hot tub temperatures. In other words, awesome (as is the view…the hot tub looks out over the ski lifts and slopes).

The kids devoted much time to the hot tub!

The Terrace Entrance path takes you straight to the hot tub/exercise facilities from the plaza.

I have to admit, there was so much to do at Big Sky Resort (more on that to come!) that we didn‘t spend much time in our rooms, but the time we did spend there was very comfortable. It was quiet in the evenings, and the rooms were well-constructed; we never felt like our (sometimes) noisy kids were disturbing any other guests (and we never heard anyone else, either). We were able to stock the full-sized fridge with our water bottles and leftovers, and between the fireplaces and the spectacular views of the mountains, the ambiance was lovely.

Extra Perk: Because the Big Sky Resort consists of a community of accommodations under one umbrella, your Summit key card gives you access to more amenities than what is housed at the single hotel. For instance, you also gain entry to the three outdoor pools at the Huntley Lodge (two minute walk across the connected plaza), entry at the Kids Club (free to guests 3:30-5:30 every day but Wed. and Sat.) and movies shown at selected times on the big screen in the amphitheater (inside the Yellowstone Conference Center). A message of daily offered activities will be sent to your room phone!

Date last visited: June 30-July 2, 2010.

Distance off the interstate: Ten minutes from Hwy 191.

Room Rates: Check the Summit’s rate page for current room rates.

Food Services: We had the opportunity to try breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Mountain Village during our stay.

Chet’s Bar and Grill, located in the Huntley Lodge is a very family friendly place specializing in gourmet burgers, steak, and pasta (with a good children’s menu with large portions). We ate breakfast there as well, and loved the breakfast quesadillas and pancakes.

Whiskey Jack’s (in the Mountain Mall adjacent to the Summit) serves excellent southwestern fare. Calvin loved his chicken soft tacos (on the kids’ menu) and I thought the fajita salad was great (and huge)! The best part of Whiskey Jack’s is that you can watch the kids play on the plaza (on the play structure or putting green) without leaving your table.

Yeti Dogs (located on the plaza) is a great stop for ice cream after dinner (open until 9 pm in summer). We sampled the huckleberry, graham slam, mint cookie, and vanilla flavors. They all got a thumbs up!

Playground adjacent to Whiskey Jack’s and BaseCamp (acitivity center).

The kids loved the teepee (with Native American exhibit) across the plaza.

Website: Big Sky Resort

Directions: From Hwy 191 (near Bozeman), drive 39 miles to Hwy 64. Turn right (west) and drive nine miles to the Mountain Village.

As I disclose with all compensated reviews, Big Sky Resort took care of all of our expenses, from our two-bedroom suite to my kids’ chicken strips and nearly everything in-between. While we greatly appreciate Big Sky’s hospitality, this compensation came with no expectation of a positive review.

Up Next: We gear up for a zip-line ride through the forest, during which the kids show absolutely no fear…and I show only a little!

Silver Mountain Resort and Morning Star Lodge

May 8, 2009 By

Any self-respecting ski lodging will include a hot tub or two. Maybe even a heated swimming pool. But only at Silver Mountain’s Morning Star Lodge do you get a full indoor water park to top off your ski day.

silver-rapids

Intrigued? Let’s back up, and start with Silver Mountain itself, which offers 77 runs and 1,600 skiable acres along Idaho’s panhandle, right off I-90 in the historic mining town of Kellogg. We found the skiing here to be refreshingly authentic, with as many locals on the slopes as vacation-goers. Lifties clearly knew many skiers, and vice versa. Prices are reasonable, but services and grooming are still above standard. During our visit to the ski terrain, only about half the mountain was open (darn drought!) but what was open was very good skiing for intermediate and advanced skiers.

silver-mountain

The ski terrain is a good 15-minute gondola ride from lodging and town amenities. Families won’t find a slick ski village in this small town, but rather a small but family-focused ski area complex at Morning Star Lodge. While additional lodging is available throughout town, this is where families want to be, for easy access to the gondola (the longest in North America, by the way), dining, shops, and Silver Rapids waterpark.

silver-rapids

The waterpark comes included in any Morning Star Lodge stay, and is available to lodge guests only (with the exception of group private parties). At 42,000 square feet, its amenities rival those of any major indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodges included. Our school-aged kids loved the lazy river best, followed closely by the FlowRider surf simulator. There are several dedicated areas for families with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, and a family raft ride for anyone over 42 inches (or even smaller, if with an adult). There are two additional tube rides, plus activity pools with basketball hoops and ‘lily pads’ to traverse. There’s a nice hot tub on the lower level, plus two additional hot tubs and a bar on an upper level. If you have kids who will want to try surfing, the line does get long on the weekends. We found the entire waterpark nearly empty during weekdays in winter, and watched the facility fill up substantially by Friday evening. Two dining areas offer standard counter service food options, including a massive sundae your kids will definitely ask for.

The waterpark is a balmy 84 degrees at all times, making it a very welcome respite after a ski day. We saw many families who booked a night just for the waterpark, too. The ‘village’ area around Morning Star Lodge reminds us of the lodging options at major Colorado or Tahoe resorts…buildings are modern and handsome, fire pits blaze in set areas outdoors, there’s a nice children’s playground, and additional hot tubs for each of four main buildings. Each building at Morning Star Lodge also features ski lockers and their own lobbies. The main lobby near the registration desk features a guest hospitality room with coffee and tea at all times, plus a lounge area.

morning-star-lodge

There’s an arcade, family dining restaurant called Noah’s Canteen, plus pizza place and several shops in the village area, and no matter what building you’re in, you’re only steps from all of it (plus the waterpark). Guests have several choices in lodging, from single rooms to multi-bedroom suites. We were very comfortable in a one-bedroom suite with rollaway bed for our family of five. We debating upgrading to a two-bedroom mostly to have two bathrooms. If you have older kids and teens, you may want to consider this. Each suite has a full kitchen, including dishwasher and full oven/range and full-sized fridge. We also loved having a washer and dryer for all those ski clothes!

morning-star

Silver Mountain and Morning Star Lodge is certainly a four-season resort. We’ve now visited in both summer (during our first visit nearly seven years ago) and winter, most recently. While we love the ski terrain in winter (there’s also a tubing park), in summer, families can expect hiking trails and mountain biking, including a full scale gravity-based mountain biking park.

silver-mountain-idaho

Date last visited: First time: June 2008, most recently: February 2015

Distance off the interstate: Less than a minute.

Food Services: There are two counter food service areas within the water park, as well as a pizza place and family dining restaurant located on the resort property. A grocery store is two minutes away by car; ask for directions at the front desk. On the mountain, two venues offer food services. We found the prices on-mountain to be very reasonable (about half what we’d pay in Tahoe).

Website: http://www.silvermt.com/

Directions: Take Exit 49 (Bunker Avenue) off I-90. Drive a mile. Follow the signs!

As we disclose whenever applicable, we experienced Silver Mountain and Morning Star Lodge as guests of the resort during our most recent visit. All opinions are our own.