Beaver Creek resort founded in 1980 has evolved into what could be compared to places such as Telluride and Whistler. There are three mountains accessible from any of the three villages: Beaver Creek Village, Arrowhead Village, and Bachelor Gulch Village; this helps the crowds at Beaver Creek still seem small when the parking lots are packed. There is no simple way to explain the Beaver Creek experience. There are three towns, Beaver Creek, Avon, and Edwards, within 5 miles of the mountain making the area attractive for travelers with all sorts of different needs, but its all High Class. A family that chooses Beaver Creek for their vacation destination has a huge variety of lodging and dining options. At the high end, The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch offers one bedroom accommodations starting at $575.00 per night, this provides access to the amazing infinity pool and spas at the base of the Bachelor Gulch Express. The Ritz-Carlton is a full-service platinum and diamond rated property that meets the needs of Beaver Creek’s high end guests. In the middle range, the Beaver Creek Lodge offers hotel style accommodations starting at $399.00 per night. This includes access to their health club, pool, room service, and restaurant, Rocks Modern Grill. The lower end of the accommodations in the Beaver Creek area are located in Avon, CO at the base of Beaver Creek, and are connected to the resort by bus and gondola. The hotels and condominiums in Avon are located close to Beaver Creek’s free parking lots and make mountain access a breeze. Located in Avon, Beaver Creek West is located adjacent to Nottingham Park and Lake, offers Gold-Rated one to four bedroom fully furnished condominiums that meet the natural living needs of their guests. Beaver Creek West is not a full service hotel, but does have the best summer and winter amenities around; with a pool, 3 hot tubs, sauna, tennis courts, and meeting facilities, Beaver Creek West is fully equipped to satisfy all your needs at a fraction of the price of the lodging options in Beaver Creek and Bachelor Gulch.

Dining in Beaver Creek can be one or a mixture of two things, expensive and satisfying. As with the lodging options there are many many dining options around the Beaver Creek area. At the high end, Beano’s and Zach’s cabins offer a unique dining experience with a variety of food styles and beverage selections for the big spender. These restaurants are located on Beaver Creek mountain and are serviced by snow-cats that take the guests on a spectacular scenic venture on the way to the best meal around. In the middle, we find a variety of great dining locations including Sato’s Sushi House in Edwards, Agave Mexican Cuisine in Avon, The Coyote Cafe in Beaver Creek, and The Dusty Boot Stake house and Saloon in Beaver Creek. These restaurants offer great service, great food, and affordable prices for a family or group to go out and have a great night without spending a fortune. At the low end, there are many many places that offer rations for the avid saver. Avon Bakery and Deli offers bagels, bread, fish, sandwiches, breakfast and a friendly atmosphere for around 10 dollars a person. Others include Marko’s Pizza, Fiestas Mexican Grill, Burger King, Outback Steak house, Finnegans Wake, and Bob’s Place.

The skiing experience at Beaver Creek varies greatly from that of Vail and other surrounding areas.  Beaver Creek is a private resort which makes for a much more intimate feeling than one gets at Copper Mountain or Vail Resort. The lifties are friendly and the lines are short. Something to notice about Beaver Creek is that even if a line is out the gate it will still be less than 15 minutes before you take your seat on one of Beaver Creek’s 10 high speed quads or 2 new gondolas.  Beaver Creek is separated into 4 areas that all offer different variations of terrain and scenery. If a group starts their day at the Beaver Creek Landing, they will be skiing Bachelor Gulch in less than 15 minutes, and be centrally located to any run on the mountain. If a group wants to start their day at the Beaver Creek Village they can head in two directions up the Strawberry Park Express Lift, or up the Centennial Express Lift. Beaver Creek offers skiing for riders of all ages and abilities, and is set in an environment that ensures any nature and winter fanatic a great time.

Shirts on, Ladies. Its 2 degrees!

Upscale, romantic, chic dining is no stranger to the Vail valley. Innovation, novelty, and invention, on the other hand, are a little bit more difficult to come by, as attempts at these in this area have historically amounted to examples of kitsch that serve instead to forward innocent designers from straying down the path. Take Avon’s boat building, for example. The poor boat building, which was originally designed to look like a ski, earned its name after construction by its rounded glass façade, round bulbous windows, and looming “nose” over one of the town’s busiest roundabouts. The original intent of the building might have fallen by the wayside except that it now houses Vin 48- a restaurant concept as novel as the boat building itself, but even more innovative and inventive with space use and wine tasting.

(more…)