marysia

Looking to book 5 nights December 21 to December 26, 2019 using points at Vail Marriott, Hotel Talisa, Westin Riverfront or Beaver Creek Lodge. They are the same point range. I have Titanium Elite status and will loose it at year end due to change in travel for work. I purchased for them the Epic Local pass, if I read the restrictions correctly, these days they should be able to ski in Vail and Beaver Creek. December 27 to January 1 we will move to Breckenridge area and ski there before heading back home.

Which would you recommend for two adults and a 13 year old? This will be our second trip to Colorado to ski, last year my husband and son skied Vail, Breckenridge, Copper and Loveland. They fell in love with Vail and hence the second trip this year. In the past they have skied the Midwest, we live in Chicago. I do not ski and will probably work most of the trip saving vacation time for the beach. We will rent a car and like last year I will probably drop them off and pick them up to make it easier.

SkiAdcock

Stay away from Beaver Creek Lodge. Property doesn't honor MAR bennies.

PS - believe there are threads on all the properties you mention, so suggest you read those to get more input.

Cheers.

aaupgrade

A number of factors would determine which hotel is best for you. What is your skiing level? What type of terrain are you looking for? Do you favor luxurious accommodations over convenience? Will you be driving or not?

Vail has much more varied terrain IMO. Vail 5300 acres vs Beaver Creek 1800 acres. If you want steep, Beaver creek has some very challenging runs; google Talon Challenge for more info. Vail has steep runs too, but not 14 double black diamonds. Vail has more open bowls and tree runs, and it does have a few double black diamonds.

If you have a beginner in the group then for convenience I would not recommend Talisa as you will have to get on a shuttle to go to Lionshead or Golden peak for lessons. Going up the Cascade Village lift from Talisa leaves one off at mid mountain and the need to ski over to chair 26 to get up to Eagles Nest where Lionshead beginner lessons take place. Skiing from the top of Cascade lift to chair 26 while very easy would not be so for someone who has has never skied.

Vail Marriott is very convenient in that you can walk to the Lionshead Eagle Bahn Gondola, walk to restaurants or take the free in town shuttle, which picks up right in front of the hotel every 10 minutes, to restaurants, shops, etc. in Vail Village and Golden Peak. You would not need a car or hotel shuttle when staying here. I stayed here for years before buying my place and never rented a car; I took Colorado Mountain Express from the airport, and now they have Peak 1 Express as a competitor.

In case you are considering renting a car, parking rates at the hotels:
Vail Marriott $60/night
Westin Riverfront $32/night
Talisa $38/night
Beaver Creek Lodge $50/night

Talisa will be more upscale than the Vail Marriott and a very nice location on the banks of Gore Creek with its own chairlift. Away from all but the hotel restaurant, but they do have a hotel shuttle that will take you to Lionshead, Vail Village and Golden Peak.

I'll let others pipe in about Westin Riverfront and Beaver Creek Lodge. More selection of restaurants in Vail vs. Beaver Creek; although some very good ones in Beaver Creek including Splendido and Mirabelle. Keep in mind that Westin Riverfront is in Avon, not Beaver Creek, so walking to restaurants in the town of Avon work well, but not so much for restaurants in Beaver Creek or Arrowhead. Others who have stayed there will hopefully share info about whether the hotel has a shuttle that takes you up to Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, etc. or if you take the lift from the hotel. I just don't know. Of the four hotels, I could see a need for rental car at this one making more sense and fortunately the daily parking fee is the lowest of the four.

I hope that helps. Share a bit more about your skiing ability and what factors are important to you and we may be able to provide more useful info.

SkiAdcock

Great info aaupgrade!

CPRich

We always stay at a 1BR villa at the Sheraton - a timeshare property but also available on points. You can get a BR and a sleeper sofa, or even a 2BR so everyone has a bed. It has kitchen facilities, fireplace, etc. Not a fancy property, but the amenities in the room are nice to have. We stop at Costco at the end of the valley on the way in to stock up for meals for the week.

Bus right across the street to take you to the Beaver Creek entrance. Beaver skiing is smaller, but I suspect there's enough for 4 days of skiing without getting bored. We only go down to Vail (15 minute drive) once every 2 visits or so. Brek, A-basin, and others are also within a day trip.

aaupgrade

FWIW, starting 2019/2020 ski season A-Basin is no longer part of the Epic pass. There has been talk about a limited arrangement with Epic or Icon pass, but I have not seen any news on that since A-Basin announced it would no longer be part of Vail Resort's Epic Pass. A-Basin patrons were not happy with the added crowds from Epic Pass holders.

Also since the OP is planning on going over Christmas holiday the Epic Local pass is restricted at Vail and Beaver Creek December 26-31, whereas it is not restricted at Breckenridge or Keystone. So while there are holiday crowds at Vail and Beaver Creek, they are not overwhelmed with Epic Local pass holders. I would imagine it is more crowded over the Christmas holiday period at Breck and Keystone. BTW, BC tends to be less crowded than Vail on weekends and holidays. Of course like anything, if you know your way around the mountain you can pretty much avoid the crowds.

Walk up lift tickets at Vail last year over the holidays were $209/day. Epic Day passes, which must be purchased prior to season opening, can bring that cost down to $114/day when purchasing four non-holiday restricted lift tickets that may be used anytime including over Christmas and other restricted holiday periods.

Also one last note on the time of year you (OP) are going to Vail/BC. Snow can be a home run (last season) or a miss (previous season). Last year the whole mountain (Vail) was open at Thanksgiving and remained that way until the end of the season with awesome conditions and I'm sure it was the same at BC although they open a week later and close a week earlier. The previous year we only had the white ribbon of death (Born Free) open on Lionshead, although I think they may have opened chair 2 slopes on Christmas day if I recall correctly; but still we're only talking about a couple hundred acres compared to 5300 acres. Early season can be really variable. You'll still have fun no matter what, but hopefully most of the mountain will be open for you.

Sorry for going off topic but thought it might be helpful for the OP.

uscjeff

I am a big fan of the Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon. Great value for the price, can easily walk to the gondola to take you to Beaver Creek (though may be a bit long in ski boots) and as stated most units are suites. Spa on roof has fantastic view too. Only drawback is they will not allow 4pm checkout which I tremendously value after a day of skiing before heading to EGE

dayone

The Sheraton Mountain Vista Villas in Avon is a good value. No resort or parking fees. I've gotten 1pm late checkout, and once until 2pm, with a bit of Titanium nudging.

Unless there has been an upgrade, there is no A/C in the rooms. Choose wisely in July and August.

controller1

I believe you meant to say what I've added above.

dayone

Thanks. Fixed my post.

gatorcane

Looking to stay at a Marriott Bonvoy property in early April in either Vail or Aspen (would consider other locations as well if they fit our needs). We will be there 5 nights, and will ski 2-3 half days but want to do other activities as well. We would like to be close to skiing so that it is easy to get to the slopes, but also close to restaurants. Several bonvoy properties have changed the last few years. Any recommendations would be appreciated!