Villa Olivia, Illinois, United States

3Steph S 5:00 PM Jan 8, 2021

Disappointed in the patrons
Today my 6 year old son and I went skiing at Villa Olivia. I was excited to introduce him to my favorite sport. The staff did a great job of getting our equipment ready for us and all of the employees we encountered were polite. When we made our way to the top of the hill, there was a group of adults standing around. I assume their children must have been skiing/snowboarding or taking lessons. As my son and I made our way down the first part of the ski hill, we had a difficult time. As anyone might imagine, my son crossed his skis and fell over. This happened a few times. As I was trying to help my son up, he said to me, “mom, they are laughing at us.” I looked up and saw people from that same group of adults pointing and laughing. I have no doubt we looked awkward. We ignored them and I continued to try to coach my son. When we decided to call it quits, we walked toward the lodge. A few people from the adult group commented to us. One person said, “maybe next year”. After our experience, I spent a lot of time talking with my son about ignoring people who are unkind. I am saddened and disappointed by this experience.

3Wanderlust217 5:00 PM Mar 2, 2013

Good starter location
Our boys wanted to go snowboarding for the first time; in Colorado. So, I thought we'd better try it out first locally, to see if they'd really enjoy it. We live just a few hours from many ski resorts in IL, WI and MI, but I heard about Villa Olivia on the news and it seemed to be a less intimidating starting point, and because it was closer we were able to go for the day without having the additional expense of an overnight stay. The fees seemed reasonable, compared to other places and there were group lessons available several times a day. We went on a Saturday, and arrived at about 10:30am. The parking was convenient to the "Ski Lodge" (the building where you buy tickets & get rental equipment.) The process to purchase slope tickets, and rent equipment was quick and easy. The Easy hills were right outside the door. There is food available on-site in the ski cafe, but we left the property for lunch. There are a lot of dining options in the area, all very easy to get to. You can leave your rented equipment in the ski lodge, for a $1 check fee. For the most part, we had a very enjoyable experience at Villa Olivia. The kids have asked to go back, and we would take them. One downside, is that it is not a great place for spectators. I was very disappointed that there wasn't anyplace to sit and view the slopes. I wasn't snowboarding, so I had planned to sit and read for the day. I assumed I'd be able to do that in a comfortable chair, and hoped to have a view that might allow me to see my boys pass by once in awhile. (I'm not a skier, so this may have been a very wrong assumption!) Regardless, having to sit in a banquet chair, at a round table for 10 in the ski cafe, with a view of the parking lot was a big disappointment.