I haven’t done a “guest post” in a really, really long time; but I have always told my friend, Laura, that I would love for her to share some of her travels with us here on the blog! So, a year ago, she so kindly obliged and wrote this post for me from her spring break trip to Deer Valley and I am JUST NOW writing the introduction and getting the post published! I am the worst, but that’s okay because I just took a poll on instagram and I know several of you are gearing up for a spring break trip to Deer Valley this year!! So I hope this helps and you enjoy her amazing recommendations. Hopefully she will forgive me for my tardiness and write another one for us again soon 🙂
Before we get into her post on Deer Valley, I want to do a quick introduction. Laura and I grew up as neighbors in high school together and then reconnected in our home town when we both moved back around 10 years ago. Now, we live just 2 minutes away from each other, and are lucky to raise our families in the same town we grew up in! Her family has a passion for travel like ours and I always love seeing where their next destination is. I hope you enjoy following along as much as I did.
And how precious is her family?
I wanted to take the opportunity to recap a truly unforgettable trip from earlier this year. We went to Park City and Deer Valley, Utah, and it was such a fun experience! Here is a breakdown of travel tips, skiing and activity planning, restaurant and shopping recommendations, and more. I hope that it is helpful for some of you as we think about travel for the coming year!
Take a look at this gorgeous view!
The travel itself was not too taxing for us! We flew into Salt Lake City, and then it was a quick 45-minute transfer to the resort in Deer Valley.
I haven’t been to this area since I was a kid, so it was really fun to revisit the area through new eyes! Looking back, the highlights from my childhood trip were our stay at the Stein Eriken Lodge … and being young enough to not worry about paying the bill! Ha! Unfortunately, my only other “highlight” of that trip was spending Christmas Day in the emergency room with strep throat. Needless to say, my first go-round was spent mostly in the room at The Stein Eriksen, and luckily it was a beautiful room to reside for the week!
I will say that the Stein Eriksen Lodge is still a must-see (or stay) resort today, with a great ski in/ski out location and a ski in/ ski out Apres Ski bar, Troll Hallen. Another beautiful ski in/ski out luxury resort in this area is the Montage Deer Valley, which is a little more tucked away. I have been told that this is a desirable destination for celebrity visitors, for that reason.
Montage Deer Valley is also home to the Veuve Clicquot Apres Ski Yurt, which is an absolute must! You do not need to be staying at the Montage to visit the Veuve yurt, so map it out and stop in for Veuve (rhymes with love) sips and a charcuterie board…or caviar, if you’re fancy!
The other notable luxury resort in Deer Valley was our home base for this trip – St Regis Deer Valley, and it is absolutely stunning. We ultimately chose this location because it is a Marriott property and we had enough points to book this resort for the week. We booked early – this resort can get pricey at over $1,000 per night (or 100,000 points per night) if you wait to book.
A couple of photos of the beautiful lobby, and one of the many relaxing lounge areas with a view!
The staff here is so attentive, and the excellent service began before we even arrived on property. They helped us arrange our transfer to and from the airport, and helped us plan dinners and any other activities we wanted to reserve while we were there, such as dog sledding or snowmobiling. We were very well taken care of!
After we booked the resort, the next thing we had to take care of was booking our lift tickets. A few pointers on this, especially for those who are visiting the area for the first time:
- Lift tickets can sell out fast in Deer Valley, because they limit the amount of skiers on their mountain.
- Important to note – they do not allow snowboarders on this mountain. We actually preferred this during this trip, because this was our son’s first time skiing.
- If you need to book ski school or ski lessons, do this early!
- Once you have lift tickets and ski school booked, you can wait until you arrive at the resort to get your ski rentals (skis, poles, helmets, boots, etc.). They have a rental store on the same level as the ski concierge. So, once you get all your gear rented, the valet will hold on to it all for you and set it out each morning for you.
- If your group isn’t skilled enough to ski out of the hotel the first day, they have a shuttle that will take you to the base of the mountain. They also have a ticket desk where you can pick up your lift tickets and ski school passes in the same area as the ski valet, so it was a one stop shop.
The resort also had so much to do for the kids and the adults! Each night, the St Regis holds a sabrage ceremony at sunset – it’s a tradition at all of their properties. They sabor a bottle of champagne and all the guests are given a glass for a toast! They also have nightly smores and hot chocolate for the kids, along with a daily schedule of kids activities. One favorite activity was night glow laser tag in the ballroom. I love when a resort really tries to make the kids happy, and the St Regis did just that!
Now onto the food and drinks! It’s worth noting that Utah has more regulations than most states when it comes to alcohol. If you are flying in on a Sunday, do not plan to be able to go to a liquor store when you arrive. You will be able to buy drinks at a restaurant on Sunday, but not in a store. You also can not order doubles or a second glass of wine before you have finished the last sip of your first glass. So, bottoms up!
The St Regis had a few great food spots! Rime is their nice steak house and they also have a yummy daily breakfast here.
The Brasserie 7452 is also a GREAT lunch spot, with a nice menu and an amazing view of the mountain (ask to sit outside). Even if you aren’t staying at the St Regis, you can ski in to dine, or take the Funicular up from the base of the mountain to eat here in your ski clothes before heading back out. We sat next to celebrities two days in a row here! We saw Hugh Jackman eating with ski legend Lindsey Vonn (mind blown), and Luke Hemsworth the next day eating with his family! We gave the celebrities their space, but did get this quick pic of Hugh!
And finally, we reserved a private yurt for lunch at the Yurt Village, St Regis. You can reserve it for up to 8 people for lunch, Apres Ski, or dinner. You have your own personal wait staff, hand selected menu, and even a speaker for you to choose your own music. There is a per person price that you can view on their website. We thought it was worth every penny!
Here is a list of some other restaurants that we either tried, or were recommended to us. Hope to check a few more off our list on the next trip!
Chimayo – Our favorite!
The Eating Establishment – All day breakfast and a St Regis staff favorite
Fireside Dining – They melt cheese by the fire and everyone gets a plate to dip into! Cheese pictured below!
Cafe Terigo Eat outside if the weather is nice!
Main Street Pizza and Noodle A bit of a dive and a long wait, but the kids wanted pizza!
Red Banjo Pizza I would like to try this pizza next time!
Here are some cute shopping options in the town of Park City:
Gorsuch Everything in here costs a small fortune, but the store itself is a must see! Here is a sneak peek…
If you miss the ski season, and are looking for some fun things to do here in the off season, there are plenty! You are likely to pay a lot less, have great weather, and still have so much to do! Among those attractions are hiking, biking, fishing, golf, Park Silly Sunday Market, Utah Olympic Park, Flying Eagle Zipline, and Park City Mountain Coaster.
Have you ever been to one of these resorts? Will you be skiing this winter? Tell me where you love to go!
