Whistler Mini-Vacation

Does anyone else think the new bridge is kind of ugly?
Evie has learned how awesome squishy packs are, she loves feeding herself them.
Checked out the Olympic rings, and played in the playground.

We went on a mini-vacation to Whistler, as a bit of a last hurrah before I went back to work. This post is a little after the fact but I still wanted to share about our fun getaway, get ready for photo overload. We love going to Whistler, its our go to destination if we just need to get away for a weekend, especially if we can find a good deal.

This vacation was a bit of a Groupon redo. Back in January of this year we had a not so lovely first impression with the hotel room we were staying in. We had stayed at The Summit Lodge & Spa Whistler several times before, so something was off for sure. The manager was kind enough to let us re-book to come back. We were even blessed with a 2nd night stay comped. We left in time for Evie’s morning nap, and arrived in time for lunch. It worked out really well for us to travel this way, as it meant we didn’t have a fussy little one sitting in her car seat. We were able to get a parkade access card, as our room was not ready just yet, when we arrived because we got there early. So we just parked and got the stroller out and headed off to get lunch and buy some groceries for our meals while there.

Our hotel room, my husband had a special surprise waiting for me. He had flowers, some treats, and a banner put in there to celebrate my birthday.
Evie has become a big fan of mirrors.
Would you like an ugly sock monkey?

How beautiful are all of the lights around the village?

Upon entering our hotel room, I was surprised to see balloons and a banner hanging on the wall. Jason had surprised me with these and some treats to celebrate my birthday! Such a lovely surprise, I’m shocked he actually got that past me, as I had been organizing the trip and our hotel stay. We really like that The Summit does have some 1 bedroom suites. With the one bedroom, we were able to have Evie go to sleep in her packnplay, but we could still be up in the evening and not have to worry as she was in her own room til we went to bed too. We also really like that in the suites there is a kitchen, and a Keurig coffee maker! With knowing this, we were able to pick up groceries while in Whistler Village, and make our own meals. The one thing I would do next time, is bring up some fun flavoured coffees to use in the coffee maker. How funny is the little ugly sock monkey in the bed? You can adopt these little guys, and part of the cost is donated to the local animal shelter in Whistler.
We went for a walk that evening around the village, we wanted to see all the Christmas lights. It was really cold, but it was nice to get out. I was hoping for snow while we were there, which sadly we did not get but I honestly cannot complain because the next day we went up to the top of the mountain. This village was beautiful at night, I can only imagine how beautiful it is covered in snow.

Riding the gondola to the top of the mountain, and across on the Peak 2 Peak.

Getting to play in the snow!

Whistler Blackcomb very kindly provided us with lift tickets, and rentals, as well as sightseeing lift tickets for a day. My husband was over the moon to get to go skiing (I don’t ski and never will, I tried snow boarding once and was told I am hopeless), I was excited for Evie to get to see snow and go sightseeing with her. Jason hit the mountain with his brother first thing in the morning. We picked up the tickets, and waited while the guys got their rental equipment. The rental process seemed a little intimidating, but the staff are great and very organized. They were also really great with keeping Evie entertained, she loved all the attention she kept getting from the staff. Jason loved getting to try out some advanced ski gear, he is now wanting new skis. He and his brother had a blast on the mountain.  Jason is planning on renting again when he goes next month for his brother’s bachelor day trip.

Evie and I loved riding on the gondola to the top of the mountain and then across on the Peak 2 Peak. I have a huge fear of heights, but seeing her so happy made me relax. We loved seeing how excited she was the whole time, I had been worried she would be grumpy on the gondolas, but she was content to look around and out the windows. Silly mommy, why were you even worried? When we went it was really foggy half way up the mountain, it was breath taking to go through the clouds and see the sun peaking out above them. Its an image that is permanently in my mind now. I am thankful for our baby carrier, because it made walking around the village on this day really easy, and then going up on the little gondola I just kept her in it. She actually fell asleep when we came back down the mountain. I also had a spot to stash a bottle and snacks for her, and I could be hands free the whole time. If you head to Whistler with a youngster who isn’t 100% stable on their feet yet, a baby carrier is the way to go. It made it so easy for us to get around, especially with getting into, and wandering around the narrow walk ways of the stores. After being on the mountain for the day, we needed to get some food. A late lunch, early dinner… lunner? We had heard lots of good things about Dubh Linn Gate Pub, and had yet to go there despite having been to Whistler lots. We finally checked it out. We were able to find a table tucked in the corner, surrounded by noisy football fans enjoying a game that was on. Evie loved all of their reactions to what was going on during the game. The waitress we had was incredible, she grabbed a high chair for us, and checked if we needed anything else for Evie. We were served our food very promptly, and it did not disappoint! The fish and chips were very, very yummy, possibly the best I have ever had. Our only thing, is that the prices are a bit up there, Especially when there are such crazy good deals at El Furniture Warehouse (if you can get a seat in there its so busy), this is something that was a bit of a turn off for us. Sadly, its probably the first and last time we eat there. Part of  being at the Dubh Linn Gate is definitely the environment, which is great.The rest of the evening we just relaxed, Jason enjoyed the pool and hot tub. Evie and I waved at him from the balcony. She worked on her walking skills a lot during our mini-vacation. Poor daddy kept missing it. She also discovered that spoons and pots make amazing drums.

Our mini-vacation was exactly what we needed as a family before I returned to work. It helped us to put a lot of focus back onto our little family, and not be distracted by our phones. With having a little one, we were up early the morning of the day we were leaving. It gave us a lot of time to pack, and still relax. Jason loaded the car up, and we all did one last stroll around the village. We got some fudge to bring home, and took a new photo of Evie with the bear outside the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We had taken one of her with the bear during our last visit in Whistler 10 months ago, you can see that here. Then it was back to the car, but not before we got one last special coffee drink from in the lobby of The Summit. They have a great coffee machine for their guests. We left with a car packed full (we need a roof rack in the future), and many new great memories to look back on.

I already want to go back again. There is just something about Whistler that I love, I find it so relaxing there. It doesn’t matter if we are up there in the winter or the summer.