Goldminer's Daughter Lodge, Alta

Everyone was very nice and helped out with anything you needed The service and food was great. The location could not have been better. Each year we cant wait to get back.

GMD is an amazing place. Friendly staff, proximity to slopes, nice accommodations, good food and very responsive to the customers needs. I have been going to GMD for about six years and probably will for the rest of my life. The people who posted negative comments should stay at the Rustler and pay twice as much for much less!

I was amazed to read the two early reviews in this thread ripping the GMD... and particularly the first one which noted the terrain and snow were only "decent" and the hotel and food awful... I do agree that GMD is expensive, but you are paying for proximity to arguably the best snow on earth and for good, albeit basic accomodations which includes good to excellent food... I am from San Francisco and can do the food snob thing as well as the next person, and I found each meal at GMD to be well planned, prepared and served... its not haute cuisine, but its perfect fare for morning fueling and evening recovery... and the waiters all have hat-head and the sort of smile that only three feet of freshies can produce... everything about the GMD experience supports the Alta experience as a wonderful antidote to the overblown lifestyling of so many resorts... yes it does harken back to dorm life and it does help to be a middle aged white male to fully enjoy the place, but I also saw families and even single women in the hotel... although all were hard core ski nuts... if you dont qualify, then you wont get it... from the early check in baggage lockers so you can get some skiing in on your arrival day to the late check out and shower so you can get even more skiing in before the shuttle arrives, everything about the GMD is about the camaraderie that serious skiing provides... I have been once a year for the past couple of years and it will be a regular visit... I cant think of a more perfect place for serious skiers who like a comfortable but not overblown experience... its my favorite place in the world

Are we talking about the same place? My experience at Goldminer's was special. The staff quickly learned my name and took care of my every need. The accommodations were basic but comfortable, and the massage I got was world class and better than some I've gotten at finer ski resorts ( Snake River Lodge in Jackson Hole comes to mind). It seems one of the reviewers couldn't find their way to the comfortable cheery bar for apres ski. It also happened to be Olympic week when I was there, so after dinner many of us returned to the bar to hang out and watch the games. It was great fun! The food was not extraordinary but tasted awfully good after a day skiing powder. Which brings me to the biggest selling point of Goldminer's. I stored my skis in a locker provided in the basement and walked out each day to the lift. Lines were short once you got off the base (this was President's Weekend, presumably one of the busiest weekends of the year), and I was able to ski fresh powder for hours each day. I'm going back next year for sure. By the way, there were lots of families in the hotel when I was there, and they organized free activities for the kids.

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. 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.

The dining room food preparation and service has slipped to an unacceptable level at Goldminer's. Food is unappetising - best advice is only to order the specials. Service int eh dining room is disorganised, shoddy, uncaring, sloppy and slow. We would not recommend Goldminer's unless you want to eat all your breakfasts and dinners elsewhere - why would you do this, though, when breakfast and dinner is included in the room price?

If Alta is skiers heaven then the Goldminers Daughter is located right at the pearly gates. You can not wake up any closer to powder anywhere ever. For those who think skiing is best enjoyed with fellow skiers (sorry no snow boarders on the mountain) the Goldminer's, like, all the Alta lodges offer a an intimate, somewhat old fasioned chance to enjoy the comraderie of the sport. The rooms are small and spare (rustic is management's term) which will lead you to the common areas all of which are welcoming and well suited to relaxation , chat, and a beer or two. The food is very good, selection sufficient for a weeks stay and the staff, fellow skiers also, are accomodating. You will sacrifice the privacy, or should I say isolation of a Condo, but you won't be washing any dishes and you may find ski friends for life.

Great to be so close to the lifts, food is great, people are friendly. Not your usual hotel experience as breakfast and dinner included, employees get to know your name and take great care of you. I even go to shown some secret stashes by some employees.