Breckenridge or Vail in October?

[cgards]

Hi all,
Any advice on what resort to choose in early October, Streamside or Mountain Valley? Which resort has better amenities in your opinion? We haven't been to Colorado so we are not familiar with the two areas or resorts. We are looking to hike and bike, do a little shopping, have some great dinners and most of all relax. Thanks for your help and advice!

 

[LAX Mom]

We were in Breckenridge last Sept. and loved it. It was starting to get cool even in Sept., Oct. could be pretty cold & stormy. They celebrated Octoberfest in mid Sept because of the weather in Oct. Breckenridge is 9,500 feet in altitude, so the weather changes quickly in the fall.

Edited to add......
Although we drove around Vail, I've never stayed there. I'm not sure the weather is that different than Breckenridge, but it might be a lower elevation.
Neither the Marriott Vacation Club properties in Breck or Vail were developed by Marriott and they really aren't up to current (newer) Marriott standards. We stayed at the property in Breck for a couple of nights and were pleasantly surprised, but it doesn't have the amenities that the Marriott built resorts include. We drove by the Marriotts in Vail (Streamside) and they look a little worn. I don't think the Streamside location participates in MR points, so you don't get nights credit for staying there.
We exchanged into Grand Lodge on Peak 7 in Breckenridge and it was very impressive. It is probably the nicest timeshare resort in Breckenridge. I know the Hyatt is also popular and is located near Main Street in town. I would recommend looking at some other options besides Marriott in Breck & Vail.

 

[FractionalTraveler]

Hi all,
Any advice on what resort to choose in early October, Streamside or Mountain Valley? Which resort has better amenities in your opinion? We haven't been to Colorado so we are not familiar with the two areas or resorts. We are looking to hike and bike, do a little shopping, have some great dinners and most of all relax. Thanks for your help and advice!

These are two different experiences. Both are nice.

We are partial to Vail as we think it has better restaurants and amenities in the area for our family. Breckenridge on the other hand is more cost effective.

FT

 

[EducatedConsumer]

If you are the least bit amenable to Altitude Sickness, there's a good chance you'll be more affected by the altitude in Breckenridge, than Vail.

Here are a few distinctions to ponder:

More of everything (recreation, golf, retail, restaurants, culture, etc) in Vail;

Marriott's Mountain Valley Lodge in Breckenridge is near centrally located in the town of Breckenridge, but Marriott's StreamSide at Vail is in West Vail, and about a mile or two outside of the Lionshead and Vail Villages;

Mountain Valley Lodge has only studios and one-bedroom villas; the one-bedroom villas are very large;

StreamSide at Vail has a mix of studios, one, one-bedroom lofts and two-bedroom villas, depending on which building you are in. The Evergreen Building (all two-bedroom villas) was built by Marriott, and feels like a Marriott. Personally, I think the other buildings do not feel like a Marriott, nor do I think the resort feels like a Marriott Vacation Club resort. Vail is a favorite of ours, but StreamSide at Vail is not a favorite.

We like Vail for lots of reasons in the fall, including its proximity to Aspen.

If you fly into Vail Eagle Airport, American may have discontinued their flights into EGE by October, possibly leaving only connections via Denver on another airline.

 

[Robert D]

I've stayed in both Marriotts, Mountain Lodge in Breck last September and Streamside (Douglas) in Vail last October, and in my opinion, the Vail resort is much nicer and I prefer Vail. Marriott didn't build the Breck resort and only built one of the three Marriott buildings in Vail, the Evergreen building. Evergreen is all two bedrooms and the floor plan is very similar to Marriott Timber Lodge in Tahoe, a typical Marriott 2BR floorplan. However, the Douglas building has undergone substantial refurbishment the past couple years and in my opinion, it and Evergreen are very close to Marriott standards, although the Douglas floor plans are different. Douglas has wood burning fireplaces that you won't find in Evergreen or the newer Marriotts. Birch is a notch down from these two buildings but is still very nice, and IMHO, nicer than the Breck Marriott.

The Vail facility has a really nice ($5 million) clubhouse with a heated indoor/outdoor pool, hot tubs, sauna, steam room, kids playroom, gym, and racquetball court. Evergreen and Birch also have hot tubs (Douglas is close to the main clubhouse and doesn't need a hot tub). The Breck Marriott was all studios when Marriott took it over and is an old building that they've tried to maintain. They combined two studios to make the one bedroom units. The main allure to it is that it is right by the lifts but that's not a factor in Oct. Vail is beautiful in early Oct as the Aspen trees are turning and is a fair amount more upscale than Breck. I also like the fact that the altitude is quite a bit lower (about 8,100 ft. vs. 9,500 with Grand Lodge on Peak 7 being over 10,000 ft.).

We had a good time in both towns but are going back to Vail this Oct.

 

[jeepie]

Hi all,
Any advice on what resort to choose in early October, Streamside or Mountain Valley? Which resort has better amenities in your opinion? We haven't been to Colorado so we are not familiar with the two areas or resorts. We are looking to hike and bike, do a little shopping, have some great dinners and most of all relax. Thanks for your help and advice!

Although you didn't mention it, you may also want to consider the Ritz Carlton Club Vail. A big step above the others, much better Vail location than Streamside. You can stay on DC points at a great value Sunday through Thursday nights in October. Cheers.

 

[Steve]

I prefer Vail over Breckenridge, but both are nice resort areas. In addition to what has already been said, here are a couple of additional comments:

Vail has European architecture and charm. Breckenridge has an old west feel with a number of historic Victorian buildings.

If you go the first week of October, the aspen leaves may still be on the trees. (Later in the month, they will be gone.) Autumn in Colorado is spectacular if you are there when the leaves are at their peak. Vail is better for fall color than Breckenridge as there are more aspen trees in Vail and the surrounding area. Breckenridge has mostly pine trees, many of which are dead, unfortunately.

Vail definitely has better restaurants and higher end shopping. There are lots of great outdoor activities in both locations.

As has been said, I think the Evergreen building at the Marriott in Vail is much nicer than the Marriott in Breckenridge. The Hyatt Mountain Lodge in Beaver Creek is also a bit fancier than the Hyatt Main Street Station in Breckenridge, but I would be happy to stay at either of the Hyatts.

Have fun whichever town you choose!

Steve

 

[FractionalTraveler]

These are two different experiences. Both are nice.

We are partial to Vail as we think it has better restaurants and amenities in the area for our family. Breckenridge on the other hand is more cost effective.

FT

Here is a great offering for this year.

Vail Restaurant Week

September 26, 2014 - October 05, 2014.

This fall will kick off the second annual 2014 Vail Beaver Creek Restaurant Week, September 26th – October 5th! With participating restaurants spanning across two neighboring World Class Mountain Resorts, Vail and Beaver Creek, this culinary celebration takes dining to new heights, literally! The ten day long event will feature a wide variety of prix fixe menus and specials all set at $20.14 and all showcasing the incredible and diverse culinary offerings available throughout the Vail and Beaver Creek Villages. To further enhance each guest’s dining experience, each bite will be perfectly paired with spectacular autumn views spread across the stunning mountain backdrops provided by Vail and Beaver Creek.

You can get more info about the Vail Beaver Creek Restaurant Week at: http://diningataltitude.com/

FT