Stowe VT or Park City UTAH

[Maggie8202]

We are looking into a ski vacation for the December Christmas Break. We live in NY and were originally thinking of going to Stowe VT which is like a 7 hour drive. There aren't a lot of hotels available and most in Stowe require a 5 night stay. I looked into Park City and I think the prices seem more reasonable. We are also going with another couple, so we were hoping for a 2 bedroom condo, but are fine with regular rooms. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay at either location? Any opinions on which would be a better Ski vacation? I have been to Stowe, but never Utah so any advice would be great!
TIA
Maggie :)

[Freckles]

I adore VT, especially Stowe.
TopNotch Resort & Spa http://www.topnotch-resort.com/
Stoweflake Resort & Spa www.stoweflake.com
Green Mountain Inn{this spot has my absolute favorite restaurant}
http://www.greenmountaininn.com/
Trapp Family Lodge http://www.trappfamilylodge.com/
Condos: http://www.stowe.com/lodging/condo.php

Hope that helps!

[Maggie8202]

Thanks for the websites. I tried all, and the only one with rooms available is the Green Mountain Inn. I guess I should have thought about this earlier!! I have stayed at TopNotch and The Trapp Family Lodge as a kid and loved them both, too bad they are not available. :(

[Freckles]

Thanks for the websites. I tried all, and the only one with rooms available is the Green Mountain Inn. I guess I should have thought about this earlier!! I have stayed at TopNotch and The Trapp Family Lodge as a kid and loved them both, too bad they are not available. :(

Boo! Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. I'm sure you've looked through www.gostowe.com

Fall/Winter does tend to book up in advance. It's so pretty there.

Have fun no matter where you end up.

[ejs]

Park City is amazing for skiing! My DH has skied around the world and swears that Utah snow is the best. He's skied at both and I just asked him your question and he said definitely Park City.

[Maggie8202]

ejs Any recommendations on places to stay in Utah?

[knoelani]

My vote's for Park City. We go a couple of times a year and even spent our honeymoon there. It's a great town, the skiing is excellent, dining options are great. It can be pricey though.

If you go, be sure to check out the Olympic Park.

Here's a link for PC info...

http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer

[amew]

I've skiied both. Stowe is very charming, but there is no comparison, IMO, with respect to the quality of the skiing itself. If you want great snow, a ton of runs, and a wide variety of terrain, head to Utah. I don't really have any recommendations on where to stay -- I can't remember where we stayed in Stowe, and my inlaws rented a big house in Park City for the whole family to stay in.

[colbasa]

I would say PC b/c it will probably be a little milder, temperature wise. The skiing in UT is also amazing! My ILs also live in SLC so DH and I visit PC usually 1-2 times each winter.


What kind of accommodations are you looking for? I have stayed at the Treasure Mountain Inn (http://www.treasuremountaininn.com) in Park City 3 times before. My #1 reason why I love it is because it's located on Main St. in Old Town, so you right out your front door you can walk to cute shops, restaurants & bars. No car required (esp great if you like to go to bars). There is even a ski lift which is based in Old Town onto the mountain at Park City Mtn Resort. If you want to ski at Deer Valley or the Canyons there are easy shuttles which take you there. The TMI is not fancy at all, maybe like motel-style, but they have nice/modern kitchenettes so you can buy breakfast/snack food which is a great way to save $ on vacation. I think the website gives a good/accurate idea of what the rooms are like.

For fancy/upsacale, one of my favorite restaurants in PC is 350 Main (http://www.350main.com) . I went here for a bachelorette dinner party and we were sitting right near Luke & Owen Wilson!! The bar upstairs from 350 Main is called the Spur & it has more casual fare but a fun/cozy atmosphere. Kind of an older crowd for drinking at night.

In March when I was in PC I had the chance to try both lunch and dinner at Easy Street Brasserie (http://www.easystreetbrasserie.com) . There is a dining room upstairs and then a lively downstairs bar area w/live piano (you can eat in this area w/o reservations). Good food, fun spot!

Another place I like is Zoom. It's on Main St. & owned by Robert Redford. Casual but nice.

If you like sushi, locals go to Flying Sumo. It's pretty tasty and a fun atmosphere.

I have also heard good things about Grappa (upscale Italian), but I've never been there personally.

OK...I will shut up now :)!

[knoelani]

Grappa is excellent, pricey, but excellent and well worth the price. We've gone there a few times for Christmas dinner.

Another couple of good ones are...
The Lokota (I don't know if it's still around, but great food)
Loco Lizard @ the junction for Mexican
Blind Dog
350 Main (I'll second colbasa's opinion)
Glitretind @ the Stein Erikson Lodge on Deer Valley Mountain
Mustang (new place that I just tried in July and it was pretty good, loud, but good)

Our favorite bar is gone now, so I don't know about the night life.

ETA: here's another good link:
http://www.parkcityinfo.com

[Maggie8202]

Wow! These replies are so helpful. I am in the process of pricing out both vacations and then we are going to sit down and choose. I am so excited. Thanks for all of the recommendations for dining in PC. I have been to Stowe a number of times and know lots of good ones there, but we are clueless about PC. I will keep everyone updated with what we decide, keep all the recommendations coming!!
Thanks,
MAggie :)