White Crystal Inn

Our family (2 adults and a 14 year old) recently returned from a week at Big White. We stayed in White Crystal Inn unit 224 which is a superior kitchenette unit. This is accurately shown on the resort website. PROS: - Dealing with central check-in was a pleasure throughout. They were quick to respond to questions and concerns. - The room was quite spacious. It is a large corner unit with lovely views and is on the quieter side of the building (facing away from the main part of the village). The two queen beds meant our son did not have to sleep on a sofa or Murphy bed. There was plenty of storage space and the bathroom was quite large as well. - The kitchenette was handy. While compact, it had everything we needed, including a 2-burner stovetop, toaster, kettle, large bowls, all kinds of utensils, pots and pans, dishes and cutlery. - There was a small coffee maker in the room and we were provided with coffee, tea, sugar and whitener. - This unit has a full-size fridge which is a nice bonus. - The in-room gas fireplace kept us nice and cozy. - The Bullwheel Restaurant is in the same building. - There is a communal sauna (the dry kind) and a communal hot tub. - Perhaps most noteworthy, the property is truly ski-in ski-out and it is easy to access all the village amenities. Going out the door from the ski locker, turn right to get onto the Bullet Express and turn left to get onto Lara's Gondola or to walk into the main part of the village. CONS: - The biggest drawback was that the unit reeked of curry when we arrived. Due to a delayed flight, it was very late by the time we got to the unit. We opened the door and the odour was like a full frontal assault. We were too tired to do anything about it upon check-in. The next day we asked for a deodorizing spray which was provided, but it only temporarily covered up the smell. We left all the windows open each day that we were out on the mountain in an attempt to air the room out. On our second or third day there, housekeeping did send a team to attempt to deal with the smell. They tried to suction the smell out with a special machine, mopped everything in sight, changed all the bedding, etc. It did help, but the curry smell still lingered. (When we got back home, all our clothes had a stale curry smell.) It was especially noticeable every time we got back to the room after being outside, and was a bit stomach-churning as the smell just got more and more stale over time. It's not the fault of the housekeeping team that the previous occupants of the unit had decided to cook such strong-smelling food, but we really did think that the room should never have been released in that condition. Housekeeping did apologize to us, but we ultimately spent big bucks to stay in a bad-smelling room for a week. I can only imagine how the owners of the unit would feel. - Other negatives are relatively minor. The sole hot tub got crowded at times, and there is no on-site front desk but any concerns were addressed direc