Four Seasons Resort Reviews

Four Seasons Whistler

Reviewed 7 Jan 2015

A fussy friend had recommended the Four Seasons as "really, the only place to stay in Whistler if you want any pampering at all," and my first views of Whistler's toniest new address were heartening. The 273-room hotel's two buildings, designed by Vancouver architect Michael Huggins, are divided by a wide, landscaped courtyard and connected by a walkway and a pedestrian bridge. With its rough-hewn local stone balanced by light-colored wood, and graduated rooflines that echo the mountain peaks, the hotel suggests a cross between an alpine lodge and a Japanese shrine. Inside the eucalyptus, limestone, and granite lobby, the rustic aesthetic is offset by lofty, eye-catching flower arrangements. My cozy suite, a compact bedroom and living room on the fourth floor, had all the right mountain touches, including a gas fireplace, wooden window blinds, a timber terrace—and a snowdrift-sized bed.

But I was here to ski, not to lounge. I'd booked the Four Seasons' Ski Lite package: not only did I not have to lug skis, poles, and boots along on the plane, I didn't even have to pack ski clothes. Downstairs in the hotel's rental shop, I was cross-examined on my experience and technique by an Australian and a Brit ("What exactly do you mean, Mr. Brown, by 'enthusiastic but unpracticed high intermediate'?"), then fitted with the latest Atomic skis and Salomon boots. I passed on the Prada outfit (chic, but too lightweight) in favor of a top-of-the-line Spyder suit that made me look—or so I thought when I caught sight of my reflection in the dressing-room mirror—like a cross between an Olympic contender and a superhero. (Returning it at the end of my stay was the hardest part of leaving.)

(From: "Whistler's Big Moment", Travel + Leisure, January 2006)