I won't be back too often, but I think that has more to do with how bad the Westin Whistler is, than Whistler itself.
Perhaps its Bearfoot Bistro that soured my opinion. I think it may be both.
Nice mountain, but it really reeks of trapped consumer ethic, and has very little that isn't formulaic. Essentially, the place is an outdoor B-Class mall with tons of Starbucks and a few overpriced, underwhelming hotels and some incredibly expensive, yet very below average restaurants. If you compare this to virtually any other 'Class A' ski destinations, then there is really no comparison at all.
First, its a 3 hr back and forth flight from LA, then another hour for customs and yet another 2 hr drive from there. Its a pain in the ass. In fact, if you are an LA or SF resident - Aspen, Jackson Hole and others all take much less time, are less expensive (overall), more exclusive and all have way better services, restaurants, hotels and retail options.
And no 'mall' feel about them.
Not to mention the clientele and staff. Whistler is apparently a small suburb of Sydney, Australia.
Other than ski pros, the place seems to exclusively hire low cost Australian kids for every possible position, just happy to be there, skiing, regardless of wage. Its statistically ridiculous. Everywhere you go, its an Aussie behind the counter with that chalkboard accent. In two visits and five days I met nor saw a single US or Canadian employee in the place. From the bars, hotels, ski hills and even rental and shopping - every person you meet and or speak to, is an Aussie and nobody that works here is Canadian or American.
So yes, while it is overpriced, has ridiculous hotel rules and 30 day cancellation policies in an act of clear collusion, is a 3 hr flight and only then gets hard to get to, has bad restaurants, the worst Westin resort I have ever seen, service to forget and is really just a massive tourist rip off - it's the persistent swarm of rude, loud, rough and overly familiar Australians everywhere, seemingly all with their equally loud, irritating children that just killed it for me. I would sooner spend my afternoon listening to a partially deaf Russian couple have an argument.
Next time, Aspen. read more