January 17, 2012
Perfect location to Village stroll and gondolas on both Whistler and Blackcomb.
Great access to restaurants and shops. The junior loft was very convenient, very
clean, staff were awesome and the hot tub, pool, and sauna apres-ski were
wonderful. Highly recommend.
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
January 17, 2012
We rented a one bedroom plus loft suite the week before Christmas. This was our
fourth trip to Whistler and the Crystal Lodge will be our top choice for
location, comfort and value. The hotel is conveniently located in the village,
and was much more room for the money than the Westin or Marriot. I was
pleasantly surprised at how well kept, clean and comfortable it was. The master
bedroom was very large and there were four very large closets. The living room
area was on the small side, but our friends who had a loft suite (no separate
bedroom) had a much larger living/kitchen area. The beds were very comfortable,
the staff was very friendly and helpful with lost airline luggage and with free
back door ski valet service. The noise of party goers on the village stroll was
completely eliminated by turning the HVAC fan to "on." I slept soundly with no
issues. The parking garage costs about $20 per day and is very tight, so be
warned if you bring an oversized vehicle. We highly recommend the Crystal Lodge.
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
January 13, 2012
We had a wonderful week at the Crystal Lodge initially we were given two rooms
next door to each other however the staff were happy to accommodate our request
for interconnecting rooms which we much prefer, although we had to wait until
they were available two days later. We found the staff all very friendly and
helpful. The rooms are a bit smaller than we had been used too, having said that
they were clean, beds comfortable, bathrooms adequate and as we spent most of
our time sleeping or out and about this hotel was fine for us. There was plenty
of room for our large suitcases we put one on the table, used the suitcase
stands provided and also used the chairs so that worked well. The hotel has a
lodge feel about it, and is handy to the shops, restaurants, and of course the
gondola up to the mountain. We had nice views of the mountains from our bedroom
which was great we also looked down over the outdoor pool. The outdoor hot
tub/spa was hot and the pool was heated nicely too and was very popular with our
Kiwi family after a day on the ski field. We always met other guests down at the
spa and it was a nice place to all sit and chill and chat together while
enjoying the warmth and ambience outside whether it was raining, snowing or
fine. We appreciated the dressing gowns in our wardrobe and slippers provided by
reception these were great for getting yourself down to the spa and back to your
room. The laundry was a bonus for our family as I managed to get all my washing
caught up (the joys of being a Mum on holiday!). The cycles were quick for the
washing machines and the driers worked fine I used all of them! The downstairs
bar was a popular place for the younger apres ski set. They provide a valet
service for ski's and bikes (you aren't allowed that equipment in your rooms
obviously). From reception, to the bellboys, to the housemaids EVERYONE we spoke
to were really very nice and really made us feel welcome and that they were
there to make our stay special - that kind of service really makes the Crystal
Lodge a place to remember and I would definitely recommend it. I gathered from
other guests the newer wing has slightly larger rooms with sofa/couch and is a
little more spacious. We were quite happy with our rooms though, this is not
luxury hotel but more than adequate. Hotel guests were respectful and I felt
completely safe and happy for our teenagers to wander about on their own. I had
worried that the hotel was a bit of a 'party hotel for the younger set' but this
was not the case we met alot of families there and not only Canadians and
Americans and of course Australians (Whistler is full of Australians both
holidaying and working there!). From what I could tell there were alot of
frequent travellers that regularly stay there on their trips to Whistler so that
in itself tells you it is a good hotel with a good deal. Would definitely
recommend this to family and friends.
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
2 December 2011
Walk out the door and you are looking at the slopes. Lots of restaurants and
shops and can get to Starbucks without going outside:) the spacious rooms with
kitchenettes are main reason for booking this hotel time and time again. And the
rates are great compared to other 4-5 star hotels on the slope.
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
29 November 2011
Whistler is fabulous and the location of this hotel cannot be beat! The Loft
area was VERY HOT and there was no way of cooling it down without freezing the
people sleeping downstairs. The hallways were stifling hot and very
uncomfortable - especially when you have your ski gear on! The bed was not very
comfortable at all and I would expect more from a nicer hotel like this. The
service at the hotel was excellent from the front desk to the housekeeping.
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
19 November 2011
We arrived on Wednesday, two days before the mountain opening. We were greeted
very warmly upon arrival, and our three year old daughter was given her own mini
bathrobe and a little bag of surprises (colouring pencils, a little book and a
couple of little games), which is a nice extra touch.
We had booked a loft suite for four nights as it was much bigger than the one
bedroom suite in terms of surface area. We found it to be very modern (with an
ipod docking station, two large flat screen televisions, a well-equipped
kitchen, two bathrooms). The sofa bed was very nice as far as sofa beds go--
very clean and the mattress was pretty comfortable (we've seen many a sofa bed
and typically they're quite rubbish but this one was definitely better than
average).
The hotel is right in the middle of Whistler village, and a two minute walk to
the gondola, which makes it fantastic for dining, shopping and skiing. I would
warn, however, that you should not book a loft suite if you fall into the
following categories: A- if you are two couples or a couple with kids staying in
the room (because the bedroom is open onto the living room with the sofa bed,
even if it is above it, so you wouldn't have any privacy) or B- if you want a
quiet room. We found out early on that being in Whistler Village is a bad thing
if you're trying to sleep well! The loft suites all have large windows onto the
street, where loud music blares from the bars until 2am. So you've got noise
from outside on one side of the suite, and then the main bedroom door leads
directly to the hotel hallway on the other side and people arriving back to
their rooms at all hours... last night we finally had enough as we didn't get to
sleep until 3am and I had to come out the door at 2:30am and tell people to shut
up and please have their party INSIDE their room! So this morning I went to
reception and complained. I expected them to say that there wasn't much they
could do, but I was very pleasantly surprised. She said they could offer us a
one bed suite on the other side, so we wouldn't get the noise from the road. And
regarding the hallway, she said that if it happened again, to please call down
to reception and they would send security up to tell people to be quiet. We
agreed to change rooms even though we only had one night left, just to increase
our chances of a good night's sleep.
I would definitely recommend the one-bed suite instead of the loft suite. It's
smaller, but there are advantages- the kitchen table is bigger (better if you
plan to eat in with a family), there is a full oven, the room is completely
separate from the living room, and although there's only one bathroom, it's
bigger and the bath is bigger with a separate, large shower. And most
importantly for us: you can get this type of room on the back of the hotel where
it's so much quieter!
Overall, staff are welcoming, knowledgeable (recommended an excellent
restaurant), and attentive. We found the cleaning staff exceptional as well.
Hotel is clean and centrally located. Would have had 5 stars if it had an indoor
pool (good luck going out in the middle of winter to the outdoor pool!) and more
sound-proof windows!
Hotel Review of the Crystal Lodge Hotel Whistler
21 October 2011
This hotel had an excellent location without paying the exorbitant prices of its
neighbours (Westin, Hilton and Pan Pacific). Its proximity to the Whistler lifts
was the main reason we booked this hotel. It really was only a 2 minute walk to
the lifts and the pathway to Blackcomb and the shuttle buses was a 5 minute
walk.
We were pleasantly surprised that its ground floor housed the Old Spaghetti
Factory, Starbucks and a variety of souvenir and clothing stores. It really was
in the heart of Whistler village. The Starbucks back door was accessible from
the lobby and there was a Rics’ Steakhouse on the lobby too.
It was a simple, traditional room. There was a big unit that housed the TV,
mini-bar area and the mini-refrigerator. The closet was pretty roomy. Our view
of the lifts and the mountain was great. The room and the bathroom were clean
and well-maintained. Free wi-fi was available and parking is free at an
underground location accessible through an elevator. All the service staff we
encountered were friendly and helpful. |
