This RCI timeshare was convenient to Beaver Creek and Vail. The rooms are compact but suitable. You enter to the bedroom and shared bathroom with large shower. A door and small hallway leads to the dining/living area with a pull out sofa for two. The mattresses on both the bed and sofa were not great. The compact kitchen has a single burner electric stove with older pans/utensils and adequate dishes, glasses, and kitchen needs to prepare meals. A full size(but small) refrigerator and microwave and dishwasher. The room was recently refreshed with new flooring and countertops, painted walls. Some of the furnishing was reused and didn’t quite match but it was comfortable.
The staff are friendly and efficient without the timeshare hassle. The indoor hot tubs were clean and plenty of towels available - open until 9pm. There’s a cute fireplace area to read a book and or relax with the family.
There is a little used underground parking structure out back that keeps your car in better condition when it snows and there is an entrance a few yards from the structure. I still can’t figure out why people Parker above ground when it was 0 degrees outside!
I recommend walking to Loaded Joes across the Parking lot for breakfast or April ski snack. Pork burritos and pancakes, waffles - choices for vegetarians dine in or take out. Also in the same structure is Ein Prosit for a beer and local favor with an occasional band. There’s a pizza parlor with average pizza and a very well stocked liquor market with top wines.
We stopped at Larsons to rent our gear and saved bundles rather than rent at the slopes or the condo. Average demo skis - poles and boots for one week rental - $120 at Larsons. At the slope or condo about $55-85 a day! But most of all they gave us great recommendations about the slopes and had the best service!
If you forget some gear, or need a refresh, there’s a Sun and Ski Sports retail outlet in the same shopping area with a lot of selection from economy to higher end equipment and wear.
The parking at Vail in the Village center is $30 per day but we felt it was worth it. You can shuttle from the Christie but it only comes every 30 minutes. We liked the flexibility. If you park on level 3 you enter through a Mexican Cantina near lockers and restrooms for final preparation.
At Vail Pepe’s has great live music from 4-6 and 7-9. Acoustic guitar and fun mix of
Music - bar food and good drinks. Bistro 14 was great for a nice lunch and a warming drink. Plenty of choice for vegans at many restaurants.
At Beaver Creek parking at the top is convenient, but if it’s full the Bear Lot wasn’t bad and the shuttle is frequent. Mamie’s Grill Your Own at Bachelor Deck in Beaver Creek has amazing views!!
Skiing both locations for multiple days gave us a chance to explore much of each park. Service is great at both - very friendly.
The EPIC pass provides access to both and we reloaded the evening before to save a few bucks. It gave us the flexibility to assess who would and would not be skiing each day rather than fully commit to the tickets.
Beaver Creek lifts are open a little earlier (8:30) and stay open until 4. Whereas Vail was 9-3:30 for the last gondola. In either case it’s fantastic terrain with choices for all levels of skiers.
If you are tried and sore after several days of skiing I recommend the Yampah Spa and Salon in Glenwood Springs. It’s about 50 minutes and is a cute town to walk around, visit local craft shops and have a local craft beer. But the spa is the star - it is historic and amazing! The vapor caves are great to sweat out toxins, then relax in a mineral water bath to wash away those worries and sore muscles. Finish it off with a massage from very talented staff. They provide towels, robes, flip flops and refreshing lemon/tangerine water. I’m pretty sure I skied better the next day!