Best Things Nearby:
We spent much of our time doing family history research at the Family History Library. For those interested in this endeavor, it is just a short walk of less than 10 minutes to the library. Most of the people we ran into at The Kimball were doing this type of research. You can spend the entire week doing just research.
The library has the world’s largest collection of genealogical data. It is contained on four floors of the library and also in a separate building known as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, located inside Temple Square. Anyone is welcome to use these facilities at no cost, except the making copies of documents, if needed.
When not doing research in the library, don’t miss seeing the other things of interest just steps away from your condo. The Museum of Church History, The Beehive House, which was the official residence of Brigham Young when he was the church president, Mormon Pioneer Memorial, Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum, and the State Capitol are all within easy walking distance. The capitol building is uphill from The Kimball about two blocks. We also enjoyed walking in the old neighborhood between The Kimball and the capitol. Many old restored mansions can be seen here. Another large attraction is the Great Salt Lake.
A shopping mall is located one block south of the resort. Walk through the center of Temple Square and you are there. The Post Office is located in the ZCMI Center Mall.
For groceries, there is a Fred Meyer located at 500 East and 500 South. For larger items and gas, go to the Costco Membership store, located at 1818 South 300 West.
Best Things About the Resort:
The resort is one block from the family history center and half a block from Temple Square.
Local telephone calls are free, so there is no problem with Internet access, for those who have a need to keep in contact.
Resort Experience:
We had the good fortune to visit Salt Lake City during the last week of October, 2003 and to not only partake of the fall colors changing, but also the opportunity to experience a light dusting of snow.
If you have the chance to come to Salt Lake City, I would recommend The Kimball as the place to stay. The Kimball is the only RCI resort in the city area. Even though it has no real competition, they still strive to be the best.
The resort is centrally located near the intersection of North Temple and Main Street, less than half a block to Temple Square. They have ample free parking for guests, and you might not have to move your car all week for all the activities in the area.
The Kimball has studio, one-, and two-bedroom units on four levels. Be sure to ask for a unit on the south side of the building, for a beautiful view of Temple Square and the downtown area. The view in the other direction is of a dormitory-style building, just feet away, with nothing to see but a wall.
We had a one-bedroom unit on the fourth floor. It has a very nice-sized bedroom with plenty of closet and drawer space. The living room and dining room have a good utilization of available space. The kitchen is nice, with a pass-through window into the dining room. The only thing the kitchen really lacks is an oven; otherwise it is stocked rather well.
I especially like the fact that all local calls are free, and the local calling area is quite large, and I was able to have Internet access anytime I needed to be online.
One thing to keep in mind is that from the elevator lobby you cannot get the luggage cart to some of the rooms. On all floors, about half of the rooms are down a small flight of stairs. The rooms affected are toward the front half of the building, so if a large amount of luggage is a concern, or a small amount of stairs, I suggest asking for a room in the back half of the building. The view from the rooms is the same from the front or the back.
At the present time, the nightly room rate when not staying as an RCI guest is $90.00 per night for a one-bedroom and $115.00 a night for a two-bedroom unit. There is a 10% discount for stays of a week or more.
- Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
- Activities: Fair
- Amenities: Good
- Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
- Family Friendliness: Excellent
- Service: Excellent