I was able to live in my lovely little Gastown micro condo for nearly a year. It was amazing to be able to live out one of my dreams and I really enjoyed it as much as I could – often going to Crab Park or the seawall at sunset to enjoy dusk, visiting cafes, and eating out sometimes. It was also really cool being within walking distance to a lot of live music events post-Covid. I’ll always be so grateful that I got to live there with affordable rent in my own apartment. When my job hours were about to be cut, I realized it was time to alter my plans a little. As much as I tried, I couldn’t seem to save money even with rent being below market value. I wasn’t eating out very much and wasn’t even buying a lot of new clothes. I needed a break from worrying about bills and rent – so Whistler seemed like a great choice for me to save money. Why Whistler? Well, I found a job that provided very cheap rent (at the expense of my personal living space, but I was emotionally prepared to put up with that) and with it being summer, I wouldn’t need anymore clothes than I already had. I’d be set for the next few months to cook mostly at home and save a lot of money to get ahead a little.

Being sad to leave my nice little apartment behind, I was also a little relieved to focus more on saving money and working more hours in a busy tourist town. I had never been to Whistler before during the day (I went there once, but caught a late bus so I arrived after dark and didn’t get to see the mountains if you can believe it. haha!) so it was a wonder to take a shuttle bus down the sea to sky highway. It’s such a scenic drive – and Whistler itself is quaint being surrounded by beautiful lakes and mountains.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this staff accommodation – since it was so cheap, I mentally prepared myself to be greeted by a bunch of wild, extroverted people who wanted to go out every night. I was pleasantly surprised that not only was the place in a gorgeous area, the people were chill and respectful of boundaries. There are no parties allowed in the house and the managers of the hotel are involved in ensuring employees have a healthy work-life balance. It turned out to be an amazing deal for what felt like a cottage getaway in the mountains! On top of that, we’ve had some BBQs and enjoyed the sitting out on the deck during the summer.

The job itself is great, too. After working from home for over a year, it was nice getting out and chatting with coworkers sometimes. I enjoy the flow of housekeeping a lot, and the job really works for my introverted nature where I can come in, have a little chat, grab coffee, then start my routine. The managers are all friendly and nice to work with – I’ve worked at a lot of jobs and I really feel it when I work for good people.

Aside from being able to save some money and enjoy my job, Whistler is a gorgeous place with a wealth of scenic trails that range from easy to difficult. The longest hike I went on was up to Rainbow Lake – it took us about 5 hours for the round trip and the scenes were breathtaking. You can check out my photos from that hike here!

There’s also a lot of chill trails around the lakes. Sometimes I prefer to get the nice views without needing to hike for 2+ hours. There’s something for everyone in Whistler and there’s a lot of events always happening in the town center from live music, club/pub events, festivals, etc. I’ve also rediscovered my love of going to spas here. I have treated myself to a few massages while here and it’s been great. 🙂

It’s been a joy and privilege to live here. And the best part is, it’s not very far from my dream city at all so I’ve been able to hop on a shuttle and visit it on some of my days off.

Thanks so much for reading today. Have you ever been to Whistler, BC before?