Help me finalise my SLC booking for April...

I've stayed at the La Quinta Midvale many times.  It's nice.

If you are stuck on Park City, then you might be better off staying in downtown SLC, that way you will be more in the middle of it and save a few bucks, with about a 45 minute drive to either the Cottonwood resorts or PC, if the weather is good. 

Crystal Inn I haven't stayed at, but that would be even a little closer to PC and also closer to the Cottonwood resorts, by about 10 minutes for each. 

park city in mid april can be quite warm and perhaps not even skiiable? others may want to chim in

I'd keep the car. You won't save any money returning, then shuttling, unless you can find a freebie.

That will also allow you to change your plans based on snow conditions. 

  Orbitz has cheaper rates than the Euro sites. 

   My 2 cents; Airport shuttles are at least $39 each way. Compare that with keeping the car. The nice thing with the car is that you can choose resorts by conditions. Park City resorts can be slushy at the bases in April and snowfall up high can be heavy. It can also rain. But it can be great too. Generally, if we get a big snowstorm in April, the Cottonwoods are 1000' higher so conditions can be mid-winter. The cheap digs in Park City are Chateau Apres- it's old, but walking distance to the lifts.

     Deep Powder house is a great shop. Just for fun, call Snowbird and see what deals they have at the Cliff Lodge- they're running a $99 weekday special now that includes a lift ticket = nearly a free room. Also, the Peruvian and Rustler lodges at Alta have dorms that are convivial and cheap- I've been stuck up there when the road avalanched in a storm and nobody could get down. The upside is, of course, that nobody could get up the next day so we had the mountain to ourselves.

   See what packages you can get that include lift tickets as well, and stay flexible.

If I could toss a monkey wrench into your plans... I waited until last-minute to book a room and got a fantastic condo on Craigslist for $100/night.  It is a little more than La Quinta but it had a full kitchen, jacuzzi, etc.  I was able to save a bundle by cooking my own breakfast/dinner, and the room was so much nicer than any hotel.

If you're interested, check out craigslist for the vacation rentals.  You may strike a great bargain.

Staying flexible is good- but everything's pretty close- if you stayed in a Park City condo from VRBO or Craigs list, you're still only 45 minutes from the Cottonwoods and 15 min of that is the Canyon road itself, that you'd have to drive regardless. PC is a pretty place too. Here's the Snowbird link. I don't think were talking kitchenettes here though, but the free lift ticket is attractive and you can split lodgings if you have a car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottydonald 

thanks for the reply... 

 

ok so you think la quinta is good for the first 5 days... 

 

but rather stay in crystal inn for PC... i m doing PC as i really want to learn park and it seems to have the best one... doing all the mountain skiing first 5 days then mainly park the last 3...

 

i want to dump the car and not worry about driving for the end... From Scotland so used to skiing in the Alpes and used to being in village for the week... 

Brighton has a pretty nice terrain park.  BCC generally has holds more snow than PC if there is warm weather.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottydonald 

whets it like for beginner parks people??? i tried in zermatt a couple weeks back and the rails/boxes were a bit big for me!!!

 

Brighton has more than one park.  A couple are set up for all abilities levels according to the website.  Note that there is a separate website just for park.  Brighton has lights so a lot of local head there in the evenings just for park.  My impression is that Brighton is where a lot of the local kids learn.  They just get on the bus after school.

http://www.brightonterrainparks.com

Alta recently announced their April deals and special events.  Something new are Spring Season Passes starting April 2.   $199 for adults and $99 for kids with no residency restrictions.  Demo Day is April 7.  Things will be hopping when you are doing your boot fitting.  Works out well for me since I'll be skiing Alta April 4-9.  Note that the last day for the the Supreme lift will be April 8.

Did that trip same time last year.  The Cottonwoods were great but PC area was really disappointing because of the warm temperatures.  We alsways stay at the Crystal Inn in Murray.  Pretty cheap, I think $79 a night is what i paid last year.  I t was clean and they offer a pretty good breakfast buffet and light dinner every night (included in price).  The other great thing is you can be at Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and Brigthon within 30 minutes (weather permitting).  Enjoy.

No sweat, we like staying in Murray b/c you're 15 minutes (tops) from downtown about 45 to 50 minutes from Snowbasin and PC (depending on how you drive) and $79 per night for 2 queen beds, pool, hot tub, breakfast and dinner at the Crystal Inn is a bargain any day.  Best of Luck!

We planned on 2 to 3 days in PC last year but ended up staying for less than a whole day because of the conditions.  Went back to hit Brighton, Alta, and Snowbasin remaining days and couldn't have been happier.  Short of checking out the night life in PC I'd just as soon stay in the Cottonwoods to ski.  Good Luck,

Quote:

Originally Posted by kl1030 

No sweat, we like staying in Murray b/c you're 15 minutes (tops) from downtown about 45 to 50 minutes from Snowbasin and PC (depending on how you drive) and $79 per night for 2 queen beds, pool, hot tub, breakfast and dinner at the Crystal Inn is a bargain any day.  Best of Luck!

The Crystal Inn looks a bit nicer than the La Quinta Midvale. Having a free airport shuttle is interesting if not going to get a rental car at all.  La Quinta is a few dollars less.  Are there many places to eat within a few blocks?  Adding to my list of lodging options for future trips to SLC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marznc 

The Crystal Inn looks a bit nicer than the La Quinta Midvale. Having a free airport shuttle is interesting if not going to get a rental car at all.  La Quinta is a few dollars less.  Are there many places to eat within a few blocks?  Adding to my list of lodging options for future trips to SLC.

I just got back from the Crystal Inn Midvale... In the quasi-budget hotel market it can't be beat.  In addition to the airport shuttle, the local shuttle service they offer was really helpful.  They'd actually shuttle you to the area restaurants.

There are quite a few places to eat that are "just beyond" walking distance, so if you wanted to have a few drinks with dinner, you could leave the car at the hotel.  We tried the Bohemian Brewery which was pretty good, but there were few authentic European menu choices which was a little disappointing.  

As big BBQ fans, Famous Dave's hit the mark pretty well for us too (for the 2nd year in a row).  Though its a chain, and maybe average in terms of quality, its definitely a passable representation of Southern BBQ that you can only find in the US.  I think our friend from Scotland would be more than impressed! (If you're thinking BBQ... no matter what the locals say... stay away from Pat's... it's terrible... worst BBQ ever!!!) 

I stayed at the Crystal Inn in Murray which is closer to the Cottomwoods but it cost the same as the one in Midvale.  Within walking distance there was a Rockin Robin Burger joint, a great little pasta place in a strip mall, but about another 5 minutes up the road (their shuttle will transport free) is a Cheese Cake Factory, a great Brazialian Steakhouse called Braza, and a mall that has all the typical mall resturants surrounding it.  Initially had had booked reservations @ the Mid Valley hotel but changed because it was easier to get to the resorts and avoid downtown traffic bright and early.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeSchmoe 


The midvale location is the murray location. The other location is dowwntown.
That's a good rate on the la quinta... Could be tough to beat. My thought though iss that the crystal inn was nice enough that it might be worth a call to see if they'd close the $100 gap. The fulll hot breakfast, light dinner, and area shuttle has to be worth something.

For Scotty, the La Quinta Midvale should be fine since he'll have a car any way so the shuttle is not particularly needed.  Includes a hot breakfast with make-your-own waffles.  Planning from Scotland is a bit more complicated than from somewhere in the U.S.  The only reason I could see to consider the Crystal Inn is to get a microwave/frig.  Can also get that at La Quinta but I think it's $10/day so then pretty much the same price as Crystal.

Other places for discounted lift tickets beyond the 4 covered by the SuperPass.  The Lift House has a store right at the base of BCC, just at the split where the LCC canyon road starts.  Canyon Sports only has the one store downtown since they closed the others. 

http://www.lifthousesports.com/lift-tickets.html

www.canyonsports.com—discountlifttickets

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottydonald 

10 days La Quinta

10 days mid size car

ski randomly except for when i have folk to ski with!!!

 

Why a mid-size car?