We keep planning ski trips to Utah for a practical reason. As two full-time working parents with a tween and a teen, our free time is very limited, so when we carve out a long weekend to ski, we want it to feel restorative rather than exhausting.
Many Southern Californians drive to Mammoth, but after a full week of seeing patients, a 6+ hour evening drive, followed by a few hard ski days and long drive home, just isn’t sustainable for our family. What has worked well is a quick two-hour flight to Salt Lake City, often on points or low fares. Flying lets us rest on the way there and back, and from the SLC airport it’s under an hour to several ski resorts. This setup makes it possible to enjoy a long ski weekend and return home feeling more grounded and ready for the week ahead.
Reasons why we love Deer Valley Resort
Over the past decade, we’ve skied at 10 different Utah resorts (summary here). One place we keep returning to is Deer Valley (we have the Ikon Pass).
Deer Valley is both family-friendly and beginner-friendly, but what really sets it apart is the service. They have Mountain Hosts whose job is to make everything smoother! They help unload skis from your car, organize gear, answer questions, and even offer to take your family photo (like the one above!) I honestly haven’t experienced this level of service at any other ski resort! Of note: It’s a a ski-only mountain — no snowboarders here.
Deer Valley does lean more luxe. The restaurants and hotels run at a higher price point, but with that comes ease, efficiency, and an elevated overall experience.
Staying in the East Village: Grand Hyatt Deer Valley
For the last two winters, we’ve stayed at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley – the only hotel currently open in the new East Village, which is part of Deer Valley’s massive expansion. Last season marked the first winter this area opened. When we returned this MLK long weekend, we noticed significant progress: more open terrain, a new gondola, high-speed chairlifts, and plenty of construction underway.
Over the next decade, East Village will continue to develop. It is expected to include an ice skating rink, multiple hotels (including the Four Seasons, Canopy by Hilton, and Waldorf Astoria), restaurants, and retail shops. If you don’t mind some construction, this is where the value is right now. Last winter, we stayed here over President’s Day weekend, and we returned this year for MLK weekend for 29,000 Hyatt points per night. transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards (*we earn most of our points with our Chase Sapphire Reserve card). I’m relatively new to the points-and-miles world, but this is a great redemption when rooms can run over $1,000 per night during peak ski season.
Day 1: Arrival and Ski Setup
Ideally, we like to arrive on the first evening school lets out. But one of our boys had a science competition that ran into the evening, so we took the first flight out in the morning. We often travel with our boots and skis (owned / seasonal rentals), but this time we tried out Ski Butlers. It was so easy and convenient! They have an on-site presence at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley and met us with boots and skis selected based on our preferences. They fitted us quickly and we were ready to hit the slopes without any long waits or lines!
From the hotel, it was a short shuttle ride to the nearby gondola base. If you prefer, you can walk a few minutes to the East Village base. At the end of the day, you can store your skis in the Grand Hyatt / Ski Butlers locker room. Deer Valley Resort also offers complimentary overnight ski storage at the East Village base.
At the East Village base, there’s a new East Village Restaurant with great food. The pulled pork sandwich and shepherd’s pie were hits for us!
We hopped on the gondola and accessed the rest of Deer Valley’s terrain. We spent most of the afternoon doing laps around the mid-mountain area near Silver Lake Lodge, which is a great zone for beginner to expert runs. When ready to return to East Village, we took the easy green McHenry run all the way back.
Apres ski and tubing fun
After skiing, we headed back to the hotel and treated ourselves to the Grand Hyatt’s hot chocolate experience.
Yes — it’s a splurge ($35 for a cup of hot chocolate! ), but it is Fabulous! This was the most delicious hot chocolate we’ve ever had, and the presentation is beautiful. We celebrated our son’s upcoming 13th birthday, and saw someone else celebrating their birthday over this experience as well. You can order a trio of sweet or savory snacks to go along with it. Options included red velvet cookies and lobster rolls. Seating is limited, and reservations are a must.
That evening, we drove 20 minutes to Soldier Hollow in Midway for tubing from 6–8 p.m. It’s the longest tubing run in Utah, and the boys loved it — it’s thrilling, fast, and well organized.
When we returned to the hotel, our fun wasn’t over! The kids enjoyed room service while Jason and I slipped downstairs to Hidden Ace at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, the hotel’s speakeasy-style bar tucked underground.
Hidden Ace serves curated, whiskey-forward cocktails and elevated bar bites in a relaxed, intimate setting with live music.
Day 2: A full ski day and Midway for Ice Skating and Dinner
The next day was a full ski day. We swapped our shoes for ski boots in the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley ski locker, and Ski Butlers had already brought our skis outside on the rack. We jumped on the shuttle and headed over to the gondola.
For lunch, we stopped at the Silver Lake Lodge , a mid-mountain lodge and dining spot with great views and comforting ski food. We enjoyed Deer Valley’s turkey chili as well as a warm bowl of Pho.
After lunch, Brian and I (team apres) called it an early afternoon. Jason and Alex squeezed in a few more runs. When the lifts closed, we headed back to Midway for ice skating at the Midway Ice Rink, followed by dinner at Midway Mercantile, one of our favorite local restaurants.
Why we love Midway for Apres Ski
Midway is our favorite place to après ski when staying in Deer Valley’s East Village. While Park City is charming, it’s busier, crowded, requires dinner reservations, and patience with traffic. Midway, on the other hand, is a relaxed, quaint, and family-friendly destination. There’s a lovely bookstore, The Folklore, along with small shops, casual eateries, and a calm, mountain-town vibe.
Day 3: One last ski day and a sauna stop
Because our flight home wasn’t until the evening (8:45 p.m.), we squeezed in another full ski day. Afterwards, we headed back to the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, for a newly opened sauna, hot tub, and cold plunge experience — Soho Saunas. Soho Saunas is inspired by onsen (温泉), a Japanese hot spring, and a place to pause, reflect, and reconnect with nature. We enjoyed the sauna and dipping in the Japanese-inspired hot and cold tubs overlooking the mountains. PS : we’re wearing sauna hats to keep our hair from burning in the heat!
A few additional notes about the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley :
- Pool & Hot Tubs: Although we didn’t fit it in during this trip, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley has a lovely pool and spa area. The outdoor Sunspell pool and hot tubs include a heated pool, oversized hot tubs, shaded cabanas, and beautiful mountain views — a great option for relaxing after a ski day or before heading home.
- Game Room: The Nexus Lounge & Arcade is a fun on-site game room with PS5 and Xbox systems, air hockey, ping pong, classic arcade games, and cozy seating. It’s a great space for kids, teens, and adults alike, especially during downtime or in the evenings.
- Dining Options: a) Hidden Ace – a speakeasy-style bar (21+) with cocktails and small bites; b) Remington Hall – the main restaurant serving lunch and dinner; c) Double Blacks – a breakfast café and casual grab-and-go option (Not on site but nearby – We enjoyed grabbing lunch at the new East Village Deer Valley base cafeteria, which was convenient and had really tasty options!)
- Club Lounge Access: while the hotel offered a club lounge last winter (2025), as of January 2026, the lounge is only open to Hyatt Globalist members.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re considering a stay at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley or planning ahead for future hotels in Deer Valley’s East Village, I hope this itinerary and overview is helpful. East Village is an exciting new area of Deer Valley, with quick access to gondolas and lifts. Deer Valley is one of the easiest and most enjoyable Utah ski resorts for families, especially for a long weekend. Between the efficient logistics, thoughtful service, family-friendly skiing, and nearby après-ski options in Midway (or Park City), this setup allows us to ski hard, rest well, and return home refreshed.
Disclosure:
All opinions expressed in this blog post are our own. We partnered with Ski Butlers and received some amenities from the hotel in exchange for user-generated content. Select activities in Midway were hosted by Visit Heber Valley.