Pool at Four Seasons Whistler Private Residences; street view, Whistler. Photos by Remy Scalza
Word is officially out on Whistler. In 2009, for the 13th year in a row, the BC resort town was voted North America’s premier ski destination – and that was before the Olympic spotlight blazed down for two whole weeks during February.
But amazingly – despite all the publicity – Whistler has managed to keep one of its biggest charms a secret: summer. When the snow finally melts, Whistler turns into an alpine wonderland of aquamarine glacial lakes, churning rivers and brilliant green mountains. Ski bums ship out, crowds thin down and the village is left to grateful locals and in-the-know travelers.
Interior of a standard room at the Four Seasons Whistler
I checked out Whistler over a recent weekend, and aside from mountain bikers and girls in bikini tops headed for a dip in the village lake, I discovered yet another of the town's summer virtues: bargain hotel prices. Despite the postcard scenery and an abundance of outdoor activities, hotels slash their rates for the summer season. Even Whistler’s fabled five-star properties – the domain of celebs and tycoons during ski season – become accessible, and, in some cases, even affordable.
I started my weekend at the crème de la crème: Four Seasons Whistler, the only hotel in all of Canada to earn the AAA’s coveted Five Diamond rating. Their summer special? Pay two nights and the third is free, meaning a standard room at what may be the country’s best hotel works out to just over $200 a night.
The soaring hotel is set in Whistler’s upper village, backdropped by mountains and far enough away from the bustle of the main plazas. A mountain lodge theme – all dark timber and stone – dominates the lobby and extends to the nearly 300 rooms. Standard rooms (which, at 520 square feet, are larger than superior rooms in most hotels) feature a sitting area and work area, as well as all luxe amenities – flat-screen TV, gas-burning fireplace and slate-tile bathroom with an oversized tub and separate shower.
Interior of two-bedroom suite at Four Seasons Whistler Private
Interior of two-bedroom suite at Four Seasons Whistler Private Residences
A few notches up is the Four Seasons Private Residences – 37 lavish, home-sized suites housed in a twin building next door to the hotel. While not exactly bargain-priced (the smallest two-bedrooms start at more than $2,000 a night), the suites would definitely make for a memorable honeymoon/once-in-a-lifetime/money-is-no-object/Paris Hilton-esque splurge.
Nita Lake Lodge
As tranquil as the Four Seasons Whistler is, shops, boutiques and Whistler's nightlife is a stone's throw away. For more of a retreat experience, Nita Lake Lodge is Whistler’s only luxury waterfront property. Located a few kilometers outside of town on semi-secluded Nita Lake, the 77-room lodge feels like a proper mountain getaway, with the glacial-green waters of the lake before it and nothing but forest and mountains behind. Lake-view rooms are now starting at $229 a night, a relative bargain considering that the resort is also running a third-night-free promotion.
Interior of Nita Lake Lodge one-bedroom suite
The lodge is built in the style of a grand, European train station, with broad windows and awnings framed in dark wood and liberal use of field stone. The train station theme is, in fact, no accident: Nita Lake Lodge doubles as the Rocky Mountaineer’s depot in Whistler, and some 50,000 passengers a year pass through the resort’s gorgeous 3,000-square-foot station.
My one-bedroom suite on the second floor faced the lake, with a big sliding glass door opening to a private patio. Appointments in the room keep with the mountain theme: a floor-to-ceiling basalt rock fireplace, solid-built wood and leather furniture and rough slate floors in the bathroom (heated for those chilly mornings).
Under new owner Ram Tumuluri, the hotel has recovered from a bungled opening in 2008. The vibe is now decidedly more casual than stuffy, full of genuine mountain charm.
By: Remy Scalza
Read Remy's Spotlight on dining in Whistler on foodnetwork.ca
Have you been to Whistler in the summer? Any other off-season retreats you've experienced in the past?
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