Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Apr 5, 2010
Portobello cafe is great for grab-and-go breakfast and lunch. Try the
cupcakes, they are to-die-for. The mallard lounge is nice for drinks and
appies, and has great outdoor fireplaces which gaze up to Blackcomb
mountain. The Wildflower serves excellent breakfast, brunch and decent
dinners. The Wine Room (located within the Wildflower) offers excellent
service and good food in a beautiful room anchored by a grand fireplace.
The "Chalet's" fondue experience is well done (winter only) and
picturesque with the glow of the restaurant's outdoor wood-burning fire
pit.
Tips
- every Friday in off season (april - nov) the Mallard Lounge does "Fairmont
Friday" where they offer a $5 drink special (beer and cocktail option),
free appies from 5.30-6.30pm & live entertainment.
- the Wildflower is always offering prix-fix menus for good prices. look
for brunch specials in the summer and dinner specials from 5pm-6pm
year-round.
- look for VIDA spa specials in the fall
- book a spa treatment during off-hours, for example, Sunday night.
reason: the shower and steam facilities offered post-treatment are in
the hotel's health club, therefore, changing and showering with a host
of people and kids is not always a relaxing way to end your massage or
facial.
- their twitter-er is very good, follow them for twitter-only specials
- the hotel is dog-friendly
- free wireless if you are a presidents club member
Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Mar 29, 2010
We stayed at the Chateau for 3 nights. Valet Parking costs $33 per
night, self park is $28 per night....the valet will take your ski
equipment down to the storage area for you and the location to pick up
on ski days is convenient to lifts etc.
The hotel itself is just a short easy walk to the wizard chairlift and
kids camp areas. It's only about 10 minutes walking to the main village
and away from the daily chaos down there.
The Check in process was quick, friendly and professional. She provided
us with helpful information about the facilities in the hotel and
pointed us in the right direction. After checking in, we toured a bit
around the main floor to locate the health club, spa and ski storage
areas....by the time we got to our room 15 minutes later, our bags were
there and ready to be unpacked.
We had room 776 which had a king size bed and a view of the forest
behind. The room was clean, well laid out and had a nice decor. While at
the hotel we took advantage of the hot tubs...there's 4 of them to enjoy
and there were never many people in them. There's also a regular pool
and lap pool to swim in. The exercise facility looked well maintained
and clean with modern equipment.
We went to the Mallard lounge on the first evening we were there and I
have to say this was the only disappointment with the hotel. The service
was painfully slow...we sat at least 15 minutes before someone came to
take our order. For $9.50 a drink, I expected better. We tried out the
lounge again on the 3rd day of our stay...I just went in for a cup of
tea and an appy. Again it took 20 minutes before someone came to tell us
she'd seen us and would be back to take our order...10 minutes later she
took our order. Although the drinks arrived quickly, the appy was after
1/2 an hour I think forgotten as she came over to see how we were
enjoying it and we hadn't received it yet. When it did arrive the pita's
were soggy and the dip lukewarm. We watched people sit and wait
unattended for long periods of time then leave without being served.
We enjoyed breakfast one morning at the Wildflower and the service was
excellent. They custom ordered a breakfast for me (I didn't feel like
buffet but it looked yummy), the food was tasty and well presented.
I would definitely recommend staying at this hotel if you are looking
for a luxurious and peaceful Whistler escape with every amenity you
could need right at your doorstep.
Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Mar 24, 2010
We went to Whistler Backcomb directly after the Olympic Games. It is a beautiful
village and we could not have been more pleased with the quality of the hotel.
The Club level has a wonderful breakfast and hors d' oeuvres bar with a very
reasonable honor bar and free soft drinks. The hotel location is the best for
skiing; literally steps from the chair lift. The ski rental s are excellent and
the lobby has excellent shops.
The skiing in Whistler/Blackcomb is really great, even for a couple of experts
from Colorado!
Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Mar 16, 2010
Carole and I stayed there on our 25th in 1995 ( the window above doesn't go back
that far). Great room with high-end fixtures and furnishings, great restaurants,
great views, fabulous surroundings. Great concierge services for visitors not
familiar with the area. Best restaurant in town that we found (at that time) was
the Val d'Isere. You could not find mediocre seafood anywhere in Whistler. It
was off-season, but the cable lifts up into Blackcomb and other mountains are
among the best in North America. Also the day drives we took on up the valley
to various waterfalls and other villages were superb - glaciers and peaks down
to the blue waters of the Pacific - not sure what it's called there, but it's
the Puget Sound further South. There's just so much to see in a 60 mile area.
Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Mar 10, 2010
Stayed with a group of friends during a slow time before the Olympics and was
very impressed. The room was nice, clean and in great shape. Quiet at night.
Since we were a bit off-season, we got a good rate and I thought we had good
value. We booked through Intrawest, the Whistler-Blackcomb travel booking
service, and got a great rate on hotel, air, bus transport & ski, but it looks
like the hotel has good packages, too.
Loved that the ski rentals are in the Fairmont hotel and Blackcomb mountain is
right out the side door. I read some reviews that the hotel was outdated, but
it's fairly consistent with the traditional style I've seen in the Fairmont's in
Banff and S.F., with some nice local touches in the lobby, etc.
Hotel Review of the Fairmont Hotel Chateau Whistler
Mar 10, 2010
What stood out for me were the little things that made skiing easy. I was a
first-time skier, got all geared-up downstairs (a very efficient organization
with friendly & helpful staff) and realized once I had skis in hand, that I
needed to get to the *other* mountain for lessons. The gentleman at the bell
desk went above and beyond, and shuttled me over to Whistler Mtn on the other
side of the village, in time for my class. (He even gave me some quick
instructions in carrying my skis!) Also, the cafe on the 1st floor was perfect
for breakfast & take along snacks, and prices were what you'd expect at a nice
coffee shop. (The hotel's more upscale Wildflower restaurant was much more
pricey for a breakfast of menu items, but the buffet looked wonderful.)
I thought the pools and outside area were nicer than the hotel website pics
suggested. The pool concierge loans out flip flops & slippers - very handy! For
quicker service, order drinks at the bar next to the pool. Also, the stairs made
pool access from our room easy.
We didn't order room service, but they were very nice about bringing up utensils
& glasses when we brought home extras (we found some great restaurants), and
even brought a microwave to my friend's room.
And maybe it's hotel policy, or maybe it's just Canada - but *everyone* smiles.
In all, a wonderful experience - I'm looking forward to going back!
|
