I first learned about The Quintess Collection through our good family friends, the Harrises. For the past four winters, we accompanied them to the Quintess homes in Deer Valley, which is an ideal ski destination for us because our kids' schoolmates go there as well, so we can plan to see each other, have dinners together and spend time as a group. Plus, Park City is really easy to get to – just a short flight from where we live.
The Lodges are huge, stunning, all-in-all off the hook. These homes easily accommodate two families of four or five and really hit you with the "wow factor" as soon as you walk in the door; the décor, the architecture, everything. After a few more trips with the Harrises, we were sold on the Quintess concept.
The main reason we opted for Collection Access is for the flexibility. We often like to travel in bigger groups, and so we knew we would want access to the larger Quintess homes. However, we like the options of The Collection – we wanted to be able to book DUO and TOUR CLUB properties as well. And now, as part of the DUO services, we get full-service Destination Hosts, which is a real value add.
Destination Hosts often help define the Quintess experience for us. For example, when we went to Los Cabos with the Harrises several years ago, our Host Prem found out that we would be renewing our vows just ten days before we got there. He went above and beyond to make the vow renewal very special, with flowers, a romantic dinner and more. It was memorable, flawlessly executed, and much less expensive than I expected! Honestly, after everything was said and done, I was surprised that Prem was able to arrange it at such a reasonable price.
This March we're looking forward to staying in our first DUO home – the Vail Ritz-Carlton home. We are eager to visit the Rocky Mountains during one of its snowiest months and can't wait to take advantage of all of the convenient amenities The Ritz-Carlton Club offers. I'm sure the concierge will take care of everything for us and the kids will enjoy being able to walk to the gondola. We'll put my youngest in ski school and spend most of the trip out on the hill.
Although I haven't stayed at any TOUR CLUB residences on my own yet, last year, John Harris invited me to the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. We got tickets to the practice round, which was exciting in itself, but then we headed to Sage Valley to golf before the tournament. Words can't really express how it feels to golf at Sage Valley; all I can say is that it is pretty special. The aura of the whole place almost makes me speechless. You have an amazing caddy, the course is impeccably maintained and they take care of you the whole day. When it comes time for dinner, there are no menus; they simply ask you what you want and then they go prepare it, and it comes out absolutely delicious. It is a really special place that is hard to describe. But I definitely want to go back again.
We just returned from Great Bear Lodge in Lake Tahoe, California. Although we've travelled extensively to other Quintess homes with good family friends, this was our first official Quintess stay on our membership. Tahoe didn't have a ton of snow, but the resort was bustling. The location of the home in Tahoe is truly phenomenal. You are right smack dab in the middle of everything. There's the skating rink right outside, and you can actually sit on the back porch and listen to the band. Our Host was very attentive, happy to check in on us via phone or text, whichever we preferred. On this trip, we put my youngest child in ski school for a few days and then my two other sons and my wife and I had a blast tree-skiing and hitting the terrain park. It was also a big trip for my wife, who had a skiing breakthrough as she began to get totally comfortable on her skis.
Next on our list is Saint Martin. We made a Wish for a week adjacent to the week that the Harrises are there so that we can all extend our trips and stay for two full weeks. We've heard the homes there are absolutely breathtaking, and large enough to accommodate all of us, so we want to maximize our time there!
Jim Cady is a member of destination club Quintess.