How far in advance do you need to book for Breck/Vail?

[ScottishSki]

I'm off to Winter Park and Steamboat next week. Didn't realise it was President's Day weekend the following week when we booked, so we thought about adding a few days on for Breck, but it was impossible to get accommodation. Added on the time in Steamboat instead.

Anyway, it got me think we should book a wee weekend away in either Breck or Vail as well. Are we likely to be able to get accommodation in say a month's time or would I be wasting my time looking? Are they areas you have to book months in advance?

Thanks

 

[Robyn]

Well, I think most of the time you can find something just a few weeks out but President's Day weekend is huge here. So much so that my ski team program doesn't practice and the only thing getting me up there that weekend is an epic dump and somebody else driving.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I'm off to Winter Park and Steamboat next week. Didn't realise it was President's Day weekend the following week when we booked, so we thought about adding a few days on for Breck, but it was impossible to get accommodation. Added on the time in Steamboat instead.

Anyway, it got me think we should book a wee weekend away in either Breck or Vail as well. Are we likely to be able to get accommodation in say a month's time or would I be wasting my time looking? Are they areas you have to book months in advance?

Thanks

It kind of depends on what you're looking for, I think. We were always able to get a hotel room in, say, the La Quinta in Silverthorne. But then you have a 20-25 minute drive to Breck. Not sure about Vail, but for Beaver Creek, there's Christie Lodge in Avon. It's kind of ... special, but it's a place to crash.

If you're looking for more of a ski-out / resort experience / fine living kind of thing .... well, I can't really speak to that =)

 

[Toucan]

There are deals to be found on there, especially if you go VRBO. Most owners want to rent at least 5 days to offset set-up/clean-up costs. But in general, rentals are off this year as they were last year despite the epic snowfalls. If you want to stay at a hotel, you have to take what you can get, but try hotels.com or sidestep.com to compare. I have AAA which affords me some discounted pricing, and if you're in the military or work for the govt you save a lot. As far as advance booking, you'll need a bit more notice if you go VRBO than a hotel so you can pre-pay, etc. Good luck!