Winter resort: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Whistler, what and where it is

Whistler is a popular winter in British Columbia, Canada. It is located about 125 km north of Vancouver in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains. It seems the resort was named after the hoary marmots which live in the area. Hoary marmots are squirrels and is one of the largest squirrel. Its nickname "the whistler" originated from its habit of issuing high-pitched warning to alert other hoary marmots of danger.

Whistler as a ski resort

According to Wikipedia, Whistler has been voted among the top destinations in North America by major ski magazines for the past 15 years and its pedestrian village has won numerous design awards. Whistler will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. If you plan to go for the 2010 Winter Olympics, my opinion is that you book your Whistler accommodation as booking is expected to be heavy and if you wait till the last minute, you will probably not be able to find the accommodation you want.

Whistler attractions

However, you don't need to wait for the 2010 Winter Olympics to enjoy Whistler winter resort and you don't even need to wait for winter. In summer, you can go hiking in mountain paths (guided), fishing in various attractive fishing locations, go boating, mountain biking, whitewater river rafting, practice your golfing skills, perhaps even try horseback riding.

However, the major attractions of Whistler is during winter when you can go for skiing or snowboarding, tubing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling (as an environmentalist, I hope you wouldn't go for that), fishing, horse-drawn sleigh riding and cross-country skiing if you have the stamina and the patience.

Whistler accommodations

Among various kinds of Whistler lodging are condos, slope side luxury homes, town homes and ski chalets. Many of them are ski-in, ski-out accommodations located right at the edge of the snow covered slopes from which you can just step right out of the door and be a few steps from your skiing pleasures. An example is the Benchlands Marquise which also offers common hot tub and pool. However, description of this accommodation says it has "ski-in/ski-out access just across the street, so it is not exactly ski slope right at the door steps. However, search hard enough or make some enquiries, I am sure you will find something.

Advantages of online accommodation booking

Disadvantages of not booking accommodation ahead of arrival when traveling

I had traveled extensively around Europe in the 70's when there was no such thing as Internet. I had to hunt for accommodation only on arrival, which is not something pleasant. I had to waste time and energy going from hotel to hotel to find something to suit what I want and/or within my budget. Those time could have been spent doing sight seeing or other activities which were the reasons for me to travel there. Particularly, if you travel during the peak seasons, you may not be able to find the accommodation you need at all, in which case your other choice will be in the railway station or the airport. And if you happened to be traveling during autumn or winter when it is cold, it is going to be a very unpleasant experience.

Advantages of not booking accommodation ahead of arrival when traveling

Thanks largely to Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, the World Wide Web arrived on the scene, and not only that, through his insistence and efforts, it remained largely free for the public to use. With that came along sites that help travelers book accommodation easily ahead of arrival, and not only that, do it conveniently from the comfort of their home and also possibly instantly. No waiting. You can also do comparison shopping easily before making your decision without having to, put it crudely, lift your butt off the comfort of your seat.

One of those online accommodation sites is Whistler accommodation, a vacation rental company based in Whistler, British Colombia, Canada, offering a wide variety of properties for rent all year round. They specializes in ski resorts, many of them ski-in, ski-out with wood-burning fireplaces and private hot tubs. According to their site, they can organise a fully-catered holiday which may include particular request such as the services of a masseuse in your chalet every evening or a cosy condo with a log fire a stone’s throw from the village. And all this with a simple email. What can be more convenient than that and how I wished Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee was born earlier. My travel around Europe in the 70s would have been much more pleasant then.

Depending on your preferences, you may go for Whistler condo rental which would be more suitable for those traveling as a big family or in a large group, and you want such facilities as a kitchen or kitchenette so you can cook your own meals and not have to spend more money eating out in expensive restaurants.

Holiday Whistler Accommodations seem to have a lot of choices for you to pick from such as this gem - Cedar Ridge 17 located in Benchlands, Alberta. You can see a photo of its interior below:



According to its descriptions, Cedar Ridge 17 is a ski-in, ski-out townhome on the lower slopes of Blackcomb Mountain within a 30-second or less walk to the slopes. It says it has a spacious hallway, powder room, storage area, sunken living room, spacious dining plus entertainment area with cedar-lined vaulted ceiling with wood-burning fireplace, a and spacious dining area. fully-equipped kitchen, a large deck with sunken private hot tub overlooking the valley plus 3 bedrooms; one with a queen-size bed plus twin beds and one with 2 bunk beds plus separate twin beds, all downstairs.

Upstairs is a very spacious master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and a private deck looking up the hill.

They claim to have 2 parking places for cars, one a private garage and another one on the private driveway. However, there will be no more parking visitors' cars.