Crystal Mountain Hotels

Location: Proximity to ski lifts, gondola, and dining options . Some reviews praised the convenience for hiking at Sunrise and skiing.

Our stay at the Alpine Inn was....cozy. Yes, it's so charming and cute and while I always appreciate the availability of rooms for 5 or more guests, we were CRAMMED into our family suite. The primary bedroom had a tiny sink with no counter space and a double bed with a loveseat and armoire, the kids bedroom had 2 bunk beds, and they are separated by a small bathroom that's more like a hallway. Besides lacking in space, the room was outdated as well. However, I can appreciate that in updating or making the rooms larger, they might lose some of the mountain charm they have going...but I think they could strike an intentional balance with necessary changes here. Thankfully, we were only there for one night. More frustrating than the room size, however, is that the entrance to the Alpine Inn is an uphill, gravel pathway. After a long travel day, trying to drag her rolling luggage to the room set my 10 year old into tears of frustration, then to discover no elevator in the building. What this property does offer, which is absolutely unique, is the mountain gondola. We rode up in late afternoon, and when we returned around 6pm, we were disappointed to find that most of the resort dining options were already closed. We dined at the Alpine Inn restaurant (I think the only place open) which was fine but they had already 86'ed several menu items. Breakfast the next morning - although included - was not ready and ill-staffed by just one individual at the advertised 7am opening.

We arrived at night, the resort was poorly light and difficult to find the office. We were left a map taped on the door to find our room. The room was hard to find, and difficult to wheel our luggage through a long rock/gravel path to get to our room. The room was small and without a TV to watch after a long day on the road. They did have good internet access though.