The Grand Colorado on Peak 8

The location won me over after I compared a lot of resorts before my first visit to Breckenridge. I booked a one-bedroom apartment that sleeps up to four, and the renovated room feels inviting, with a working fireplace. The staff have been friendly and helpful, and I appreciate that there are no mandatory valet fees like at Wyndham. Update after checkout: We had a fantastic vacation and will definitely be back. We used the indoor/outdoor pool even though it was in the 30s outside, enjoyed the outdoor hot tub, watched movies in their five theaters, and ate at the resort restaurant. This really is an amazing place.

The location was perfect, but we arrived late to find no water in our rooms, with everything already closed. The pressure is very low, too. If you're coming on the timeshare discount, be ready to spend three hours of your life listening to a pitch that never adds up mathematically.

The check-in process was a mess, and the customer service felt disappointing and inefficient. I arrived around 2 p.m., two hours before the standard 4 p.m. check-in, and was told there was absolutely no chance of getting in early. That surprised me because I travel often and have almost always been allowed to check in early when rooms were available, even earlier in the day. Then I waited in line for about 30 minutes while the receptionist helped people ahead of me exchange merchandise and sort out a sweatshirt issue instead of keeping the check-in line moving. It was frustrating when all I was trying to do was get to my room. One of the worst hotel check-in experiences I've had. Not worth buying anything here.

The property is very nice and the staff are friendly, and it seems newer than many places in Breck. I love Breckenridge and the ski-in/ski-out location is great, but I felt fooled by the luxury five-star advertising and the $600+ nightly rate. The hotel falls short in several important ways. A 10 a.m. checkout seems unreasonable to me. At resorts I've stayed at across the country and internationally, the earliest standard checkout is usually 11 or noon. I asked to stay until 11 and was quoted another $50. There's no room service or complimentary bottled water, either, which surprised me at this price level. Our room had no shower curtain. When one was brought up, it wasn't installed, so we had to do it ourselves. The kitchenette was short on basic utensils, and for four people there weren't enough towels until we requested more. The pool and hot tubs are very small for a luxury ski resort, there's nowhere to get evening snacks or drinks, and the room safe didn't work. Next time I'll look for better value and stay somewhere else.