SLC - stay in Sandy or Downtown?

N

NeedhamSkier

New member
Planning our trip to SLC for March. This time my hotel points give us two options for hotels. One is in Sandy, which I know is relatively convenient for Cottonwood. The other is a better hotel for us, but is downtown (285 West Broadway), so a bit further away, I think. With a rental car, how much more inconvenient would it be to stay downtown in terms of the drive to BCC and LCC, where we'll most likely be skiing again?

Thanks in advance.
 
Frankly I'd opt for Sandy, although dining is better downtown. Figure 15-20 extra minutes without traffic, possibly more if there is any.
 
I agree with Admin on this one. The convenience of Sandy to the resorts you seem to want to ski is just too hard to pass up.

As for the dinner I think you'll easily be able to head into Downtown for dinners AFTER skiing and shouldnt have to worry about traffic.

Maybe we'll see ya here?

Matt
 
Sandy for convenience and cheap prices, but it's the last word in suburban anonymity (chain everything).

One year as a goof, we stayed in the Marriott downtown on a low-ball rate and it was actually fun not to dirtbag it. SLC does have interesting restaurants; you just have to find them.
 
jamesdeluxe":2l4zzgv1 said:
SLC does have interesting restaurants; you just have to find them.
Click to expand...

A surprisingly large number of them, actually, but because they're individual places and not chains, they're of course tough to find. Citysearch is your friend.

One such place, however, we discovered for the first time last night in Sandy: Tiburon, on 700 E at approximately 8200 S. Definitely not for the dirtbag budget, but exceptional. Entrees are in the mid $30s but include salad, bread, sides and a sorbet course before the entree. My rare elk tenderloin was first-rate, and was paired with garlic mashed potatoes and a medley of spaghetti squash/red peppers/sugar snap peas/broccoli.
 
Personally i'd stay downtown, mostly because I already live there and i'm biased but I can make it from my house to Brighton in 35 minutes on a good day! I keep hearing people tell me traffic in Sandy is getting worse and worse for morning commutes but I haven't experienced it first hand so don't take my word on that one.

Downtown is much nicer for eating out or if you just want to go for a beer after a busy day on the slopes, to me the choice is worth the extra 20-30 minutes of driving a day. I don't know of many bars in Sandy.

Downtown restaurants/bars worth visiting...

The Bayou - Great food , lots and lots of great beer
Squatters - great food, more good beer
Cafe Trang - Great Chinese/Japanese & Vietnamese
Trio - Excellent Food, great wine list
Market Street Grill - Best seafood you can find this far from the sea
The Other Place - Cheap and easy but the best greek breakfasts in the valley
(lots more)

Sandy restaurantsI know of...

Wendy's
McDonalds
Sizzler
Chilli's
etc.
 
Twisted, that's not quite fair. I prefer dining downtown, too, but there are good restaurants in the mid-valley and south valley as well - they're just a bit harder to find amongst the chain fare.

Of the downtown restaurants you mentioned, Cafe Trio (Cottonwood Heights), Market Street Grill (Cottonwood Heights and S Jordan) and Cafe Trang (Draper, Cottonwood Heights and W Jordan) all have other locations in the mid- and south valley. Other great recommendations in the mid-valley include Pine (nouveau cuisine in between Murray and Holladay) and Tsunami (sushi in Sandy).
 
Thanks for the replies, and the restaurant recommendations. I think I'm leaning towards Sandy at the moment - the extra 15 minutes definitely makes a difference.

I'm not good in traffic at the best of times and so the thought of being stuck in traffic downtown (particularly on a powder morning) seems like too much risk for the slightly better hotel. This is supposed to be a vacation, right?

So, to keep on budget, looks like our dining choices will go as follows
Chillis
Wendy's
Pizza
Tiburon...

Thanks as always for the info.
 
NeedhamSkier being east coaster like myself you will laugh at the concept of traffic out here. I'm from New York where it usually takes me an hour and half to drive from my house on Long Island to Mid Town Manhattan. Did I mention its only 26 miles away? The only time I've experienced any thing that remotely seemed like traffic was when they were checking for snow tires and 4x4 vehicles at the mouth of LLC on a powder day in Feb.
 
As a former New Englander myself, Mbaydala's right. My daily home-to-office commute is 16 miles clear across the Valley from east to west, and always takes 18 minutes with no more than a 30-second variance. And that includes traveling through a massive reconstruction underway on I-80!

Now, north/south on I-15 is a bit worse, but compared to the East Coast it's laughable.
 
Sandy is the better choice if skiing is your focus.

But I felt like I had to mention this.

I have this crazy friend...great guy, snowboarder, owns the bar we frequent here in Ithaca. He goes on a trip every year. Last year he was in SLC while we were there. He prefers to stay downtown and he doesn't rent a car. It takes him nearly 2 hours to get up either BCC or LCC, but he loves it (hence the "crazy" aspect).

He told me friday that he'll plan to go out there when I'm there again in Feb. I urged him to stay with us in Cottonwood Heights, where the bus is 3 blocks away and takes 15 minutes to Snowbird. He said he'd rather stay downtown. Go figure.
 
Crazy, indeed. Two hours each way... Guess it's a fun scene on the bus.

I should perhaps have mentioned that we will be there with our boys, 7 and 10. So our opportunities to really take advantage of being downtown are limited. Come 9pm, we're normally asleep before the kids are...
 
Admin":hh0fx5xk said:
Now, north/south on I-15 is a bit worse, but compared to the East Coast it's laughable.
Click to expand...

During my early December trip last season, I got a free hotel for two nights through a FF promotion, but could only use it at a Marriott Courtyard in Syracuse, UT.
:roll:

I saved a few shekels, but the rush-hour traffic on I-15 north of town was brutal. Unless I'm planning to ski Snowbasin or PM (basically not an option at that time of year), I'll never do that again.
 
Traveling north from SLC that's true, but that's not on most visiting skiers' route.
 
Ok, I am being a little mean towards Sandy and the rest of the salt lake valley - there are good restaurants scattered all over the place. I just haven't been to many of them yet.

My preference towards downtown is almost entirely based on beer availability so given that you are travelling with kids Sandy sounds like the best bet.

My usual preference on a ski day is to eat at one of the many nice places at the mouth of BCC and LCC anyway such as the Porcupine Bar & Grill.
 
Twisted":2u3w25dv said:
My usual preference on a ski day is to eat at one of the many nice places at the mouth of BCC and LCC anyway such as the Porcupine Bar & Grill.
Click to expand...

Another good choice.
 
I've personally stayed in both downtown SLC on several occasions in the Motel 6(I travel alone and only need a bed) along with Midvale and Ogden.

I felt couped in down in Midvale. I like a beer, a wander and food and found I could get all 3 in downtown and a lot more hassle to get 2/3 in Midvale and never seen a bar yet.....

For the saving of staying in Sandy/Midvale I'd personally spend more to stay downtown and have a slightly longer commute. That said, I am a single bloke who likes a beer so not maybe the best person to ask :lol:
 
I agree with SkiDog and Admin. Stay in Sandy with the kids. There are nice restaurants like Market Street Grill , Buca Di Beppo, and Joe's Crab Shack that you can take the kids to (besides the chains mentioned). BTW, Buca and Joe's are chains but don't feel like they are. Also, most of the Sandy hotels have nice pools and hot tubs that you and the kids can enjoy after skiing. Assuming you have access to a car, you can make a run to Tiburon (Get a sitter to stay in the hotel with the kids after they eat.) for a really great dinner with just the two of you. Although, the kids would like it just fine also.
 
The wife and I also will be in Utah in March, the 7th-14th, and we have stayed at Extended Stay America 7555 Union Park Ave Midvale, UT 84047 before and Brighton and Snowbird, but never downtown SLC. I rent a car as I like to hit snowbasin and powder mt on the weekends and BCC LCC or Park City area during the week. I am not sure where I will stay this year, I like the Midvale area, but I don't care for the Extended Stay America there. Any suggestions for hotels in the Midvale area? If it has a kitchenette that a plus.
I see Homewood Suites by Hilton has some good reviews. Thanks again!

Also, I hope you guys can break out of that warm/sunny pattern you are in, it looks rather depressing ;-)
 
I've seen very few of the units down there, but a friend stayed at the Homewood Suites off Ft Union 2 years ago and I thought the unit was quite nice. The Studio 6 units are spartan but cheap and include a kitchenette. The rooms at Crystal Inn are massive, and although they lack a full kitchenette they serve a massive full breakfast buffet in the morning that's free with the room (eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage, etc.).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top