The first thing you need to consider is how many people are in your party. If you have 25 people who want to stay together in the same place you need to look at a large chalet. If you have 25 people who do not need to stay together or you are a family or small group, a condo or townhouse may suffice.
Having said that, what is a Chalet? A Chalet is a stand alone home that could be a duplex and have a suite upstairs and/or downstairs. The Alpine Village has more than 50 Chalets and Foster’s Place has more than 20 Chalets.
A Townhouse has at least one wall shared with a neighbour but has no one living above or below you. Townhouses can have two to five floors, and an entry directly into the home from the outside. There are a number of Townhouses in the Alpine Village and Parkview Place is drive-to access from Henry Road.
A Condo is in a building of two or more floors with anywhere from 4+ suites. Blueberry Hill, Creekside House, Mountainside Lodge and Paradise Ridge are drive to via Henry Road, have under building parking and an elevator thereby making them wheelchair accessible. Ptarmigan Ridge has parking in front and no elevator and Deer Lodge has underground parking and an elevator. There are approximately 6 Condo buildings in the Alpine Village.
So, now that we’d defined the types of dwelling available we need to address location.
There are two distinct locations available on Mount Washington. One is the Alpine Village and the other is drive-to via Henry Road, Foster’s Place and Alpine Road.
The Alpine Village is a quiet, park-like setting with lots of space and lovely trees between the homes. The Alpine Village requires either foot access or a quick ride on the Snow Cat in the winter, and has full road access in the summer. This is THE place for the maximum “alpine get away experience” and a safe place to play in the snow for children of ALL ages!
Price is another factor you may want to consider. Since there is everything from budget shared accommodation to luxurious handcrafted log chalets, pricing is a matter of personal preference. Please refer to the Accommodation Guide in the centre of your Marmot or the web site www.mtwashingtonaccommodation.com.
Other factors you may want to consider are amenities. Paradise Ridge is the only building that has a pool. Paradise Ridge, Mountainside Lodge and Deer Lodge each have a common hot tub. Several other properties also have their own hot tubs and a number of homes have a sauna.
Some rentals provide cleaning services and some do not, so it is important to decide whether or not you want to clean and do laundry before you leave, or whether you’d rather leave that job to someone else.
Remember that all homes on Mount Washington are owned by people, just like yourselves; families who share a common love of mountain life.
When looking for the holiday retreat of your dreams be sure to check the accommodation guide provided in The Marmot Newspaper and the accompanying web site; www.mtwashingtonaccommodation.com This gives you a vast selection of private listings to choose from, along with information on how to contact rental companies on the mountain.