Staying in Leadville? (Craig, Vail, Silverthorne: ski resorts, rental homes, condos)

[nidex]

Some of you may have remembered I posted before about a drive through Colorado; still planning to do it, but the plan has changed. We'd like to spend a few days in the ski towns(Breckenridge, Vail, etc). Due to when everybody is able to take off work, it's been bumped to a few days over New Years. The hotels in Breckenridge are mostly booked, and not to mention expensive.

I've been helping research, found a hotel in Silverthorne which is $189 a night and right off the expressway. However we don't mind staying farther out of the way to save an extra hundred bucks a night, and they'd also like to see some scenery. We would probably not be spending much time in Leadville, unless there is some stuff to do around town; but from what I've gathered it's mostly an old mining town(?)

How is 24 & 91 in the winter from Leadville to 70? Does it get closed in snowstorms? Any advice on the town or other places to stay would be appreciated. I'm also wondering about preparation considering it's 2 miles from sea level, and we're coming from the flat Midwest. Any extra precautions or things to do to prepare for the high elevation, aside from take your time with things, stay hydrated, no alcohol, etc?

Thanks in advance.

[delta07]

Well the drive from Leadville to I-70 is difficult even in the summer for many folks, especially if you're not used to mountain driving. Add in a winter snowstorm and you just might be spending your vacation in Leadville. The holidays in ski towns are going to be a little more difficult to find accomodations (and expensive and you are seeing), but have you tried looking at other overnight accomodations, such as condos/houses/etc? You may get more bang for your buck that way. Also look into towns that are along I-70, but not necessarily in the resort areas, such as Idaho Springs or Eagle. If you do decide to stay further away, I would recommend looking at vacation rental homes in Fairplay or Alma, both of which are closer to Breckenridge than Leadville. Hoosier Pass along Hwy. 9 is always open and plowed pretty well.

[nidex]

Actually, looking for vacation rentals completely skipped my mind. Aside from Craigslist, are there any good sites to look at?

[sunsprit]

Unless you've got a specific reason to see Leadville, it's a long way off from the ski resort areas you've mentioned you want to see. You'd be spending a lot of your time commuting if you returned to Leadville each day. Other than seeing a small older residential mining community that doesn't have much for tourist activity during the winter months, there's not much to see in Leadville, which has been hard hit with the shut down of the mines in the area over the last decade or so.

Finding "deals" now in the tourist resort areas is going to be tough as the resorts try to get booked out at the highest rates possible. Depending upon the economics of the tourist biz this year, some may ... and some may not ... get booked up. I think your best option for a "deal" is going to be to wait until the last minute and see what price reductions show up. Sites like "Vail on Sale" are a good place to check for discounted accomodations at the last minute; keep in mind that the property owners have a very perishable commodity and a prime vacation time vacancy is a total loss to them.

Just about anyplace with ready access to the ski resorts will be "expensive" when you're talking about Christmas and New Year's, and many will have a minimum number of days stay during that time frame. On a per-room basis, the best deals will show up on condo's that have multiple bedrooms for all of your group to stay together compared to hotels/motels. Even the places that aren't real close to ski areas but in the mountains will still be "expensive" because there's a huge demand for places just to get away in the hills. This is a traditional time for many families to get together, and a prime personal use time which takes many properties off the rental market, too.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

Unless you've got a specific reason to see Leadville, it's a long way off from the ski resort areas you've mentioned you want to see. You'd be spending a lot of your time commuting if you returned to Leadville each day. Other than seeing a small older residential mining community that doesn't have much for tourist activity during the winter months, there's not much to see in Leadville, which has been hard hit with the shut down of the mines in the area over the last decade or so.

Finding "deals" now in the tourist resort areas is going to be tough as the resorts try to get booked out at the highest rates possible. Depending upon the economics of the tourist biz this year, some may ... and some may not ... get booked up. I think your best option for a "deal" is going to be to wait until the last minute and see what price reductions show up. Sites like "Vail on Sale" are a good place to check for discounted accomodations at the last minute; keep in mind that the property owners have a very perishable commodity and a prime vacation time vacancy is a total loss to them.

Just about anyplace with ready access to the ski resorts will be "expensive" when you're talking about Christmas and New Year's, and many will have a minimum number of days stay during that time frame. On a per-room basis, the best deals will show up on condo's that have multiple bedrooms for all of your group to stay together compared to hotels/motels. Even the places that aren't real close to ski areas but in the mountains will still be "expensive" because there's a huge demand for places just to get away in the hills. This is a traditional time for many families to get together, and a prime personal use time which takes many properties off the rental market, too.

Good advice. I would google vacation home rentals Breckenridge / Silverthorne / Frisco / Dillon / Vail etc and see what you can come up with. You might also consider booking the hotel you found and then canceling within the cancelation period just to ensure you have something if need be. I don't know what the hotel policies are in the resort towns over the holidays, but usually most only require 24 hours notice.

[wanneroo]

One way to find property rentals is to talk to the various property management agencies around there.

I always recommend condos/homes over hotels. It's my preference when traveling around the world and it's what we did when I returned to Vail last month. We rented a big house for 7 people and the cost came in lower than a hotel plus we had all the amenities of a house.

There isn't a whole lot happening in Leadville, especially in winter. Plus you add in the commute which can be nasty if the weather is bad and the very high altitude and I really don't think you'll save much in the end, nor will it enhance your vacation.

Having been a veteran in the tourist biz there I can tell you the busiest time is Christmas and New Years and one of the slowest weeks of the winter starts the first monday after New Years(whatever day that may be). If you go that week you can probably get a really good deal. Otherwise you are basically screwed and all you can do is suck up the extra cost. Christmas/New Years is prime time and the prices reflect that.

However I hear from friends this year is looking bleak for business so I suspect there is going to be wheeling and dealing to get people out there. There are often last minute deals that pop up but don't count on it. But if there is going to be any bargain year this will probably be the one.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Having been a veteran in the tourist biz there I can tell you the busiest time is Christmas and New Years and one of the slowest weeks of the winter starts the first monday after New Years(whatever day that may be). If you go that week you can probably get a really good deal. Otherwise you are basically screwed and all you can do is suck up the extra cost. Christmas/New Years is prime time and the prices reflect that.

Not to mention the fact that everything is extremely busy and crowded. If you enjoy waiting in hour plus lines at the lifts, than New Years is great. If, on the other hand, you actually want to get some skiing in, the week after would be a much better option.