Silver Birch 964

Room for two families Four bedrooms across a townhouse layout is a different proposition from a condo with four doors on one hallway. Three doubles, a twin bunk room for the kids, and a sofa bed in the living room take you to ten people, and the vertical layout means the early risers and the late sleepers are not in the same airspace. Two and a half bathrooms keep the ski morning moving.

Ski out, ski back You are at Kimberley Alpine Resort with ski-in/ski-out access, so the gear goes on at the door and comes off at the door. Nobody drives, nobody parks, nobody carries a child's skis across a lot in the dark. On a family trip that saves a genuinely surprising amount of arguing.

The hot tub Private to this townhouse, on your own deck, looking out at the mountain. Ten people is a lot of people, and having somewhere to send half of them at the end of the day is worth more than it looks on a listing.

Renovated, and comfortable with it The interior has been brought up to date without turning into a showroom. Full kitchen with oven and stove, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, kettle, blender, pots and pans, crockery, cutlery and wine glasses. In-suite washer and dryer. Indoor fireplace for the evenings. Board games, a desk, and Wi-Fi at 100+ Mbps. There is no air conditioning; the elevation and the fans handle the Kootenay summer.

Travelling with small people A baby high chair and stair gates are available, which matters in a house with stairs. Check-in is contactless and available around the clock, so a late arrival from Calgary or a delayed flight into Cranbrook is not a problem.

The rest of Kimberley Trickle Creek Golf Resort and Bootleg Gap are both close. The Kimberley Nordic Centre trails run cross-country in winter and hiking and mountain biking in summer. Downtown, the Bavarian-themed Platzl has restaurants, a brewery and the Happy Hans clock, and the whole town is walkable in an afternoon.