Coskier

What is your budget? Vail is going to be pricey. I do not think you can find dicounts on lifts tickets there. you can find them easily for Breck and Keystone. If $$ is not an issue I'd look at thier website for lesson package deals as skipop suggested. The shuttles are easy as long as you are near the mountain. We stayed once in East Vail and the bus took nearly 45 min to get to the mountain. Be sure to ask how many stops. Most mountains also offer overnight storage for skis.

If your budget is a bit restrictive look at http://www.mtvacations.com for some ideas, also there is a vail on sale site that has been mentioned here but I do not know the exact address, perhaps do a search under Vail. As Grasshopper said there are many 1 bedroom units around plus studios. VRBO has a default search by bedrooms.

Again consider flying into Eagle if your going to Vail, while it maybe a bit more you will save on car rental, plus it is a much easier drive. If you end up in Breck or Keystone then it is about equal distance from Denver as to Eagle.

None of your questions are silly

alliegator

I'm not concerned about where we fly into. As of now, Eagle has better flights using our frequent flyer miles.

Although I'm not stingy with my money...I don't want to just be throwing it away either. What is the average price difference between Vail and Breckenridge? Are we talking a total trip difference of $100 or $1000?

Thanks to amwsou's suggestion, I went to the condo rental website and found a pretty nice 1 bedroom condo in Vail that I was interested in. I'm going to go ahead and check out Breckiridge as well. I did notice the hotels in Vail were pricey if you wanted a kitchenette. Maybe I will get more bang for my buck in Breckinridge.

Can anyone recommend a shuttle service from either Vail or Denver airport to either of these resorts? Since we are choosing a resort like Vail or Breakinridge, we wont be driving around. Plus we are not experienced in driving in the snow.

I appreciate everyones input. It really has helped us!

abram

I believe that Colorado Mpountain Express goes to Vail and Breckenridge.

amwosu

Shuttle service- Colorado Mountain Express is what we use when my kids need to get from Denver International Airport to Aspen or Vail. Just google to find them.

I buy the Denver Gold C coupon book ( a smaller version of the Entertainment Book sold by schools as a fundraiser) for great deals on lift tickets. Just got some off EBay but don't know if anyone is selling them on EBay right now. Email me at [email protected] and let me know your dates and I can snail you my tix for those dates. I'll be there at Christmas so don't need the Feb. tix. Much better prices than what are posted on the resort's website.

Wow... thanks for the slap in the face for my advice about private instructors Coskier. Glad to be told I wasted a couple grand on the boys' favorite little Aussie instructor.

amwosu

I'm sorry, I forgot, the cute little Australian was also in the Olympics for speed skiing....

skipop

As for the private instructor, I would think a level 2 certification (US certification) would be fine for a group of beginners. (In fact, there are many level 1s that would be fine as well). Equally important at this stage is to find someone who matches your preferred teaching style. The ski school can help you find that match if you can;t get personal references. (In fact, I would take Coskier's suggestion and go post a question on epicski.com asking for insturcutor recommendations. They also have an instructor list on the website that has a lot of information about instructors.)

Finally, most importantly, you're going there to have fun. Find someone who skis well and likes to teach beginners. If you like to meet people, the group lesson is an instant resource. Always rememer, skiing is a social sport. When you're on the chairlift or at lunch on the mountain, talk to the person beside you. You can meet a lot of great people.

(Okay, I'm getting preachy. Time to shut up.)

Coskier

amwosu, sorry you took it that way. That was not my intention. While your "cute aussie" may have been a good skier wihtout instructor training you may not get what you pay for. If you are spening that kind of money for a private you should ask about thier certification. That is all I meant.

Alliegator unless you find the price of Breck to be MUCH less than Vail I'd go to Vail. Breck is my least Favorite mountian in the area. Like the town though. Depends on what your going for....

ILLvac

I just stumbled on to the website looking for discount lift ticks for copper mtn. I just got registered and now i hope someone can tell me where the best place is to get discounted tics? Is there combo tics for copper, breck, and keystone? Where going in March and staying at the Quality Inn and suites at Dillon. I too looked at vrbo.com and thought there were some good deals, just didn't want to pay $225+ a night.