Lodging Review: Beaver Run Resort, Breckenridge, Colorado

For my final ski trip of the ski season my club chose to stay at the enormous Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado. The resort has a great location, right beside the Beaver Run chair and is marketed as ski-in/ski-out though that’s technically only true if you’re staying in one of the four buildings.

Location

The resort is located on Village Road which is a fairly active side road in the town. The free public buses do travel this road and there’s a major bus stop right across the road from the resort’s residence buildings, next to the Beaver Run lift. While you can walk into town (it’s about a half-mile) if the weather’s not great you can easily catch a bus at this spot or schedule the resort’s own bus and have them take you wherever you like in town for free.

Layout

The resort is comprised of four buildings with residences that are all connected via covered walkways and/or tunnels and what is called simply the Main Building that has the resort’s front desk, the conference rooms and the bars, shops and restaurants.

As you can see in the photo below, Building 4 is on the far left. It has its own heated pool and large hot tub. The red dotted line just below it represents the Beaver Run lift. This is the only building that is truly ski-in/ski-out as you can ski down to the left of the lift and take a side entrance into Building 4. While that’s certainly convenient, if you’re in Building 4 it’s quite a walk to be able to get to any of the other buildings and to the conference building without going outside. You can see the covered, elevated walkway that goes from Building 4 to Building 3 in the photo (it goes right through the word “Village”).

Building 3 has residences and on the very bottom floor has the entrance to the indoor/outdoor pool as well as the small gym and The Spa at Beaver Run. The floors above all contain residences. This is also where you can access the many smaller hot tubs out on the deck. There is a common lobby, called The North Lobby, that connects Buildings 3 & 2 and from there you take a covered walkway over to the conference building. In this covered walkway you’ll find The Hub, the Deli/Market, a small bar and the steps down the ski lockers for Buildings 1-3. From there it’s a short walk across a plaza to the slopes.

Building 1 is located on the right of Building 2. As I did not go over there I’m not sure what kind of lobby or connector there is.

The resort provided this video which can help groups orient themselves to the layout. I found it extremely helpful.

Residences

My group had several two-bedroom condos in Buildings 2 and 3. We also had one three-bedroom unit in Building 2 but its layout was quite similar to the 2 BR units with one exception I’ll explain. But the resort has all kinds of configurations from hotel rooms with 2 beds (320 sq ft) all the way up to the four bedroom, 2370-sq foot Imperial Suite that can sleep up two 12 adults.

Our two-bedroom units all had a similar layout though each unit is decorated by the owner. Entrance is from a central hall into a very small foyer where in our unit there were several pegs to hang coats as well as a bench. Our unit had an owner’s closet under the stairs to the second floor while other units had this area open.

Kitchen

Our unit had a short wall on the right side, but in some units the separation of foyer and kitchen was done simply by the counter top. There are pluses and minuses to each design: left open the unit feels larger but with the additional wall that allowed for more cabinet space along that partial wall.

Stepping into the unit the kitchen was on the right and the dining table separated it from the living area. (I found it odd that there were only five chairs until I realized the sixth chair was in the master bedroom.  It was quite handy there as there was nowhere else to sit!) A large wall on the left covered a fairly narrow staircase leading to the second floor where the bedrooms were. I’m frustrated that I didn’t take a photo of the staircase but it was quite narrow and most of us ended up unpacking in the living room and carrying our clothes up before then carrying the empty cases up the stairs. In retrospect we could have done what we did upon departure and teamed up to get the bags from floor to floor.

Living Room

The living room had a sofa and a chair around a coffee table. The fireplace worked with real wood, and none of us in our unit could be bothered to deal with that. The TV was mounted over the fireplace.

Balcony

There was a balcony with a view of the slopes. As we were there in late February, we learned to close the curtains on sunny days because the unit got very warm with the sun coming through. However, on the couple of days where the wind kicked up we closed the curtains because the windows and sliding door were not sealed tightly and we could feel the wind blowing into our condo! The living room ceiling is lofted and there’s a glass partition that closes it off to one of the bedrooms but since there is no air conditioning in the unit (not unusual in mountain locations) the heat would linger for hours.

Master Bedroom

At the top of the stairs is one bedroom. In my unit in Building 3 this was the master bedroom and it had an en suite bathroom. Further down the hall was another bathroom and at the end of the hall was the second bedroom with two queens. The hallway actually crossed over the building’s central hall on the floor below and the second bedroom’s windows faced King’s Crown Road. In the three-bedroom unit this first bedroom had a king bed but utilized the hall bath and the bedroom at the end of the hall had the en suite. And despite what Beaver Run’s website says, all our master bedrooms had a king, not a queen, so that was a nice surprise. I ended up turning the heat completely off in this loft bedroom and was never cold.

At any rate, the bedroom at the top of the stairs overlooked the living room area. In my unit there were sliding glass windows that could be used to help give privacy and there were blinds as well, to help keep the room dark. But when it was warm downstairs there was no good way to cool this room except with fans. There were night stands on either side of the bed and a dresser. There were plenty of electric/USB outlets on the near side of the bed and none at all on the far side, which would have annoyed me if I’d been sleeping on the far side. The closet was quite deep though not particularly long. As I had the room to myself there was more than adequate storage.

A wall-mounted TV was across from the bed. There was an owner’s closet that extended over the stairway. Since I didn’t need to get to the other side of the bed I used this area to store my luggage.

The door to the bathroom was near the door to the hall with the sink on the right. The toilet and tub were to the left, essentially behind the closet.

Two glasses were provided, which I appreciated as this made a great toothbrush holder. Hand soap and lotion were also on the counter along with a towel for removing makeup.

A hair dryer was provided in each bathroom. I noticed it was some sort of electricity-saving type and while it was fine for my short hair, I thought about friends with long and/or thick hair and thought they might be frustrated by a lack of power from it.

Second Bedroom

The second bedroom had two queen beds with a single night stand in between. There was an alarm clock on it that had several electric and USB outlets.

The dresser was smaller than the one in the master, which seems odd as this room could sleep four people. A wall-mounted TV faced the beds.

The closet in this room was quite wide though not especially deep. But it made for easier access for two people.

Hall Bath

The hall bath was perfectly adequate for two people sharing. There was counter space on either side of the sink and lots of storage beneath the high countertop.

Toiletries were mostly by Spa Rituals though the shampoo was a different brand.

The three-bedroom unit’s layout was almost exactly the same as the two-bedroom units except that in the hallway between the two bedrooms there was a spiral staircase that went down to another bedroom. This room could be locked off as a hotel room and, in fact, had an entrance across from the unit’s main entrance on the main corridor. So basically it was shorter for folks in that third bedroom to cross the main corridor to reach their kitchen than to walk up the spiral staircase, past the bedrooms and down the main staircase into the den. It’s actually a really cool way to make the rooming situation flexible as needed.

General Maintenance

In a complex this large there’s always bound to be something that needs to be fixed. In the master bath alone the tub not only had a hole in the side, but there were rust stains near the drain and there had obviously been an anti-slip mat on the tub’s bottom because the outline was still present. Then there was the noise. In our unit, the sink in the master bath and the shower head in the hall bath each made some weird kind of moaning sound. Fortunately it was quiet enough not to keep us awake and we got used to it over the course of the week but it was still quite odd.

While waiting for the elevator in Building 2 I noticed the wall had obviously been hit by the luggage cart a number of times.

Common Areas

North Lobby Bridge

We arrived quite early and none of our rooms were ready so we spent a lot of time hanging out in the North Lobby (between Buildings 2 & 3) just waiting. This area was just a few steps down and is the upper level of the enclosed bridge that crosses over from Buildings 2 & 3 to the main conference building. It looks like you should be able to cross over on this level if you go through the doors but the area beyond was clearly blocked off so I don’t know if that’s only available in the summer or what. Regardless, it was a nice, warm place to hang out for awhile.

Main Lobby

This is where the front desk was located. There was a fair amount of seating here and there were a few shops as well. There ‘s a bar, a real estate agency, a ski shop and a hall leading to the conference rooms as well.

The Hub

The Hub is the area with games of all sorts. Unfortunately none of them are free. You don’t need coins, however, just swipe your key card and the cost will be charged to your room.

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Building 3 Hot Tub and Pool Area

While Building 4 has its own pool and hot tub, the other buildings share seven smaller hot tubs and one indoor/outdoor pool. The hot tubs are likely meant for 6 people but you’ll need to be (or become) good friends to get that many folks in one tub.

On the indoor walkway to the pool you’ll pass this area with seating overlooking the hot tub deck, a pool table and a Foosball table.

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The pool has a swim-through entrance to the outdoor portion but there’s plenty of seating inside as well. There’s a large cabinet to the right of the chairs above and that’s where you’ll find the pool/hot tub towels. Though I don’t have photos, this is also the area where the gym and spa are located.

Tennis Court

The tennis court is located right off the North Lobby Bridge.

Laundry

On the second floor above the North Lobby there is a walkway connecting Buildings 2 & 3. It is here you’ll find the guest laundry. There were a half-dozen washers and dryers though not all units were in service. The PayRange app is used to pay for each load though I don’t know how much.

You may purchase detergent, dryer sheets and bleach via the coin-operated dispenser.

Ski Locker Room

Some of our folks grumbled that this was not a ski-in/ski-out property because there was a short walk across the base area to our ski locker room but I disagree. It is quite a long walk from (especially) Building 1 but even from the rooms in Buildings 2 & 3 to the ski locker room, so most folks would carry ski boots and leave their shoes in the ski locker during the day. It seems I did not take a photo of it.

Dining

There is no shortage of places to eat within Beaver Run Resort. This proved to be very helpful on the one night the snow was blowing like crazy. It was nice not to have to brave the weather, even if that would have only meant waiting for the bus. You can read more about the dining options here.

Spencer’s Steaks and Spirits – traditional steakhouse that also offers wild game
Skywalk Market & Deli – deli counter with artisan sandwiches – the grilled cheese is fantastic!
Peak 9 Pizza – inside Skywalk Market – they provided pizza for our final night’s group dinner and it was good
Beaver Den Food Court – located down on the plaza at the base of Peak 9
Coppertop Bar & Restaurant – located above the Beaver Den Food Court, great place for apres ski
Pub at The Hub – is a small bar right across from The Hub, near the entrance to the hot tub deck
Base Nine Bar – traditional bar in the Main Building near the front desk, $3 beers at happy hour

Management

When traveling with a group, things are a bit different than when traveling as a family or a couple. Communication with the trip lead is paramount. We had several breakdowns in communication that left a lot of our group unhappy with our stay.

– As can happen in a group, people may add or drop prior to the trip. Our trip leader sent the final rooming list 2 weeks before our arrival yet when our key packets arrived, it was clear an old rooming list had been used.
– As we’d made a grocery stop on the way from Denver, many people had items that needed to be in the refrigerator or freezer. We’d been told they could have one room ready so we could store our groceries there while waiting for the other rooms to be ready. It took a couple of hours for the first room to be ready. In fairness, part of that was because the in-house communication system was down and housekeeping couldn’t notify the front desk as each individual room was ready (though why they couldn’t call on their cell phones, I don’t know) so housekeeping would clean & inspect a bunch of rooms before someone went down to the front desk to notify them.
– We were supposed to have a welcome reception the first night. We’d initially been told it would be in the Base Nine Bar but when we arrived, no one there knew anything about it. We were finally told it was in one of the conference rooms, which was not far away, and when we arrived there was a sign out front with our name and a bar and hors d’oeuvres inside. But we never had anyone from the resort come to tell us about it, tricks to navigating it, etc. When contacted, the groups person indicated he had no idea we were to have a welcome reception – yet someone knew to print the sign outside the room – it was frustrating.
– On the plus side we’d arranged for a group dinner mid-week and that was quite good. There was plenty of food on the buffet and the cash bar was all set up for us.
– We spoke with other folks who’ve been coming to Beaver Run for years and had never had an issue but were experiencing issues this year. I don’t know if management has changed or what but something is different from years past.

In the end

Overall I thought our stay was “pretty good”. Not “excellent” as there were too many issues with management. Had we known all the rooms had the bedrooms upstairs, we likely would have opted for the rooms on the other side of the hall that were all on one level, even if the views were not as good. I thought I’d prefer to stay in Building 4 but as I look at its layout, the 2BR units there only have one bed in each bedroom so that would not work for our group as we like to have two beds in the second room for single folks. I would be fine with staying here again due to the location but I know some of our folks would prefer to stay elsewhere.