Large Ski Resort with Child Care Needed

Updated on November 23, 2009
S.L. asks from Chicago, IL
4 answers

Hi, I have relocated from the UK to Chicago with my husband and two kids 3 1/2 and 19 months and we are looking to go skiing at Christmas. Can anyone recommend a hotel with connecting rooms in a resort with perhaps a pool to entertain them and that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.I also am not sure how to get the children looked after whilst we ski. I was thinking about Colorado, we would prefer a short direct flight but it all seems very pricey ( with flight, ski passes, hire and child care etc $8000) Can anyone suggest a reasonable company or method to transfer from the airport I would rather not drive in case conditions are bad.

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So What Happened?

Hi Everyone, thanks for the info. I decided to go for Whistler with Expedia and they gave me a number for "Nanny on call" its for 3 hours a day upto two kids at $18 an hour which is pretty good, I did find daycare with the opportunity to play outdoors on Whistlers website and I chose that it was pricey at $79 each child for a full day but I thought they would enjoy that more and I could ski all day and explore more.
Anyone know a good annual travel insurer for the family that covers winter Sports!!!?!

More Answers

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M.M.

answers from Seattle on

Hi!

We ski Whistler all the time and many of the Hotels have lists of Childcare companies (licensed and bonded) available. The childcare is exceptional and they have daytime and nighttime prices and guidelines. Many ski resorts have direct flights with "free" shuttle from the airport to the hotels. More and more places are accomodating young children. Once you have found a resort I'd ask around either here or other places on other parents experiences.

Expedia.com was fantastic for us the few times we used them. You don't have to "book a trip" thru them to get fantastic information. Great blunt feedpack/reviews on from normal folks on Hotels, Resorts and Transportation. Good Luck have a fantastic time!

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K.N.

answers from Chicago on

last year i skied at big sky and moonlight basin in montana,which had fantastic childcare for kids of all ages. i was very pleased, but it was extremely pricey. i think it cost $80/day for childcare.
this year, we're going to utah and we plan to ski at some of the lower priced areas a bit north of the city. haven't looked into childcare costs, (we're bring grandparents to take care of that) but if you go to the resort websites, they should tell you if they have it and what it costs.
winter park is a good suggestion for taking kids, if you want to go to colorado. there were a few years in a row when colorado had iffy snow coverage at xmas, though, which is why i started going to utah.
if you're thinking about midwest, there's a new place which i think is called granite peak or granite mountain or something. in middle of wisconsin and it's bigger than the other wisconsin options and new. they might have childcare and would be cheaper than out west. skiing won't be as good, but better than devil's head.

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C.W.

answers from Chicago on

Chicago Tribune just ran an article and featured Devils Head in Wisconsin and Crystal Mountain in Michigan as being very family friendly with good kids ski schools/onsite child care. This will not be very intense skiing, naturally, but an easy enough trip to do with small children as you can drive to each. I've been to Devils Head (its fine...lots of teenage "snowboarders") and I've heard excellent things about Crystal Mountain. And if you stay in the Midwest you can avoid all the costs of flying!

I grew up skiing in Colorado...soo nice. Look into Winter Park. Its one of the closer ones to Denver, and also very family-oriented. But yes, you have that 1.5 hour mountain drive to contend with.

You can also try researching places in Utah. Snowbird, Alta (no snowboarders allowed!) - these are essentially in suburbs of Salt Lake City. We flew into SLC, stayed in an Extended Stay on the edge of town and there was a quick shuttle bus that takes you up to the resorts (so is likely an easy drive if you want to take a rental car up).

Love to ski, hate the expense!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I grew up skiing at WinterPark Colorado. It is full of condos (rentals) and some hotels. We use the service "home james" to get from Denver to Winter Park and there are many sitter services there -both on the slopes and in your hotel.

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