I recently spent three nights at the Adara over MLK Day weekend (a U.S. holiday). The hotel was nice, but not what I expected for nearly $350/night.

First, the good things -- our room was a great size and configuration (1 bedroom loft suite) -- just what we needed for a gear-laden ski vacation. The bed was heavenly, the shower was warm and plenty strong, and the toiletries were lovely. We loved having two TVs, a fridge (no grumbling from the hotel about sharing this with the mini-bar!), a microwave, and a teakettle. We used all of it! We also loved the extra down comforter for the couch -- a huge treat on the cold nights.

Now for the things that I didn't enjoy. The facilities were small and cozy, which was lovely, but I found the furniture throughout the hotel to be rather low-quality -- clearly design was favored over quality when it comes to sofas, end tables, lobby furniture, etc. The "floating fireplace" didn't kick off much heat -- next year, I'm going to look for a room with a gas fireplace that's more real.

All of this hipness and those big rooms had the unfortunate effect of attracting a very young, VERY loud, very drunk crowd of American college students over the weekend. Every night was a disaster either for me, my husband or both of us. We should have known to be worried when we saw the earplugs by our bed after our turndown service arrived on the first night! And the turndown service was spotty at best -- they came the night we arrive, didn't come the second night, and came the third night but didn't do much other than leaving chocolates behind (no water, no towels, no cleaning, etc.).

The staff at the Adara was uniformly pleasant, professional and helpful -- huge kudos to them for keeping things together. But really, they should have stepped in to control the parties on our floor MUCH earlier (I believe they did remove the offending group -- 5 rooms worth -- the next day). And really, allowing so many people under 21 in such a large group is just asking for trouble -- I'll carefully read the group and age policies on other hotels in Whistler before we go next year!!

So all in all, I recommend the Adara for couples (not families) traveling to Whistler mid-week or on an off-week (not on or near a holiday). I'm sure you'll have a great time -- and take advantage of any special you can find!

When it comes to lodging in Whistler, there are so many options (assuming you book far enough in advance). However, out of all the hotels that Whistler has to offer, the Adara stands out.

I have stayed at other hotels and resorts in the village, and while they were all nice, they were typical. They were also not memorable.

I doubt that I will forget the Adara.

The Adara is tucked away in a cozy col-de-sac, and is centrally located to everything in Whistler village. The welcome I received at the hotel was great - the lobby is modern and fresh, and is complemented nicely by warm and friendly front desk agents and bell-staff.

Within moments of check-in, I was in my spectacular loft-suite. I will admit that the hallway leading to the room looked a little dark, but the room made up for that. I could tell the room was not new - that it had been renovated - but it had been renovated nicely.

The furniture looked amazing and was so comfortable. The suite had a nice fireplace, and digital cable TV (a plasma or LCD TV would be a nice upgrade). The bathroom was nicely appointed, but lacked a tub. The upstairs bedroom is also nice - the bedding is so soft and the bedside iPod radio and sound-machine were really cool to have.

There is no on-site dining facilities at the Adara, which is unfortunate, but it only encouraged me to venture out and explore the village's great bars and restaurants.

I don't think guests of the Adara should expect opulence or grand-luxury. Instead, the Adara offers cool, contemporary lodgings in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

I will most definitely be a repeat guest of the Adara Hotel.

This place was awesome. Small enough that the staff is still capable of dealing with everything very quickly, unlike experiences at the Fairmont and other massive hotels in Whistler. The location is great, right in the village and across the street from the Whistler Heli-Ski Powder hut. Nice place, rooftop hottub, great staff.

What makes the boutique experience is excellent service plus nice decor and hotel vibe....and the Adara's service was indifferent.

To illustrate the service level, I offer the the following:

After an epic flight and epic drive to whistler, arriving with no one else in the lobby but ourselves (2 women) we had our room keys given to us and no offer to help us up to the room with our gear - and because the fellow on the desk couldn't get into the storage room to stow our boards & boots we were packing lots of gear. 2 trips each to the lobby to discover they'd given us a king size bed after confirmations we'd get two queens.

The next day, it was discovered our lift passes were missing. (We booked a package to include tickets). Rather than try and sort it out for us, we were given directions to the village to fix it ourselves. It took 2 hours and another trip back to the Adara to sort it out. A real boutique hotel would : A--- have checked to make sure that our tickets were there, but failing that B:---have at least shown a bit of interest in helping us to fix the problem.

And finally the issue of the inconsistent housekeeping - clean and ok, but the type of job an indifferent student would do on a room. Overall, that captures the state of service - a hotel run by youngsters there to board, not to learn the hotel business, never mind the boutique hotel business. But they looked cool, all in black and all.

On the plus side, tazo tea in the lobby and the Fresh toileteries were awesome. Great decor, nice beds and linens, great shower! Owners aiming for something great, but management needs to train the employees up to the standard they aspire to. I'd stay again, but not at full rates - it was conveniently located.