Home Away from Home at the Elkhorn Lodge in Beaver Creek, Colorado

I recently discovered a true gem for families in Beaver Creek, Colorado.  It’s the Elkhorn Lodge, a ski-in/ski-out lodge situated just minutes from the village.  It’s clean, spacious and comfortable and ideal for a family staying for more than a few days.  It has everything to suit a family’s needs: location, free shuttle service to the resort, fully equipped kitchens, jetted bath tubs and more.  The lodge is actually a condominium with wholly owned condos, but you can pay per night while the owners are away. They are immaculate and the lodge truly offers an experience like being in a home away from home.

We were greeted by name as soon as we arrived and given the full run-down on the hotel, which is about 30-40 minutes from the airport.  It was late at night after arriving from New York, and reception was quick to point out what food could be ordered and delivered and what restaurants would be open in town.  He called a shuttle for us which came immediately for us to ride into town and provided us with information for our stay.  The staff is exceptional and very courteous and remained that way throughout our visit.

The lodge certainly provides for the experience of a real ski vacation.  The decor is mountain and rustic chic with pine furnishings, granite, floor-to-ceiling windows, a fireplace in the lobby and best of all, a moose head gazing over everyone who enters. They serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate and there is always a good supply of granola bars in the lobby (Nature Valley granola bars are found all over the area, as the brand is a big sponsor of Beaver Creek Resort).

The Elkhorn also has an exercise room, free parking, a jacuzzi open until 11pm, and most importantly, free Wifi.  Best of all, if you’re an avid skiier, you can ski in/ski out and ski between Arrowhead, Bachelor Gulch and Beaver Creek villages and they offer ski storage.

When we walked into our suite for the first time, we were immediately impressed and somewhat relieved to find a full kitchen, two bedrooms, living space, two bathrooms, washer &  dyer and lovely patio  Oh, and did I mention an eat-in kitchen?  Given the fully equiped kitchen, it’s easy to make healthy meals for your family, which can be a huge time and cost saving, as well as a relief that you are feeding your kids right while away. The beds are lush and the bedding is really comfortable. There’s a jacuzzi in the master bedroom suite which is fantastic after a day out on the slopes (particularly for aching feet).  The rooms have flat screen TVs and WIFI.  I would imagine that the rooms might look somewhat different as they all have different owners.  Ours featured a photograph in a frame of the owners, adding a personal touch.  Check out some of the photos of our room:

And the views…ahh, the views.  When you wake up and look out the window and see snow covered mountains, it’s pretty grand.

It’s also nice to know that after a full day of skiing, you can come back and not be on top of each other.  The kids can play in one room, you can relax in another, and when you’re ready for a real treat, you can all head to the outside jacuzzi.

My experience at the Elkhorn Lodgeone that I’d recommend to anyone looking for future family vacations in Beaver Creek.  If you are interested in finding more about the offerings at the Elkhorn Lodge visit their web site. You can also visit their Facebook page or join their Twitter handle over at @vbcrp.

They are offering heavy discounts for travel now through April 15th, 2012. Book by that date to save.

To get an even better idea of what the Elkforn Lodge has to offer, watch this video:

Disclosure: Our visit was made complimentary by the team at the Elkhorn Lodge to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.