Westwind at Vail

Our room was lovely, had excellent amenities, and could easily sleep six. The walk down the lion's head was a little awkward, but still just a walk. The real problem was the noise from the family above us. We were on the third floor of a four-story building, and morning and afternoon sounded like thumping, banging, and shuffling nonstop. They had three young kids, and it was like a track meet overhead. With the way the building is constructed, there probably wasn’t much anyone could do, but it still felt unfair to us.

Being steps from the shops and skiing made the location a real plus, and the cleaning service was good. The condo was smaller than the pictures suggested, with dated interiors and exterior, tiny bathrooms, and very few pots and pans for a place with a kitchen. The building and unit could use upgrades, though it wasn’t bad. I’d stay again, but would choose a nicer condo with better amenities if I could. If you’re driving, the underground garage is small and tricky to get in and out of. For a last-minute option, I really can’t complain. 3.5 stars for the condo quality, with the location making up for it.

I keep coming back, and the friendly front desk is always a plus. Over the last couple of years they’ve made some nice upgrades, including redoing the main lobby and improving the pool area most recently. I like to ask for unit 101 or 303 since both have been renovated recently. The Lionshead gondola is only steps away, too.

We rented a well-equipped three-bedroom condo for four days at a decent price compared with the other places we considered. The furnishings were budget-level, but my main complaint was not getting check-in instructions ahead of time. We were arriving late, so I called two hours before we got there. They said they couldn’t give us the instructions over the phone until we were at the building. We did reach them and got the details on arrival, but I’m not sure what we would have done if our phone battery had died.