Making the most of the vacation time we have, we awoke early in the morning to catch a early flight out of Toronto bound for Vancouver. We booked a flight operated by a 777 aircraft so we would have flatbeds to catch up on some sleep, which was lost from our early start to the day!

Upon arrival in Vancouver, we picked up our luggage and then our rental van for the week.  The weather was very overcast and raining at times, so we didn’t get to see a lot of the spectacular scenery that the Sea-to-Sky highway is known for.

After about 2 hours on the road, we made it to our hotel in Whistler.  We’re staying at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, which is located in the upper village.  Being in the upper village, it is a little quieter than being down in the main village, which is a short 10 minute walk away along a nice forest trail.  Our hotel is located at the base of Blackcomb mountain, and has ski in/ski out access right at the base of the Wizard Express chairlift.

The Chateau Whistler has an impressive lobby, normally bustling with activity as guests move about between the restaurants, bars, spa, pools and access to the ski hill.

We’re staying on the gold floor, so after leaving the van with the valet, we headed directly up to the 8th floor to check-in.

The rooms here are very cozy, complete with gas fireplace and whirlpool tub.  Storage space is plentiful, which is important when on a long ski trip.

After getting unpacked and settled in our room, we explored the hotel.  It was raining fairly heavily, so we’ll wait until tomorrow to see the village.

When it was time for dinner, we relaxed in the gold floor lounge during the evening.  The lounge here is nice, offering lots of seating areas, and is divided into different sections so it doesn’t feel to busy.

The combination of a early flight in the morning and a 3-hour time difference, has made this a long day, so we went to bed early to rest for our first day of skiing tomorrow!