Whistler, BC

Whistler is a family tradition for us.  No matter what we have going on, we always know that come December we are going to Whistler and we will have a great time!  From exploring the village, scouring the little shops for fun little trinkets and goodies to hitting the slopes for some world class skiing and boarding, and winding down in a hot-tub afterwords, Whistler has it all, and we love it!

It’s also a great place to explore the great outdoors and find jaw dropping mountain ranges!

What to do:

1) Hit the slopes!

Whistler is a top notch ski resort with people flying in from all over the world to enjoy the powdery runs.  Take the gondola up to the top and have a half-hour cruise back down to the bottom.  You also have 2 mountains to choose from Whistler and Blackcomb which both have gondolas launching from the same place in the Whistler village.  1 lift ticket gets you access to both of the mountains, so take advantage of both and enjoy the diverse terrains!

2) Do the Central Village stroll

There are tons of shops to explore full of trinkets, clothes, chocolates, ice cream and all sorts of other goodies that you can sample.  The vendors are always nice and accommodating.  If you are lucky enough to see the village while it is snowing you are in for a treat!  It turns into a winter wonderland especially in the evenings when all the Christmas lights are twinkling, it feels like something out of a storybook.

3) Go ice skating

There is a nice little ice rink by the Olympic rings in the lower part of the main village.  It’s fun for all age groups here.

 

4) Sip some coco and watch the town walk by

One of our favorite things to do in the evening in the town is to grab a warm drink, cozy up by a fire and watch the town go by.   One of our favorite places to do this at is a little bakery called  Pure Bread where they have a huge selection of fresh baked goodies and great coffee too.

Where to Eat:

Every time we come up to Whistler we discover great places to eat and this trip up was no exception.  Here are some of our favorite little spots we like to eat at while we are here.

Wild Wood Bistro

This is a hidden gem tucked away in the Crystal Lodge hotel that we came to for an amazing dinner.  This restaurant is not a part of the hotel but they have taken up residency here.  We had an incredible dinner of muscles (a must have), crab bisque to start and an amazing lamb shank and salmon as our main courses.  If you are questioning our choice of seafood in the mountains let me put your worries to rest.  They receive their seafood FRESH DAILY as they are only about an hours drive from a fishing town.

Basalt

On the main village stroll this is a great place to come for lunch or dinner.  We came for dinner and loved it!  Liana had a steak here which was prepared perfectly and I had the venison pasta dish; we started it off with AMAZING beet hummus brussel sprouts.  They have delicious hot cocos and apple ciders here too.

Tandoori Grill Indian Cuisine

This is the restaurant that made us fall in love with Indian food a few years back and when we came to visit this year it was just as good as we remembered it!  Delicious garlic naan, tasty curries and meats made in the tandoori ovens, if you like Indian food this place will make you love it!

Beacon Pub & Eatery

This is a Whistler Village staple for great burgers and a fun atmosphere!  We visit the Beacon for a meal every time we come up to Whistler and it never disappoints.   This time around we ventured out a little here getting brussel sprouts to start and pork belly and a burger as our mains, all of which was delicious!

Where to Stay

Where you stay in Whistler is going to have a big impact on your experience while you are up there.  Our suggestion, stay in the main village and not too far from the gondolas.  Also be sure to stay at a place that has an outdoor jacuzzi if you can, it is loads of fun when it is snowing.

Crystal Lodge

We stayed at the Crystal lodge and would highly recommend it!  They have all the amenities you want here, from a game room full of table games and also video games to an outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi which they keep piping hot for you to enjoy.  They have lots of great restaurants connected to the hotel which makes an evening in super easy and the hotel itself is super cozy.   We would recommend a room with a balcony that  looks out over the village stroll.

 

We love visiting Whistler, and living in Seattle its only about a 4.5 hour drive for us.  We are planning on making another trip up this year!

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