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Boreal Inn
3 reviews for Boreal Inn
the reason why this place gets away with a price higher than $60/night is that it's a quarter mile from the ski resort. yes, you can walk there in the morning in ten minutes. yes, it is convenient that you can snowboard half a day, come back to nap, and then head out for a few more runs in the afternoon. your money funds their continued strength of location.
the front desk staff is very helpful with providing weather updates, and suggesting how to prep your car for the next morning. they do plow the roads in the morning if it snows a lot, so i think they learned from the previous reviewers. they were also good about letting us know to park 8 ft away from the building, in case snow drops down overnight. remember to put chains on the night before, esp if it's going to snow overnight.
not really the greatest with names over the phone. i've gotten "joe" instead of "gerald" before, but "jogerald tam" is a stretch. as such, i never got my email confirmation.
they charge an extra $11 for a third person in a double room. not exorbitant, but, just so you know.
continental breakfast is limited to crappy coffee, cereal, bananas and apples, muffins, and costco mini-bagels. from the other reviews, i'm gathering that i should be glad to have anything at all. we brought our own ramen. next time i'm bringing my own hot water heater, and my own frozen burritos.
there was this sweaty funk in the room when we first walked in. i thought it was us, then i noticed we were all still wearing our gear. no, it's the room itself. there were doritos from the previous occupant hiding under the table. water pressure in the sink is stronger than the showerhead. the sink had a drip-bucket under it. not sure how often they launder the top-layer sheets. but, the rooms are fairly spacious, and stayed warm, which is probably the most important of the basic requirements.
there were LOTS of kids running around at night. at 1 am. no one stops them. it's not the hotel's problem, but it's irritating.
tv didn't have A/V ports for those prescient enough to bring their own dvd player. not everyone cares about this, but if you're snowed-in with only ramen and granola bars for dinner, you'd like more than basic cable to entertain yourself with. you can't foresee every eventuality, i guess.
truly on par with motel 8. however, nothing really beats their location. so i'm adding an extra star.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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- Cool (1)
Obviously not a 5 star resort, but for the location, it is worth the price. You practically wake up at the base of the mountain. The free breakfast that they serve in the morning is decent. You get cereal and juices, and mini muffins. The people that work there are nice and courteous.
So first I will start with the positives:
i) The staff is friendly and we were able to check in without delay.
ii) Making a reservation over the phone was very easy (possibly because others know about the negatives I am about to list).
iii) Heater/thermostat in the room works very well.
iv) Came with a fridge and a microwave.
v) Very cheap at $130/night over New Years.
and then the negatives:
i) Cleanliness of the room (lack thereof). We moved one of the beds closer to the wall so that our kids wouldn't roll out of the bed. We found what appeared to be ancient fruit loops and dried fruit (I hope). We also felt crumbs (maybe) on the carpet everywhere while walking around in our socks (too afraid to go barefoot). My wife found hair in the tub (wasn't ours, we didn't use it). There was dust, hair and a bit of dirt in the drawers so we kept our clothes on top of the airmoire and shelf and desk instead.
ii) Broken sink stopper which is a problem if you want to avoid losing contact lenses, etc.
iii) Continental breakfast is really not healthy. White bread bagels and fruit loops (ah, the fruit loop connection!)
iv) Room 103 (our room) is right next to the lobby and you get woken up ~5 or 6 am with staff opening and slamming doors in prep of the continental breakfast.
v) the whole building shakes when people walk. I don't know if this thing is on stiltsorsome other structure but when my 45 pound son ran across the room, it felt like a small earthquake going through the building.
vi) the place just has this feeling of funk, like an old garage or some other neglected place. It just doesn't have a clean and cozy feel.
So if I was back in college and saving every dime, yeah, this place might cut it. But if you want basic comforts and cleanliness, I'd suggest trying someplace a bit nicer.
