# Colorado Resorts: Westin Riverfront vs. Sheraton Steamboat



## J&JFamily (Jan 8, 2010)

Hi everyone, we are thinking of spending some of our vacation time in Colorado this summer doing outdoor activities with the kids (we have a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old).  Any recommendations on whether to stay at the Westin Riverfront or the Sheraton Steamboat.  I am assuming that these are a bit nicer resorts compared to the Sheraton Mtn Vista and the Lakeside Terrace.  Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.


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## melclark1 (Jan 8, 2010)

I can only comment on the Sheraton Steamboat because we stayed there for about 5 days last summer.  We have a 7 year old and a 5 year old.   The inside of the villas are beautiful.  The outside isn't very attractive.  The location is perfect for winter activities, but during the summer the landscape is a little ugly on the bottom of the moutain which is what your view will be.  You are overlooking the ski mountain and a lot of other condos and the lifts.   The location to get to the top of the mountain for mountain biking and hiking is great.  You are within steps of the gondola.  There are tons of trails at the top that go in many different directions.  My 2 boys and I hiked down the mountain from the top while my husband mountain biked.  It took us HOURS!  They were exhausted, but thought it was very cool.  We did find ourselves leaving and traveling to other areas for hiking, etc.  We drove up to Steamboat lake and rented kayaks.  We did the rodeo which the boys really loved...although a bit long for them.  There is an alpine slide...although it is a bit run down.  The town is cute, but the hotel is not located very close to it...definitely not within walking distance.  My boys loved Fish Creek Falls and spent an entire morning there playing in the creek and collecting rocks.  It was their favorite spot...although very touristy!  All in all, we enjoyed our stay.  If you are going there for the hiking outdoor activities it is great.  I was, however, extremely surprised at how built up the area is.  I guess I was picturing it to be a little less busy and a bit more quaint, but if you know that going in you won't be disappointed.    

The one drawback is that it was about a 3 hour drive from Denver.  The drive is beautiful, but still quite a hike.

I hope someone can add more information for you on the Westin Riverfront.  I am anxious to hear how it compares.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask!


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## aytug (Jan 8, 2010)

J&JFamily said:


> Hi everyone, we are thinking of spending some of our vacation time in Colorado this summer doing outdoor activities with the kids (we have a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old).  Any recommendations on whether to stay at the Westin Riverfront or the Sheraton Steamboat.  I am assuming that these are a bit nicer resorts compared to the Sheraton Mtn Vista and the Lakeside Terrace.  Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.



I live in Colorado and we stay at both resorts on weekends all the time. Both are very very nice lovely places and you are right, both are far superior to Lakeside Terrace and Vista (I would not recommend Vista to anyone). Of course both a primarily winter ski resorts, but in the summer there is plenty to do as well: hiking, mountain biking, fishing - you name it. Steamboat is 4-5 hour drive from Denver, Avon is only 2 hours, so keep that in mind as well. Riverfront charges you a resort charge of $20 plus a valet parking (there is no such thing as free parking there) for $25/night. As far as a I recall there is no resort charge in Steamboat and definitely no parking charge.

I personally like Steamboat more than Riverfront, but it is a matter of personal preference. The gondola runs in the summer most of the day and it is free between 3 and 4 pm. They have some construction going on so this spoils the view a bit, but not a big deal in my opinion. The mountain is beautiful. They rent bikes right at the resort ($40/hour) and mountain biking is great experience. The town is lovely and quiet - there is a park 40 min drive away, with beautiful nature. There is also a natural hot springs site 30 min away from the resort. And of course - the hot tubs on the roof !!!, something you do not see in a lot of other places. 

Important to note, that villas at Steamboat are not lock-offs, while in Riverfront they are. Riverfront is also a very nice place, a lot more life around than in Steamboat: the town of Beaver Creek, Avon, Vail, Glenstone Springs -- all within 20-30 miles. Both places are great, feel free to ask about specifics.

Btw, just rented a 2bd room villa in Steamboat for $100/night on the 50% off owner rate promotion. Incredible.


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## aytug (Jan 8, 2010)

J&JFamily said:


> Hi everyone, we are thinking of spending some of our vacation time in Colorado this summer doing outdoor activities with the kids (we have a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old).  Any recommendations on whether to stay at the Westin Riverfront or the Sheraton Steamboat.  I am assuming that these are a bit nicer resorts compared to the Sheraton Mtn Vista and the Lakeside Terrace.  Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.



want to add one more thing. if you are SPG Platinum, Riverfront resort (located next to the villas building) is the best value I have seen in the system. At a minimum you almost always get upgraded into what they call a suite (has a mini kitchen, fridge, silverware etc). Usually however they upgrade you into a 1 bedroom apartment, sort of like a 1bd room villa, but a little different, with all amenities imaginable. Simply a fantastic deal. The property is almost brand new.


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## zinger1457 (Jan 9, 2010)

aytug said:


> Riverfront charges you a resort charge of $20 plus a valet parking (there is no such thing as free parking there) for $25/night. As far as a I recall there is no resort charge in Steamboat and definitely no parking charge.



Those fees apply only if staying at the Riverfront Resort, there are no resort or parking fees if staying in the Riverfront Villas.


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## spuppy (Jan 9, 2010)

Our family of four spent a week during ski season at both locations. 

Overall experience was great in both cases.  

As for rooms, the 2 bedroom at steamboat is considerably larger than 2 bedroom lock-out at westin riverfront.  

Sheraton has separate, full-sized laundry room with side-by-side washer and dryer, versus vertically stacked washer dryer in a closet at the westin.

Both resorts have nice lobbies and a restaurant/bar.  Westin restaurant is more upscale and was crowded and hopping every night we were there.

In terms of skiing, sheraton steamboat is much more convenient since lifts and gondola are right outside the door, and you can ski-in to the resort.  For comparison, beaver creek ski area can be reached from westin riverfront, but it takes gondola + 2 lifts + 3 miles of skiing to get to beaver creek village, and getting back to resort from ski area is much less convenient and not ski-in.

Town of steamboat is a lot of fun and has real western charm.  But you need to take bus/shuttle to get there.

Town of avon is right out the door from Westin, but mostly strip malls.  Beaver Creek is 5 minute shuttle ride and very nice, but more expensive.  

For family, I would recommend sheraton steamboat for convenience and more casual atmosphere.  For couples, I would recommend westin riverfront for more upscale and lively scene and lots of upscale restaurants to choose from.


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## J&JFamily (Jan 9, 2010)

aytug said:


> Btw, just rented a 2bd room villa in Steamboat for $100/night on the 50% off owner rate promotion. Incredible.



That does sound like a great deal.  Did you find that on the signature escapes section of the My Star Central website?  If so, what was its title?  Also, what time of year did you get that rate for?


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## Fletcher921 (Jan 9, 2010)

aytug said:


> Both are very very nice lovely places and you are right, both are far superior to Lakeside Terrace and Vista (I would not recommend Vista to anyone).



We are staying at Vista at the end of March with our two snowboarders.  Why would you not recommend to anyone?


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## aytug (Jan 9, 2010)

zinger1457 said:


> Those fees apply only if staying at the Riverfront Resort, there are no resort or parking fees if staying in the Riverfront Villas.



I guess i confused the two


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## aytug (Jan 9, 2010)

J&JFamily said:


> That does sound like a great deal.  Did you find that on the signature escapes section of the My Star Central website?  If so, what was its title?  Also, what time of year did you get that rate for?



This is the SVOWN50 promotion you get for paying MF early and the rate is for July 4 holidays. You can get a 2000 sq ft 3bd room for $150/night (!!), but only for three days.


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## DVB42 (Jan 10, 2010)

Fletcher921 said:


> We are staying at Vista at the end of March with our two snowboarders.  Why would you not recommend to anyone?



We have stayed at Vista in Avon twice during ski season. I highly recommend Vista. It is not ski-in/ski-out but is very easy to get to the slopes. The easiest way in my opinion is to walk to the gondola at the Westin. It is a 300 yrd walk. I usualy walk there in gym shoes and carry my skis, boots and poles. The gondola takes you to the ticket office where lockers are available. I find this very easy. Your two snowboarders will have not trouble doing this. Another easy way to get to te slopes is on the shuttle bus. 

The spa includes a steam room, sauna, weights, excersise equipment, an indoors hot tub and an outdoors hot tub and pool. We all like the outdoor tub during winter. The winter activites are a lot of fun. If you enjoy outdoor activities you will not be disapointed.


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## djp (Jan 11, 2010)

*


Fletcher921 said:



			We are staying at Vista at the end of March with our two snowboarders.  Why would you not recommend to anyone?
		
Click to expand...

*

I pm'd the poster who said they would not recommend SMV to anyone, and asked the same question. Other than the resort having no air conditioning, it sounded like just a freak bad experience, dirty room etc. I have stayed at SMV multiple times, and have never had any of those negative experiences, always found the rooms to be clean and to have newer bedding, furniture etc. It can be a bit warm, but opening the windows always has taken care of that, if facing the highway opening the windows can let in a bit or road noise, so request a mountain view.


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## Fletcher921 (Jan 11, 2010)

We will request a MTN view.  If room is too warm, we'll open the window.  Still looking forward to our stay and the hot tub.

Any good restaurants withing walking distance??


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## spuppy (Jan 11, 2010)

All the locals told me pazzo's pizzeria was the best pizza in vail/avon/beaver creek.  We went there, and it was pretty good NY style pizza.  It is a short walk from sheraton in avon.

The avondale restaurant in the westin is good, but expensive.  When I was there over the holidays, it was popular and difficult to get a reservation.


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## DVB42 (Jan 11, 2010)

Fletcher921 said:


> We will request a MTN view.  If room is too warm, we'll open the window.  Still looking forward to our stay and the hot tub.
> 
> Any good restaurants withing walking distance??



I hope they get more snow before you go in March. It has been a light year. 

I have not tried any restaurants within walking distance, but in Edwards (~5 miles away) there are several good ones. I especially liked "DISH." My older children took me there. When I first walked in, I thought the place was not for me. I was a quick convert though when they started bringing the food. It was VERY VERY good.


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## J&JFamily (Jan 12, 2010)

aytug said:


> This is the SVOWN50 promotion you get for paying MF early and the rate is for July 4 holidays. You can get a 2000 sq ft 3bd room for $150/night (!!), but only for three days.



Thanks to everyone for the info, especially this piece of info on the promotion.  We are going to stay at the Westin Riverfront for a little more than a week, but we might also book a couple of days at the Sheraton Steamboat just to compare.  Does anyone have a recommendation as to what to request at the Westin Riverfront?  Keep in mind that we're going in summer so there won't be any "snow view" to seek.  I was thinking upper floor but anyone have any suggestions?


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## zinger1457 (Jan 12, 2010)

J&JFamily said:


> Thanks to everyone for the info, especially this piece of info on the promotion.  We are going to stay at the Westin Riverfront for a little more than a week, but we might also book a couple of days at the Sheraton Steamboat just to compare.  Does anyone have a recommendation as to what to request at the Westin Riverfront?  Keep in mind that we're going in summer so there won't be any "snow view" to seek.  I was thinking upper floor but anyone have any suggestions?



Are you staying at the Riverfront Villas or Resort?  If staying at the Villas ask for a mountain/river view, nice views of the Beaver Creek area.  The entire first floor is the SVO sales offices so anything above it will be good, higher the better.  The building is on a steep slope and they do have a floor of rooms below the first floor that face the mountain, these would not be my first choice for privacy reasons and most of your view will probably be blocked by trees.


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## J&JFamily (Jan 13, 2010)

zinger1457 said:


> Are you staying at the Riverfront Villas or Resort?  If staying at the Villas ask for a mountain/river view, nice views of the Beaver Creek area.  The entire first floor is the SVO sales offices so anything above it will be good, higher the better.  The building is on a steep slope and they do have a floor of rooms below the first floor that face the mountain, these would not be my first choice for privacy reasons and most of your view will probably be blocked by trees.



We are staying at the Riverfront Villas not the resort.  Thanks for the info, that is very helpful!  Anyone ever stay at the Sheraton Steamboat Villas?  If so, any recommendation(s) on what floor/view to request there?  Thanks in advance.


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## drharveys (Feb 3, 2010)

We've stayed at Mountain Vista several times.  No major complaints -- actually we kinda like the place.

First off, the Avon library will issue you a temporary card and they have a darned good and FREE DVD collection.  See a few classics and some recent films you've missed without paying resort prices.

Also, check the schedule for the Vilar Performing Arts Center at Beaver Creek.  All styles of music and/or dance, so if something you like is there, don't miss it.

In the restaurant department:

Bob's is a great coffee shop/sandwich/breakfast place.  The Chinese restaurant in the same building is also quite good, and I'm picky.  Both are an easy walk from either Riverfront or Vista.

Agave, which requires a short drive or bus ride, is excellent for upscale Mexican.  I recommend the paella diablo, but all their stuff is good.

For "downscale Mexican", I prefer Carniceria Tepec.  Mamacita's home cooking with regional seasoning.  Very popular with house painters and ski bums.

EVERY restaurant in Beaver Creek is superb.  Just bring an appetite and $$$.

There's a brew pub in Edwards that serves a great ahi burger.  Microbrews and other sandwiches are also good.

Yeah, you can eat your way across Avon and never have to go to a chain restaurant that's around the corner from home.

Enjoy!


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