The review title is the official mantra of the ski area. Scanning the harsher reviews of all slopeside accomodation at Alta, it's worth repeating. Alta revels in the rough hewn goodness of retro! No snow boarders, not much grooming, hike to much of the best runs, raw natural old time skiing! They get away with this (to the delight of the hardcore) because of abundant world class powder.

The lodges too are slightly spruced up throw backs to the earlier days of 'resort' skiing... when they WEREN'T resorts; they were simple lodges for single minded ski enthusiasts. If you want boutiques and other 'faux' amenities go to Park City. Alta is for skiers.

The Goldminer: THE Best base location, a decent dining room serving large portions and striving to deliver better foods, decent breakfasts, very friendly staff, and rooms that are adequate but a bit dated. I stayed in a dorm quad. The floorplan doesn't promote use of public rooms like the Peruvian which also has a better hot tub situation and a pool (nicer in that way) but the Peruvuan requires a short shuttle to the lifts. In sum, GMD claims nothing fancy, great location, good attitude and staff.

The general complaints about Alta's lodging prices I find perplexing since they include dinner and are slopeside. Alta's lodges offer dorms. Comparing the ethos here to other resorts doesn't jib (but I still don't see a premium paid for it). Skiing's never been cheap; Alta is for skiers.

If you're a first time out of towner, keep in mind that the access road is avalanche prone and is closed regularly in the mornings for control work (airport departures need to be considered accordingly).

My friend and i found ourselves caught in a bad situation and found a room at Goldminer's Daughter at 4 am. The next morning we were greeted by the owner, Ross, telling us that we weasled a lower price from the receptionist and that we should never step foot in his hotel again. After that greeting...gladly. The place is overproced and run down

I spent a week at Alta in March which was fantastic, once again. Each year we stay at the Goldminer's Daughter Lodge, which has been improving every year that we stay. It really feels as though we are returning home each year which is why we love it. The staff are incredibly friendly, the food - (breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate which makes for a great deal), and the proximity to the lift. Also not having to drive at all for a week is a wonderful luxury.
This is a great place for a ski vacation - where skiing, eating, and enjoying the company of friends is important.
Pete

We visited Alta Ski Resort for Spring Break (3/6-3/10). We stayed at the Goldminer's Daughter at the base of the Collins lift. The hotel is extremely overpriced for the caliber of accommodation. We paid $350/nt. (incl. b&d) for a room which was equivalent to a Motel 6. Some have claimed this to be comfy, but it's no where on par with rooms that can be found at $100 less/nt. at resorts such as Beaver Creek, Vail, Jackson Hole. The hotel is about 25-30 yrs old and the room had water-stained ceilings (see attached photos). Nothing in the room has been renovated in many years. There is no apres-ski and there were only 2 residential-size hot tubs in the basement (no windows) for this 150 room hotel. This area has a dedicated clientele that "go for the snow" and may not mind such accommodation. This is definitely not a family-oriented resort. The demographic is primarily middle- to older-aged men. In fact on several evenings we dined at the restaurant we counted a male to female ratio of 5:1. Many regular customers show up to brkfast and dinner in their pajamas. We found this quite offensive. Another aspect of the restaurant service that was out of the ordinary was having to pay for each alcholic beverage at your table as soon as you order it. The majority of the waitstaff were college students not enthusiastic about their jobs. Although the terrain and snow are decent, much of the upward mountain capacity is facilitated by 2 & 3 man non-express chair-lifts. On good snow days the lines for these lifts were tremendous. The majority of the skiers are powder-junkies who are looking for steep, off-piste terrain. If this is not your baileywick, it's just not worth it. If you want a decent ski vacation for a good value and want to feel comfortable in the accommodation, definitely look elsewhere. If you must go to Utah, consider Park City/Deer Valley on the other side of the range.