![]() Colorado Resorts Beaver Creek and Vail Mountain Resort |
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Pre Trip Instead of the Swiss Alps this year, I opted for a short trip to the Rockies at Beaver Creek. I planned the trip fairly last minute, and found the best prices at Expedia. What I found was that better trip planning could have saved at least $1,000 on air, since most Colorado resorts are best accessed by rental car. The strategy here was to fly to Denver, then the nearest airport and shuttle to the resort. The better strategy would have been to use frequent flyer miles to fly to Denver, then take a rental car to the resort area. In the end, we got bumped from the flight back to Denver, so we had to get a rental anyhow. For this short three day trip, I packed my smallest roll-aboard carryon.
Eagle County Airport The short flight over from Denver took about 30 minutes and was very bumpy. The altitude at the airport is over 6,000 ft so be prepared if you're coming in from sea level. The airport shuttle took us to the Beaver Creek area which took about 30 minutes and climbed about 2,000 feet. Beaver Creek is at about 8,000 ft. in altitude. Our driver briefed us in acclimatizing to the altitude. Her advice was to drink lots of water, and stay away from alcohol. All great advice. I had one beer and wine at dinner and really noticed the effects.
Beaver Creek - Resort Area Beaver Creek is about 15 minutes from Vail, and is in a valley on the side of a mountain ridge. The valley below is where the main traffic flows and parking lots keep traffic at bay. Shuttle buses provide resort guests with transportation within the resort (all within walking distance) and the parking lots below. A new large hotel is being built on the valley floor with a cable car to access the resort. The resort is at about 8,000 feet, and the top of the mountain is at 10,000 ft. Beaver Lake trails to Beaver Creek, which flows through the village. The village and resort was built just 27 years ago - so everything is new and upkeep is good.
CONTACT TEL: 608-238-6001 Email: greg@cruisingreview.com |