by Cynthia Cruz
| January, 10, 2024
The minute I set foot in Park City, Utah, I knew I was in a special place. From the start, the landscape is beautiful, but what’s more, even the air is different – cool, crisp, clean, and oh-so light. I realized later that the air is different at that altitude but at that moment it just felt magical. At the time, the trees were luminous in brilliant yellows and golds against a backdrop of baby blue sky and emerald hills.
Yes, Park City is pretty to look at, but there’s so much more to the place than just the setting. It’s a vibe. It’s bucolic, yet cosmopolitan in a down-to-earth kind of way. It’s luxurious but not in an in-your-face kind of way. It’s subtle but obvious. People here are happy. And kind. Has Walt Disney been to Park City? Because this seems like the happiest place on Earth.
Honestly, I suspect it won’t be long before Utah becomes a popular vacation destination for Californians, and part of me wants to gatekeep this secret getaway, but I’m learning that plenty of people are already onto it. Celebrities have already discovered it (Park City hosts the Sundance Film Festival). With Park City being in such close proximity to the Golden State as well as being less than a couple of hours away by plane, Park City and the surrounding areas are sure to become an easy weekend escape.
Park City is home to an expansive resort area including Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resorts, and the Canyons Village. The place to stay in Park City is within the Canyons Village Resort, a quintessential resort village consisting of shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafes. There are several hotels in Canyons Village including Hyatt Centric Park City, The Waldorf Astoria Park City, and The Pendry Park City. We stayed at The Pendry Park City, which is located in the heart of the Canyons Village resort and is part of the Montage family of luxury properties.
The Pendry has everything you need to enjoy your stay in utmost comfort. The rooms are simply done with clean, modern lines, a comfortable bed dressed in luxe bedding, a spacious bathroom – the perfect place to rest and relax in between the flurry of activities that are happening in Park City. And the hotel is adjacent to shops, restaurants, and all the resort happenings. To make reservations, visit pendry.com/park-city/.
The Park City Wine Festival
During my recent visit, I was lucky enough to be in Park City during the Park City Wine Festival. This 3-day event takes place annually in the beginning of October and is a MUST for wine lovers. Over the three days, there are several wine-centric events including wine pairing lunches and dinners where illustrious chefs prepare course after course of delectable dishes to be paired with the perfect wines, tastings, including a blind tasting where guests test their wine know-how by identifying wines only by taste, and the highlight of the entire event, The Grand Tastings.
The Grand Tastings is an outdoor event that takes place in the Canyons Village. More than a hundred wineries from all over the world bring their wines to Park City to be tasted by festival attendees. Wine lovers can attend either the afternoon or evening event and spend hours wandering among the several wine tables tasting an incredible variety of wines including Pinots, Petit Verdots, Cabernets, and Merlots, just to name a few of the better-known grapes. You will taste unique wines from everywhere around the world including Russia, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Chile, and on and on. Even the savviest of wine enthusiasts will receive an introduction to new wines from new places. There were also beer and handcrafted cocktail tastings, and small bites from pulled pork sandwiches and empanadas to cherry hand pies, and macarons to sample. There was live music, vendors selling handcrafted items, all to be enjoyed in the magnificent outdoors. It was a thoroughly enjoyable affair for the 21 and over crowd. For more information and to purchase tickets for 2024 (it’s not too soon; tickets sell out quick), visit: parkcitywinefest.com.
Take a Hike
One of the best things to do in Park City is explore the outdoors. White Pine Touring offers many different ways to enjoy Park City’s wilderness. We went for a hike, but White Pine offers mountain biking, rock climbing, yurt camping, snowshoeing, and more. We took off in the White Pine van, up the mountains, to hike one of the hundreds of trails around Park City. The experts at White Pine will customize the perfect hike. The amazing views were the absolute highlight of our hike, and our group definitely got our cardio in. Note that the air is thin at that altitude and a portable can of oxygen is helpful. Our tour guides showed us various points of interest, including moose tracks. Did you know that moose are dangerous? Luckily, all we saw that day were tracks. To reserve a tour, go to: whitepinetouring.com.
Drink Chocolate
After a somewhat breathless hike, a visit to Ritual Chocolate to warm up and catch our breath was ideal. Ritual Chocolate is a boutique selling not just chocolate, but an entire chocolate experience. The shop sells chocolate bars crafted from cacao beans from Ecuador, Madagascar, Belize, and Peru and are available in flavors like Barrel Aged Single Malt Whiskey, Juniper Lavender, and Honeycomb Toffee. I bought a few bars to take home (the Honeycomb Toffee is superb with a glass of cabernet). The shop isn’t called Ritual Chocolate for nothing. Ritual Chocolate shares an actual ritual consisting of sipping warm, thick, bittersweet chocolate from small cups. The rich chocolate coats your mouth and allows you to appreciate the true flavor of the pure, plush chocolate that they handcraft in the store. It’s heaven. If you are in Park City, a stop at Ritual Chocolate should not be missed. But if you can’t get there soon enough, the chocolate bars and drinking chocolate kits are available online and would make perfect Christmas gifts. Shop at ritualchocolate.com.
Spa Time
After an exhilarating morning hike followed by a heavenly chocolate experience, what better way to enhance this perfect day than a visit to the spa? I’m a firm believer that a good massage is the perfect way to improve a not-so-great day or take the best day over-the-top. Today was an over-the-top day and I made my way to Serenity Spa at Westgate Park City Resort & Spa for an excellent massage treatment. Serenity Spa is a beautiful 30,000 square foot spa that offers luxurious treatments, yoga classes, and a pool complete with waterfall. For more information go to westgateresorts.com.
There is no shortage of amazing food to eat in Park City. There are many excellent restaurants within the resort area, but Main Street is worth a visit as there are several places to eat and drink along this historic street which still maintains the architecture of the silver mining town it once was. Here are some restaurants worth mentioning:
Powder in Waldorf Astoria Park City is excellent for a refined dinner in a swanky location. The Waldorf is synonymous with luxury and comfort and their restaurant, Powder, reflects that. We dined on Pan Seared Utah Trout, Duck Confit Tortellini, and Wagyu Braised Short Ribs, each course paired with unique wines. It was an unforgettable meal.
Riverhorse on Main is one of the oldest and most distinguished restaurants in Park City with a reputation as one of the top culinary spots in the area. Listen to live music as you sip on a refreshing signature cocktail (I had the Mountain Rum Punch – rum and Prosecco flavored with raspberries) and dine on delectable items from their eclectic menu like Thai Curry Cauliflower, Buffalo Tartare, Shrimp & Scallop Tom Kha, and wild game.
Dos Olas Cantina is a casual restaurant located in Canyons Village. This is a great spot to have a snack with a powerful margarita. The guacamole and the nachos are delicious.
KITA, located in the Pendry Hotel, is a Japanese restaurant serving amazing sushi and Japanese specialties. Try the teriyaki edamame and any or all of their sushi. Their steaks, grilled and brushed with yuzu butter, are sublime.
Park City has a lot to offer all year long. My recent visit was in the fall season when the Park City Wine Festival was the highlight of the season, but Park City as so much to do all year long that there isn’t a bad time to visit. Here’s a thought: It’s wintertime and it won’t be long before we see snow and the time comes to hit the slopes. Instead of driving five hours to the Bay Area’s foremost winter go-to Lake Tahoe, what about taking off to a winter wonderland and arriving in just under two hours? Flight time from the Bay Area to Park City, Utah is just about an hour and 55 minutes – time well spent napping, watching a movie, or reading a book instead of driving in bad weather, sitting in traffic, and worrying about putting chains on your tires. And before you know it, you’ve arrived.
