Idaho skiing

[gnipgnop]

Has anyone recently, or ever been to, the Elkhorn Resort in Ketchum, ID #0531?? The latest reviews are from 2011. I'm looking for a ski resort in Idaho for my daughter and husband, very experienced skiers. They want to ski in Sun Valley but the Resorts through RCI are very limited. If you have been there would you please give me an update of the resort and If possible the amount of TPU's needed to place an ongoing search on RCI for this resort. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Passepartout]

I live about 75 miles from Sun Valley (Ketchum). Elkhorn condos were built probably in the '70's. while older and a couple of miles out of town, they are well thought of. The skiing at Sun Valley is considered World Class, without being 'extreme'. Sun Valley is the world's first 'destination resort', built by Averell Harriman's Union Pacific Railroad in the 1930's. I don't track TPU's, but if it seems reasonable (it should) go for it. We like to stay in Sun Valley for a long weekend or two on the shoulder seasons when it isn't too nutty. Lots of celebrity types have seasonal homes there and average house values are a couple of million bucks. Sorry I can't be more help than that.

Jim

 

[gnipgnop]

Oh ..... You have been very helpful. I appreciate your response and thank you.

 

[Firepath]

That area was hit hard by Clovis-19. I think their county had the most deaths in the state but also the most recoveries.

 

[HikerBiker]

I live about 75 miles from Sun Valley (Ketchum). Elkhorn condos were built probably in the '70's. while older and a couple of miles out of town, they are well thought of. The skiing at Sun Valley is considered World Class, without being 'extreme'. Sun Valley is the world's first 'destination resort', built by Averell Harriman's Union Pacific Railroad in the 1930's. I don't track TPU's, but if it seems reasonable (it should) go for it. We like to stay in Sun Valley for a long weekend or two on the shoulder seasons when it isn't too nutty. Lots of celebrity types have seasonal homes there and average house values are a couple of million bucks. Sorry I can't be more help than that.

Jim

Has anyone recently, or ever been to, the Elkhorn Resort in Ketchum, ID #0531?? The latest reviews are from 2011. I'm looking for a ski resort in Idaho for my daughter and husband, very experienced skiers. They want to ski in Sun Valley but the Resorts through RCI are very limited. If you have been there would you please give me an update of the resort and If possible the amount of TPU's needed to place an ongoing search on RCI for this resort. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

Has anyone recently, or ever been to, the Elkhorn Resort in Ketchum, ID #0531?? The latest reviews are from 2011. I'm looking for a ski resort in Idaho for my daughter and husband, very experienced skiers. They want to ski in Sun Valley but the Resorts through RCI are very limited. If you have been there would you please give me an update of the resort and If possible the amount of TPU's needed to place an ongoing search on RCI for this resort. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

Ketchum is one of our favorite places to vacation though we always visit sometime between June to September for the beautiful hiking and biking trails. We stayed at Elkhorn Resort last Sept 2019, and I wrote a review but titled it Vacation Internationale Elkhorn Village. You might want to check it out. We loved it. June 2020 we are scheduled for an II Exchange to Habitat on Trail Creek (our 3rd time staying there). We have also stayed at Bigwood Condominium. We have been very happy wherever we have stayed though prefer the Habitat location as we can walk downtown. However, we take whatever is available for our timeframe. One disappointment with the Elkhorn unit was you had to go to another building for a washer/dryer and there wasn’t a way to get coins to use for the machines. I would be glad to try to answer any other questions you might have. This was an RCI exchange and I believe it was 18 TPUs. Oh’ as I said in the review I wrote, the unit we were in had been recently renovate. I don’t know if/or how many of the other units had been updated.
Loraine

 

[sue1947]

Ketchum is one of our favorite places to vacation though we always visit sometime between June to September for the beautiful hiking and biking trails. We stayed at Elkhorn Resort last Sept 2019, and I wrote a review but titled it Vacation Internationale Elkhorn Village. You might want to check it out. We loved it. June 2020 we are scheduled for an II Exchange to Habitat on Trail Creek (our 3rd time staying there). We have also stayed at Bigwood Condominium. We have been very happy wherever we have stayed though prefer the Habitat location as we can walk downtown. However, we take whatever is available for our timeframe. One disappointment with the Elkhorn unit was you had to go to another building for a washer/dryer and there wasn’t a way to get coins to use for the machines. I would be glad to try to answer any other questions you might have. This was an RCI exchange and I believe it was 18 TPUs. Oh’ as I said in the review I wrote, the unit we were in had been recently renovate. I don’t know if/or how many of the other units had been updated.
Loraine

I've looked at all three for stays there as well so am interested in your assessment between the 3; what are the pros and cons of each? My impression is that all (with maybe the exception of the VI units) are outdated and have lots of stairs. We don't go for the resort, but rather the location so I'm ok with old stuff as long as it's comfortable. I have some exchanges that need to be used so this might be an area to look at for next spring-fall. In June, I remember the mosquitoes being horrendous but how is May? Fall is our ideal but early spring with lots of snow on the mountains would be beautiful if the bugs aren't alive and biting.

Sue

 

[JohnPaul]

We are owners with VI and have stayed at the Elkhorn resort a few years ago and are booked for an upcoming stay.

The VI units are in two groups. One is the actual Elkhorn resort. These units are smaller (studio and small one bedroom). We were in one of the studio units for just one night. It was very nicely done but small.

The rest of our stay was in the Indian Springs portion. These are a little unusual in that they are units spread around in a regular apartment complex. As such, most of your neighbors are full time residents. We were in a two bedroom unit at Indian Springs. The units were remodeled shortly after our stay and look very nice. The rather small and cramped kitchen was rearranged and made much more functional.

These units are next to the small ski hill in town but a drive to the main Sun Valley ski area.

Be aware that VI only has a total of 12 units in Sun Valley.

 

[HikerBiker]

We did stay in the Indian Springs section.

 

[HikerBiker]

How do we choose in which timeshare to stay...whichever one has the availability for the timeframe we want and we are quite flexible except we are not interested in winter months.
I think you can get a good idea from the picture I have posted and the review I wrote for Elkhorn. We were on a ground floor but did have to go up several stairs from the parking lot to get to our unit. We are in our mid 70’s and are easily able to negotiate stairs. This might be a concern for others, especially to get your luggage to the unit. It was very quiet and after we checked in, we did not have interaction with the front desk( remember check-in is in downtown Ketchum). There Is a large pool and hot tub but it was a 10 minute walk or short car ride. Grocery stores are a 10-15 minute car ride or a 20-30 minute ride to Hailey where there are much larger grocery stores. We did enjoy sitting on the large deck with table and chairs and watching the golfers. Our stay at Elkhorn was around Sept. 12-19. There was quite a bit of rain during that week and we were caught in the rain twice while out hiking. We also turned around once as it was very dark and rain did come. We still managed to do 4 hikes! It was too early to see much color that week but did enjoy what we saw. Usually, we wore a light jacket or rain coats. I would say June is our favorite month to go as the hiking trails are covered with wild flowers. We live in Maine so our fall colors are spectacular! Will post information about Habitat on Trail Creek and Bigwood Condominiums in a different post probably tomorrow.

 

[HikerBiker]

Pros and Cons for Habitat on Trail Creek in Ketchum, ID.
Our first trip to Ketchum was July 13-20, 2013. We were on the 3rd floor (so yes, lots of stairs) in a 3 bedroom. It was very hot during this week, but there was a window air conditioner in the master bedroom. Mornings were cool until around noon. The unit was very spacious (especially as there was only the two of us) with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and two bathrooms. We live in a rural area in ME so loved that we could walk downtown to many shops, great restaurants, and entertainment. Check-in was at the resort and office personnel were very friendly and helpful. There was a hot tub on site (did not use) but not a pool. Passes to a new YMCA were provided and you would want a car to get there (maybe a couple of miles from resort). We did not check it out or use the facility.
We loved the area so much we decided to return for the same July week in 2014. We were in a 2bedroom 2 bath on a second floor that trip. Yes, stairs. The area had a heat wave that week with temperatures in the mid to high 90’s. This unit did not have air conditioning. Heat bothers my husband and the manager let us have an extra fan in addition to the ones furnished with the unit. Again, passes were provided for the WMCA, and again, we did not check it out, but it looked like a beautiful facility. The washer and dryer for this unit was down some stairs. This unit was also very spacious. everything worked well and was comfortable though dated. I don’t know if they have updated the units since we were there, but we love the area and timeshare enough that we have booked for June 2021. You are in a neighborhood and it is very quiet. There were decks for both units, but they were closed off. We used II for these exchanges.

Pros and Cons of Bigwood Condominiums
We were in a 2B 2B on a second floor, June 12-19, 2017 and traded with RCI using 18 TPUs. As I’ve said previously, we are ok with stairs. Check-in was difficult to find as it was downtown. My impression was there are very few timeshare units in these condo buildings. You entered into the dining area which seemed dark. The second bedroom with a queen bed and bath was on the left. There was a full galley kitchen and as I remember, that seemed a little dark, too. The living room had a huge slider and windows so that room was light and there was a deck off the slider with two plastic chairs. The master bedroom was good sized and light with a comfortable queen bed and small bathroom. The Bigwood golf course was across the road but we don’t play golf. We did notice beautiful luxury condos being developed in that area when we were in Ketchum last year. We aren’t sure if passes to the YMCA were included with this timeshare or not. It was another quiet area. It rained the day we drove there and there was a dusting of snow the next morning. It was disappointing as many of the hiking trails were closed but we were able to do our two favorite trails and see the abundance of beautiful, beautiful wild flowers.

There is so much so see and do in the area : Stanley, Twin Falls, Craters of the Moon are a couple of hours away and again, so much to explore in those areas. We would stay at any of these timeshares and knowing we are booked for next summer is helping us get through these months of “stay in place.”
Stay well and safe.
Loraine

 

[Passepartout]

Shhh. Nothing to see here. You wouldn't like it. Move along.

 

[sue1947]

Pros and Cons for Habitat on Trail Creek in Ketchum, ID.

There is so much so see and do in the area : Stanley, Twin Falls, Craters of the Moon are a couple of hours away and again, so much to explore in those areas. We would stay at any of these timeshares and knowing we are booked for next summer is helping us get through these months of “stay in place.”
Stay well and safe.
Loraine

Excellent write-up with just the info I need.
Thanks
Sue