DAY 2: APRÈS-SKI
When you’re on holiday, room service is an inalienable right along the lines of freedom of speech and sample sales. Sleep late and order breakfast in bed for two: Cradle your creamy latte from the comfort of your Egyptian cotton while watching early-riser skiers charge down the mountain. MORNING A luxurious soak at Scandinave Spa is a restorative essential following an intense ski day. Located inside the emerald splendour of a spruce and cedar forest, Scandinave is like a lovely, picturesque village, with hot and cold pools and a steam room scented with eucalyptus. Complete the circuit several times, and subvert the “no talking” rule by murmuring sweet nothings under the thermal waterfall.
Next, take a shuttle to Nita Lake Lodge for Whistler’s best couples spa experience. The Ila Couples Connect package is the alpha and omega of treatments: The two-hour extravaganza includes a body scrub with Himalayan salt crystals, a restorative Kundalini massage and the signature Ananda facial. Post-bliss, take your organic tea to the outdoor hot tub to contemplate your Zen state—and the happy fact of your now radiant, poreless skin. (Warning: Falling in love with your facialist is a risk that you must both accept.) AFTERNOON After an inevitable nap back at the Fairmont, wander arm in arm through the village and browse galleries, jewellery boutiques and the charming family-owned Armchair Books. Each December, the village hosts the Whistler Film Festival (WFF), a major celebration of movies that attracts international talent and screens films at local theatres. (This year, the WFF runs from December 3 to 7.) Catch an early-evening flick, and then stroll to your dining destination: Araxi, which is spoken of by those who have experienced it with a breathy wonder usually reserved for Beyoncé super-fans. Part of the reason for Araxi’s stellar rep is that it combines a pioneering farm-to-table philosophy with a stylish, clubby ambience—it’s the cool kid of Whistler dining. EVENING Start your night-on-the-town with chilled champagne at the Oyster Bar, where more than a dozen briny varieties arrive fresh daily. Seafood is the star of the dinner menu too, from the Asianinspired flavours of the Vancouver Island Octopus with Toasted Sesame Seeds to the Two-Tier Seafood Tower, an Insta-worthy selection of mussels, tuna and shrimp served on a spectacular ice platter. Finish with the Valrhona Chocolate Fondant topped with salted-caramel ice cream, or head back to the Fairmont’s Mallard Lounge for a late-night chocolate fondue for two—an appropriately sweet finish to a dreamy Whistler weekend. ■