Tips & Advice

Where to stay:

• Vail carries a price tag and is not a place to go on a budget. It has mostly high end accommodation, however the best value property is The Evergreen Lodge located 5 minutes from Lionshead.

• Vail Village is the most popular as everything is close by with Lodge as a favourite and the recently refurbished Tivoli Lodge a 5 minute walk to the Vista Bahn lifts.

• The Lionshead has the newly built 5* Hotel Arabella, but does offer some good condo options at Vantage Point. The 3* condo options in Vail are still expensive yet do not compare in quality to other nearby resorts such as Breckenridge.

• If you are trying to keep to a budget we really recommend staying in Breckenridge and hiring a 4x4 to explore Vail and the other surrounding resorts.  Before the 21st December and after the 1st April, you get great early and late season snowfall and this is the best opportunity to ski Vail without paying the premium high season prices.

The skiing:

• Vail is the biggest area in North America, and has something for everyone. Even if you’re building your confidence on the blues, don’t avoid the back bowls as there are some great cruisers back there.

• For the advanced skiers, Pete’s Bowl, Highline and Roger’s Run on Eastside of the Frontside will keep you smiling!

• Ski school – The Children’s ski school is located at Golden Peak and this is where the main nursery slopes are. The Lionshead have green runs at the top of the gondola, so if you’re staying in Vail Village you’ll have to take your children to either Golden Peak or Lionshead. Vail Village does have ski school at the base but for adults only.

Weather:

• Colorado prides itself on 300 days of sunshine a year, and at 10,000 feet even on a cloudy day you will tan. Have your sunscreen with you at all times and remember on a sunny day you need to apply it every 2 hours. 

On mountain dining:

• Vail has plenty of big mountain restaurants, my favourite being the Two Elk Lodge, although I would recommend going there for an early lunch as it gets very busy. It also has a great sun deck overlooking the back bowls.

• The food is reasonably priced around the mountain and offers everything from chillies, burgers, wraps and pizzas.

Car hire:

• If you decide to do a Colorado Ski Safari including Vail, I would recommend hiring a car (remember that parking in Vail is usually around $25 per day). If you’re staying for 10 days, there is plenty to ski and also you can head to Beaver Creek which is 10-15 minutes on the bus and costs around $6. (Lift pass covers Beaver Creek). The resort shuttle around Vail Village to Lionshead is excellent.

Restaurant recommendations:

• Los Amigos – best Mexican
• La Bottega – excellent Italian food with extensive wine list, again, pre-book.
• Russell’s – excellent steakhouse – my fav! Make sure you pre-book this one.
• Best Japanese food – Osaki’s – excellent food but expensive.
• Reservations - Vail is a very popular resort with international travellers and also locals. If you’re travelling over peak dates (Christmas, New Year, President’s Weekend - 15th February, Half Term, US Spring Break – March 10 – 24th , and Easter) I would highly recommend pre-booking restaurants. If you’re self catering there will be a dining guide in your condo and local calls are free, however if you’re in a hotel, ask the Front Desk as they may charge for local calls.

Self catering:

• Best value and biggest supermarket is Safeway on North Frontage Road.

Best après :

• The Red Lion, located in Vail Village, a real favourite for years, with great beers, live music and yummy nachos!
• Los Amigos for great margaritas and a sun spot overlooking The Vista Bahn. 
• Garfinkels and Mezzaluna are the main hot spots at Lionshead.

Shopping:

• Vail has lots of shops and boutiques, plus if you want some bargins head to Silver Thorne Factory outlet shopping –, everything from Nine West, Levi’s, Timberland & Nike. www.outletsatsilverthorne.com