Thinking of Keystone- any suggestions?

[neverlandclub]

We are considering doing the Concierge collection for Keystone Lodge. Anybody done it? If so, where is it best to stay. They have given me a bunch of different "villages". I was going to go with River Run, but not the ski in, ski out location. Any info is greatly appreciated. We need to decide as we are looking at doing it for spring break. Oh, and is there stuff to do if you don't ski?
TIA

 

[bethsg]

Last Easter we went to Keystone. We had booked a 4 bedroom west Keystone location. When we arrived, we were upgraded to the River Run section. The 4 bedroom unit was amazing. It was a huge townhouse, a short walk to the River Run Gondola. Large Kitchen, eating area, LR with gas fireplace. 2 bedrooms on mail level, each with their own bathroom, 2 on upper level which shared bathroom. It had a 1 car garage in the basement. There was a heated pool and hot tub very closeby. It was very very nice. The River Run village was quaint with restaurants, shops, and periodic entertainment. It was nice to walk with our skis to the gondola. Not too far from Keystone is Breckenridge another larger quaint town with lots of shops and restaurants. We had one of our best vacations ever. I will definately use my points in keystone again.

 

[durango kid]

Let me start by saying that I have never stayed at the Keystore resort. However, I live in Colorado and have been skiing there many,many times. It is beautiful. There is no place like Colorado. Spring Break will be a bit crowded. There is plenty to do for non skiers. Try a dog sled tour! innertubbing and cross country skiing are a blast. Snowmobile rentals are available nearby. In addition to Breckenridge, Copper Mtn and A-Basin are nearby. Vail is less than half an hour away.

Some Colorado insider tips. Bring sunscreen, LOTS of sunscreen. I promise a sunburn if you don't. Sunglasses are a must. Bring lotion, again lots of lotion, we have zero humidity. drink lots of water, see above. Cut way back on booze, you'll get have a buzz just from the altitude, not kidding. Have fun.

 

[DOOGIERUNNER]

Durango Kid,

We're heading to Breckenridge this summer. Do you have any suggestions for "must do's"?

 

[ti2xgrr]

Breckenridge is a great place for summer. There is a music festival sometime over the summer (I think, I couldn't find any information on their websites), but there is hiking, mountain biking, shopping, boating, fishing, gold mine tours, etc. Breckenridge is in Summit County and there are several towns close, including Copper Mountain and Keystone. Also great resturants, we only go up in the summer. Once again like durango kid said, even in summer bring lots of sunscreen and drink lots of water. Also with the altitude cut back on the alcohol.

 

[neverlandclub]

I can attest to the altitude causing a buzz by itself. I went out for the first time in November for SIL's wedding in Aspen. Boy, you really have to pound the water or your will get dryed out so fast. I tried to drink 2 glasses of water for each drink I had. And I still was really buzzed.
Thanks for the info it.Sounds like a nice area to be.
Any other info, keep it coming. TIA

 

[dbond]

We've been to Keystone using the Concierge Collection multiple times. The River Run are is definitely the best, IMHO. We've done both, the ski-in/ski-out, which is top notch luxury accommodations and an unbelievable bottom of the Gondola location and the River Run village area. It was fun to experience the more luxurious accommodations once, but unless you have plenty of points to burn, I think the village area is a much better deal. The village is a short walk from the Gondola, no roads to cross, just a foot bridge over a stream and there you are. The accommodations in River Run village are nice, basic condos, plenty of room but not overly spacious like we're used to at the DVC resorts. The good thing about being in the village is you are just a few steps away from the shopping, restaurants & night life. At the ski-in/ski-out, you have to drive or walk at night in the dark.

As for things to do in Keystone, if you have a sled, you can go over to the sledding area at the golf course, that is a lot of fun. This is the same place where the cross country skiing areas begin. Try that if you've never done it. It's great exercise. You can ice skate on the pond at the Keystone Village/Lodge area. You can do a carriage ride at night or ride the Gondola at night for dinner to the fondue place on the top of the mountain. There is also night skiing, this is a really cool thing to do if you've never done it. It's kinda freaky to the senses though. I think you should be a fairly confident skiier to night ski. You can also book excursions to go snowmobiling or dog sledding. We went snowmobiling in Breckenridge. They came and picked us up and drove us over there. And then there's the tubing! In our experience at Keystone, they have changed the tubing locations a few times. Once it was at the top of the Gondola. That was a harrowing experience. Another time it was over at the Mountainhouse lift. Not as steep, but just as fast. We love Keystone, it's a great family ski destination! Enjoy!

 

[neverlandclub]

Thanks dbond. Sounds like River Run is the place to be.
I have a question about altitude sickness. We will be arriving Sat evening in Denver, and making the drive to Keystone the next afternoon. Should I be worried about my kids. I was ok last time but my kids have never been. My DS, who nearly died of pneumonia at age 4, is now 12 1/2. I still worry that his lungs might be weaker than everyone else. In addition, I have DD's ages 1,5, and 10. My husband thinks as long as we stay in Denver for a night, they will be ok. What are the signs of altitude sickness? Has anyone had any problems with this? My husband and son are the primary skiers of our family.
Thanks again for all the great info. I am very excited, just a little nervous about the altitude.

 

[dbond]

Nausea, light headedness, dizzyness are all symptoms of altitude sickness. Like another poster said, pump them full of water starting the day before you leave. Drinking lots of water, keeping your body fully hydrated really helps with adjusting to the altitude. Spending a night in Denver will certainly help as well. We chaperone bus trips to CO occasionally and the kids that always get sick are the ones that didn't bring the big bottle of water that they were instructed to bring.

 

[bongo59]

we did keystone for Xmas several yrs ago and stayed in the river run section as well............it was to die for...........great great use of DVC points in our opinion..........we are going again for Xmas 2005 with 12 family members

 

[durango kid]

Hello again from 6600 feet of altitude!

things to do to combat altitude sickness. 1. water and lots of it, as I said before, also I am a BIG believer in Gatorade. Have the kids sip it all the time. 2. Walk slowly, remember, you're on vacation, you're coming from sea level. The air is much thinner and much, much drier. Keystone and Brekenridge are in the 8000-9000 altitude range, think of it as going two miles straight up from your house. That's where Coloradans live.

Things to do in Breck in the summer. They have the worlds highest yacht club. Rent a boat in Lake Dillon, but don't expect to swim. The water will still be freezing. There is world class fly fishing in the area. During the summer the ski area is used as an Alpine Slide. TONS-O-FUN. You can also take a mtn bike down the slopes. I also believe there is a huge maze for the kids to enjoy. If you golf, Colorado makes you look better than normal, add 10% to your drives. Frisbee golf on the Mtn side is fun for the whole family. for the REALLY FIT and ambitious, there are several mountain peaks over 14,000 in the area. There is nothing like the view from the top. Take it slow though. If you haven't decided where to stay yet, The Black Swan, bed and breakfast is very romantic and the food is great. Try the stuffed french toast.

I am sorry this is so long, and I know I sound like I work for the Chamber of Commerce.

 

[wintergreen]

We went to Keystone on points last year, and stayed in the village with the lowest number of points required (I can't remember what it was called). Our two bedroom condo was spacious, but did show quite a bit of wear. The condos in River Run are much newer. Also, we had to take a bus each day to get to the ski lift. This worked fine, but was a bit of a hassle. If we do this again, I will probably reserve in the River Run section, so that we can just walk to the lift or gondola.

 

[bethsg]

The Altitude did effect us. I would plan for a day or 2 extra in your vacation to give yourself time to adjust. We drank lots of water, but found the best remedy to be asprin. We felt like we had hang overs unless we kept taking our aspirin. And then on day 3 I woke up feeling normal again. We live in MD at about 400 above sea level. Although, in talking to other people, we did well. Some people get really sick throwing up, and feeling very ill. Very good point about suntain lotion. We got very very sunburned. Altitutude and sunburn aside,
I would go again in heartbeat...

 

[neverlandclub]

Thanks for the heads up. We live in Maryland as well. I never felt really sick when I was out there, just a little off for the first day. I intend to make sure my kids drink tons of water and keep an eye on them since they have never been up that high.

 

[Freddi6440]

I did riverun last january, not ski in/out but it was a very short walk to the main gondola. The village is nice they have an outdoor fire going at night, there are shops, restaurants & 2 night spots in the village. The 2 bedroom condo was nice it had a murphy bed & a sofa sleeper so it slept a lot of people 10 of us went. We had lots of room.

 

[kadaten]

I have no suggestions, but if you want another opinion, you can call my guide, Glen Wilson.....I do believe he goes there every year using his DVC points

 

[Freddi6440]

Thanks for the tip

 

[jade1]

Last Easter we went to Keystone. We had booked a 4 bedroom west Keystone location. When we arrived, we were upgraded to the River Run section. The 4 bedroom unit was amazing. It was a huge townhouse, a short walk to the River Run Gondola. Large Kitchen, eating area, LR with gas fireplace. 2 bedrooms on mail level, each with their own bathroom, 2 on upper level which shared bathroom. It had a 1 car garage in the basement. There was a heated pool and hot tub very closeby. It was very very nice. The River Run village was quaint with restaurants, shops, and periodic entertainment. It was nice to walk with our skis to the gondola. Not too far from Keystone is Breckenridge another larger quaint town with lots of shops and restaurants. We had one of our best vacations ever. I will definately use my points in keystone again.

Same here 2 years ago this week. 3BR looking right at the Mountain and gondola. Parking under the one were in was a huge garage. Beautiful. Nice little downtown right there. Visit Breck and Vail-great downtowns.

 

[Machta]

We live about an hour and a half from Keystone, and have stayed there many times. It is a large resort with good shuttle bus transportation from one location to another--so long as you don't compare it to Disney (which isn't really fair!). The River Run section is the newest resort area, and while the rooms are much smaller there is a lot to do in that area. As I recall, www.keystoneresorts.com has an interactive map of all the "villages." After you make your reservation, call quickly and see if you can get reservations for the hayrides or other "passport" activities that are either free or at reduced cost. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[sssteele]

My wife and I started out as cross country skiers about 20 years or so ago. We still enjoy cross country skiing, but after a week trip to Vermont with no "natural" snow we tried downhill skiing about ten years ago. I took to it more than she did, and then in Jan '04 she shredded her ACL. Although she has had a surgery replacement (cadaver), I don't know if she'll ever be able to try downhill skiing again. I wouldn't blame her because of the psychology involved - it was a nasty injury, and a tough rehab for her at the age of 55. (She just had her last physical therapy after surgery June 6th of this year). How's the cross country skiing at Keystone? Another question - how many points for nice accomodations for two people?