When heading to the resorts of Colorado — Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, there are a host of options, from timeshare and condos to resorts and hotels. Largely, you want to stay as central as you can whether you’re coming to ski in the winter, or hike and mountain bike in the summer. I recently stayed at The Charter in Beaver Creek, where you can choose from Beaver Creek hotel rooms to Beaver Creek condos.
The condos are cozy and authentic, each one decorated a little differently. I think they do a really good job at mixing western cabin feeling with modern hotel room, complete with all the amenities you’d want to have on vacation.
The fireplace is of course a nice touch, summer or winter (I used mine in June), and because you have a full kitchen, you can either cook in or opt to head out to one of the umpteen restaurants in the greater Beaver Creek area. Here’s a great resource for a healthy listing of what’s on offer in the area, and also check out my review on The Black Diamond Bistro, one of the restaurant options at The Charter.
The other thing that is key for me when I travel is efficient service and a sense of warmth and authenticity about a place, both of which The Charter had, from the check-in process to the bellman to the people I met at the pool. I did find my way to the hot tub fairly quickly after check in knowing that I wouldn’t have much time ‘after the fact.’
The bedrooms are also decorated differently depending on the condo or room you choose, but all have the kind of warmth you want from a Colorado resort and my condo, there were two bathrooms.
I swam outside AND inside, so you have options depending on the weather or time of day. The pool inside is more of a lap pool but they also have a quiet hot tub alongside it which doesn’t get as busy as the outside one, particularly in the summer.
Not far from the pool is The Charter’s spa, Spa Struck, which I’d recommend adding to your list. I lucked out and got Cynthia, who has a second career in massage therapy. After spending over a decade in the Navy, she studied to become a massage therapist and let’s just say, she’s a natural and her stories are very entertaining. She also understands customer service and it comes across in a warm authentic way opposed to the energy you get from a lot of high-end spas.
They often have specials so it’s worth checking out what their daily and weekly options are, or you can choose from a wide range of choices from traditional massage, hot stones, a service they refer to as Hot Toe Bliss (I had to chuckle), to acupressure chair massage.
If I had more time, I would have loved to try one of their facials. From the Caviar and anti-stress facials to the European-style facial and one catered to acne or aging, they have a wide range of options to choose from depending on your skin type. I’m a fan of natural enzymes and they include this peel as an add-on as well as two other enhancements which sounded like fun: mango hand treatment and the pepperment and eucalyptus foot treatment.
Spoil me baby. You can check out all of their services here. There’s also a gym right next to the check-in and the pools are right around the corner as well. Downstairs, they have a steam room and a sauna depending on your mood.
Disclosure: The Charter hosted my stay but my opinions and expressions are entirely my own. For more posts on Colorado, go to our Colorado page here.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
