It’s not perfect. The décor is a bit old-fashioned, and the breakfast room needs some more windows. But by way of compensation you get one of the best ski-in, ski-out locations in North America – right next to the Orange Bubble Express and the bottom of the home run, Doc’s Run. Almost everything is on the doorstep (including two good restaurants), and if ever you need a change of scene a shuttle bus will whisk you from the front door up to Main Street, Park City for an evening out.
Just as welcome is the sense of space. When Welove2ski stayed here, our studio was ENORMOUS, and had its own fully-equipped kitchen. The suites looked roomy too – especially the sitting rooms. As anyone who’s ever squeezed into an old-school self-catering apartment in the Alps will know, space is the most important luxury in ski accommodation, and this place has plenty of it.
There are several more lodging options in the resort: these are the best.
The Sundial Lodge
Good location, refurbished rooms
The location doesn’t quite match the Grand Summit, but it’s not far off. Sundial Lodge sits just across the main plaza in the resort village – so it’s handy for buying your lift ticket, sorting out ski hire, and popping out for one of Murdock’s mighty breakfast bagels. It’s almost ski in, ski out, too – although the Red Pine gondola is closer than the Orange Bubble Express (the latter is the base area’s key lift).
Inside, the rooms aren’t quite as vast as the Summit Lodge, and the only the suites have full kitchens, but the décor was spruced up in a 2012 refurb, and most groups will be more than comfortable here.
Waldorf Astoria Park City
When luxury matters more than convenience
Baccarat chandeliers in the lobby and a Veuve Cliquot ice bar on the sundeck set the tone at this oh-so-upmarket property. The Waldorf Astoria even has its own ski lift – the Waldorf Gondola, to whisk you from its ever-so-slightly-out-of-it location up to the key Orange Bubble Express lift.
All of which is very lush and pampering. What’s more, the ritzy, art-deco décor in the bedrooms is refreshing change from the log-cabin aesthetic of many ski hotels. But on a brief visit for lunch here recently Welove2ski thought the service a bit hesitant and unpolished for such a high-falutin’ resort. This may have been fixed already: but even if it has, we’d rather stay in the Grand Summit Hotel. If skiing’s your priority, it can’t be beaten.
Hyatt Escala Lodge
Slick resort which is almost ski-in, ski-out
Opened in 2010, the Hyatt Escala Lodge is set to one side of the village centre: so it’s not as centrail as the Sundial or Grand Summit above. Welove2ski didn’t get the chance to look it over on our last visit: but it has to feature on anyone’s hit list, as it sits next to the Sunrise chair and the bottom of the Retreat trail so it’s ski-in, ski-out. The service gets rave reviews, too.
Check out the lodging pages on the Canyons website for more options – and always visit its deals pages to see what kind of discounts are on offer. British skiers should check what deals British tour operators are offering too.
Also, remember that as with all ski resorts, prices at Canyons vary enormously according to which date you target. Here, the Sundance Film Festival in late January is another period when prices jump to put alongside Christmas, New Year and Presidents’ Weekend.
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