We stayed here during the first week of January 2012, for 4 nights. We definitely wanted to stay slope-side, so this was really the only choice. Fortunately, we were quite pleased.

We stayed in a "one-bedroom", which essentially is just a large hotel room with the bedroom separated. Not a problem for us, but if you are expecting a full one-bedroom apartment, this isn't it. However, there was plenty of room for our family of 4 (2 adults; 2 kids).

All rooms in the Lodge have a small kitchen, which contains a fridge, dishwasher, sink, microwave/convection oven, an induction cooktop, and pots/dishes/glasses/cutlery. We really enjoyed having the kitchen, and ate every breakfast, every lunch, and most dinners in our room. Being slopeside allowed us to save a lot of money by eating in the room, and also allowed us to take a break during the day whenever we wanted, without having to deal with the day lodge chalet. Shopping tip - buy your groceries at the big Target in Virginia, MN.

Sleeping accommodations are via a king bed in the bedroom, and a double-sized murphy bed in the living room. There is also a cushy sofa, which we pulled aside to make room for the murphy bed, and one of our daughters slept on the sofa instead of sharing the murphy bed.

Our room was quiet, but it may have been because we asked to be located in a quiet area of the hotel. We were on the 3rd floor, near one end of the hall.

Our only small gripe was the HVAC. The only heating/AC unit is in the bedroom, and there is a fan in the wall between the bedroom and the living room which cycles on and off to move the air - but it does not do a particularly good job. This was especially problematic when the bedroom door was closed. If the room was cold, and we turned on the heat, the bedroom became unbearably hot while the living room / kitchen remained cool. Similarly, if it got too warm and we turned on the HVAC fan, the bedroom became quite cold, while the living room / kitchen stayed warm. Eventually, we borrowed a portable fan from the front desk, placed it in the bedroom doorway.

The hotel has an indoor pool, which is well-kept and the water is decently heated. Desk staff are pleasant and helpful, and the location of the hotel is truly ski to the door (not like some places that advertise slopeside, but involve a hike across roads, etc). All in all, this was exactly what we were looking for.