Lions Gate Pines by Stay Winter Park

A lovely two-bedroom condo in a great location, with quick access to Fraser, Winter Park, and the National Park. Vail, Breckenridge, and Denver Airport are roughly two hours away.

It’s convenient, but terribly outdated and shoddy. Maintenance has a lot to improve, and it feels like money is going somewhere besides keeping the place in good shape. I know it’s old, but basic fixes should happen: replace broken or missing items like closet doors and soap dishes, and fit proper shower curtain rods. Get rid of the cots and invest in decent beds and bedding, too. The dust-infested carpets need to go in favor of some kind of hard flooring.

Our family has been coming for more than 60 years, and this is an amazing family spot. With the game room, saunas, and outdoor pool, it’s one of the few places where we trust our kids to be safe while doing their own thing and feeling independent and free. It’s an old-school Winter Park stay in the middle of town, near a bus stop for the mountain. I believe it was built in the 1940s or 50s, so keep that in mind. Some places hold on to their history and keep making memories; others just make money. If you enjoy it here, you’re our kind of people, and we hope you keep coming back.

The soft sheets and working heat were definite pluses, but the beds were extremely hard, the pillows very firm, and the upstairs tub dangerously slippery. On the second night I fell and pulled the whole shower curtain down with me. I’m a flight attendant who’s stayed in different hotels every week for the last seven years, and I’d never fallen in a shower before. We were also disappointed that the hot tubs weren’t working. The free shuttles to the ski resort weren’t as frequent or convenient as we’d hoped, and they don’t run very late, so plan your rides. The place looked alright and was easy to access.