Whistler with kids in the Wintertime at the Sundial hotel with your own hot tub

Everyone I know has been talking about going to Whistler lately and it is such a fun place to go-especially with kids-there is just so much to do.  When we were MUCH younger the hubby and I used to wake up early, pack his two-seater gold Fiero to the brim, and drive off with his snowboard precariously ledged against my neck and it would be a day-trip.  And though a day-trip is doable from Vancouver, it’s a little longer if you’re coming from Seattle so nowadays we tend to stay a few nights in a Whistler hotel when we go and we have a lot of love for the Sundial hotel

Where else can you stay at Whistler with your OWN HOT TUB?

The reason why one of our favorite places to stay is now the Sundial Hotel in Whistler  is because the last time we were there we realized that there are some rooms with private hot tubs on their decks!  We already love this place because the rooms have bedrooms and kitchens and because it is really near the Whistler Gondola.  On ski days it is a lot easier when the kids don’t have far to walk.  Many of the restaurants below the Sundial Hotel have take out too available too, which is very helpful for families when you don’t want to sit through a restaurant meal but you don’t want to cook. The rooms at the Sundial Hotel with your own hot tub also mean you can go anytime you want, and you don’t have far to walk in the chilly air.

Other Whistler hotels like the Sundial Hotel that we love as a family with young kids

We also have stayed at the Pan Pacific Mountainside next door to the Sundial hotel and we loved our stay there too.  ( I always check to see if they have a WA resident rate which usually includes free parking.)

And a really lovely hotel that is a little farther away is the Nita Lake Lodge.  It is right next door to our favorite Whistler pizza restaurant Creekbread (which is very gluten-free friendly too if you are looking for gluten-free restaurants in Whistler!) but it’s a little far from the village.  I think this might be my favorite hotel for the summer though because they have such a picturesque lake and free boat and bike rentals that we’ve used to bike to the village and them come home to the peace and quiet of a beautiful room in a tranquil setting.

I can’t go to Whistler without picking up Lucia Gelato, especially the Mojito flavor that is locally made, either in the grocery stores or at the Hatley store in the Village.  We also like to go to Purebread, Blenz Coffee and Pasta Lupino. I grew up going to Milestones, so this is a nostalgic restaurant for us and they have great kids’ meals.  For something a little fancier, Stonesedge has really cool kid’s meal options and we like that they have a vegetarian poutine that is really good too.

We bring our snowshoes and sleds to the Callaghan Valley where we can play for hours in the snow.  Their cafe is also quite tasty too so we just snack there instead of going back to Whistler Village.  When the guys turn 8 I want to bring them back so they can try luging or ski jumping-it will terrify me but I know they will be thrilled.

And the hubby and kids really have been enjoying Fresh Tracks at Whistler. 

They wake up super early and are some of the first folks on the mountain and enjoy a really fantastic breakfast before they go. (If you have a kid 6 or under, the Fresh Tracks breakfast is FREE for them!)  I’m less eager to ski all the runs possible in a day, so I’m really happy if I get a few runs in before I curl up with hot chocolate and a great book.

On a clear night with snow in the village, there are few places that are more wintery and picture perfect.  I’m so glad Whistler is driveable from Seattle; we really enjoy our time there and the drive is amazing.  Bring ALL your cameras!

(PS. if you have an electric car like a Tesla, we have some stops along the way we love too!)

(PPS. if you need a stop on the way up, the Brittania Mining Museum is a great one and there is a cool coffee shop nearby.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)