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family,  Travel

Westin Trillium House Review #Travel

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Last week we were invited to take part in the Blue Mountain Family Blogger Retreat 2013. We stayed three days at the Westin Trillium House and tested out many of the great activities at Blue Mountain Resort, and some in Collingwood too.
I have so much to share with you that I am breaking it down into three instalments. This is my review of the Westin Trillium House. I will share some of the great activities tomorrow. 
For those of you who don’t know – Blue Mountain is Ontario’s largest mountain village resort. It’s a place I used to travel to with my Mom and brother when I was a child. We would often spend summers in nearby Collingwood or Wasaga Beach. I have nothing but happy memories there of times spent exploring the Scenic Caves and enjoying the many beaches nearby, shopping and hiking. I was keen to return and check out what has changed and what has not. I hoped to retrace some footsteps from past travels and I was not disappointed. We were extremely fortunate to attend and enjoyed every minute of the trip. Thankfully the weather co-operated. Our stay was lovely. 
We have been to Blue Mountain Resorts twice in the past three years. The first time we went in 2010 or 2011, we booked last minute at a peak travel time and barely any rooms were left on a long weekend in August. We wound up staying in Weider Lodge which was okay. We were really there for the fun atmosphere, the pools and the activity. We enjoyed our stay but the room we had in the Weider Lodge 2-3 years ago was very small for a family of four. We had a one bedroom suite with a pullout couch. The kids slept poorly and they fought on the small sofa bed pullout. We swam and enjoyed Plunge then too. A comparison of Weider Lodge and Westin Trillium House is night and day.
From the minute you pull up to the Westin Trillium House you are greeted with exceptional service right at your vehicle. The Westin Trillium House is located at 220 Gord Canning Drive which makes it a wee bit more private than the other lodgings on the property. We stayed in a two bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the mountains and I have to say I would never ever stay any other way on the Blue Mountain Resort property. It was decadent and spacious and comfortable. It was a true vacation from the every day. The service in the Westin was world class. I had no complaints. The beds were extremely large. There was a dining area and a large living room with fireplace. We didn’t use the balcony much, but it provided a lovely view. 
The pool attached to the Westin itself is a perfect temperature year round. There are two hot tubs here at the Westin and both were nice, but the one shown here was kept at a warmer temperature and it was clearly the prettiest spot on the property in my opinion.
There is a kid’s room that’s being renovated and endless summer camps and activities throughout Blue Mountain Resort (but more on that in my next post). This Westin Trillium House stay was world class service, lodging and amenities. There is a fitness room, a sauna, a small games room for kids and a world class Oliver and Bonacini Cafe Grill restaurant. The view from the door that leads onto the dock is calming and tranquil and for the kids, the frog pond and swamp is handy right at the end of the dock. That small novelty could have amused my kids for hours as they watched tadpoles and tried to catch frogs with a net we bought at Jack and Maddy: A Toy Store in the village. 
You can book the Westin through Starwood Hotels or through the Westin web site. It was a perfectly luxurious family stay and we loved every moment. It was hard to leave after three days. The bed at home is quite a bit smaller and the pillows are not nearly as soft, plus I have to fight my darling husband for them many nights. The Westin Heavenly Bed is missed already. The Westin Heavenly Tub and rain shower was loved by both my girls and was actually the nicest bathroom we have ever had access to at any resort we’ve stayed at anywhere.
The 2 bedroom suite could have easily held a larger family of six. The kids each had huge beds to themselves. There were three TVs in the suite. The only time my kids get TV after dinner is on girl’s night and when we travel, so that’s a huge novelty for us. The closets and bathrobes were ready and waiting and, unlike every place I have stayed in the past two years there were large chests of drawers in which you could actually place your clothing for the entire vacation. (Typically we are rifling through suitcases for a week)
As for amenities, well I was blown away when I returned home and realized that I also could have made use of this New Balance Gear Lending program. Sheer genius for active families or couples, or even business travellers. There is nothing I hate more than travelling and taking up valuable space in a small suitcase with running shoes and workout gear. This alone is enough to make me want to travel to Westin properties more often. Pay $5 and you can borrow New Balance Workout Gear for the duration of your stay. I am told they like for the workout gear to stay in the resort and not to be used out hiking etc. I don’t want to sacrifice health and exercise when I travel so this really knock my socks off. Brilliant. 
Go ahead and follow the Westin on Facebook 
and show them some love on twitter too.
The Westin Trillium House might actually be the nicest place we have slept. We love to travel as a family, but usually that means cutting some corners or costs and taking whatever space our budget affords last minute. The Westin is luxury family travel the way it should be done. This one gets my highest rating of $$$$$.
I was provided a free stay for three nights with family. My opinion is 100 % my own. 

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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