Vail Unveiled (Vail)

Member Name: tdjackson

Product:	Vail
Date:	19/01/02 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great skiing, Exclusive, Charming resort

Disadvantages: Expensive, Hard to get to

I went skiing in Vail last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone and I think it is one of the top ski resorts in the world.

Getting there:
The best way to get to Vail is to fly to Denver (this takes 9-10 hours from London) and then take the 35 minute Unites airlines express air shuttle to the small airport of Eagle. From there it is under an hour to Vail.
Where to stay:
We stayed in the Marriott Mountain Resort which was very comfortable and welcoming. It is quite a large hotel situated a 3 minute walk from the main gondola. It is very friendly and they provide you with nice coffee and cookies on your return from a hard day's skiing which is a nice touch. There is an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi and also an outdoor hot tub which is lovely. The rooms are of a good size and very modern and clean and the food in the restaurant is excellent, both for breakfast and dinner.
The skiing:
The skiing in Vail is some of the best in the world. They get very dry snow whch sounds ridiculous but is nonetheless true. This results in soft powder and no slush oricy patches unlike Europe. The skiing is all on one mountain and is serviced from the town by one main gondola and three or four smaller chairs spread along the full length of the town. There is skiing for all abilities and the on mountain restaurants are not overcrowded and full of good food at a reasonable price.
The town:
There is a free bus that travels through the town on a regular basis which is a good service. The resort on the whole is very exclusive which means that it is also very expensive - a decent 3 course meal could easily set you back 30 to 40 pounds without drinks. The town centre itself is small but charming and there are lots of restaurants scattered around away from the town centre.

Summary: