We took an affordable Southwest Airlines direct flight for
about $175 per person round-trip and then rented a car. There are
shuttles but if you want to get around or are going to any other ski
resorts especially out of Summit County, that is the way to go. http://www.southwest.com/
My suggestion is to spend at least a night in Denver to get acclimated
to the high altitude before driving right up to the mountain. If the Denver
Nuggets are in town, check out a game at the Pepsi Center as we
covered the game vs. Milwaukee where Denver hung on to win vs. the
team with the worst record in the league. They got a balanced attack
from Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, JJ Hickson and Wilson Chandler while
they have had a tough season with injuries. New Coach Brian Shaw has
kept them at the .500 mark despite missing many key players and
off-season player losses. More at nba.com/nuggets for info, schedule
and tickets. It was off to the Frisco area to ski and explore the next day.
Copper Mountain is a great ski resort about 90 + minutes from Denver
Airport. Our second Ski resort we visited was Winter Park so the flexibility and pricing was actually lower renting a car (especially if there is
anyway to rent it in the city as opposed to at the airport as it was half the price). Once we got into Copper, we skied about ahalf-day.
We decided to stay the first night at the Frisco Lodge, pictured above,
(connected with the Inn at Frisco and it was a great choice. The staff
was super welcoming and owner Susan was very hospitable. The rooms
are very quaint and the lodge was charming and historic. If you are
older or disabled at all, the only drawback was a steep, narrow
staircase to the upper floor where all the rooms are at the lodge but
the adjacent Inn were very accessible on the first floor. A delicious
breakfast is prepared fresh every morning for all the guests. They
have free wifi, parking and it is centrally located. You can see more at
For dinner in Frisco, we ended up walking 2 blocks to The Lost Cajun restaurant.
Wow, we had a great time and delicious meal.
If you enjoy New Orlean style food, this is the place. Not only is it the only
place that serves that type of food around (they have a second location in
Breckenridge), but you will come away satisfied and full. They start
you off with a great southern welcoming when you come in (you will be
greeted by the friendliest owners Ray Griffin and his partner Jon) as
they will make you feel at home. Next you get a gumbo sampler to try
their 6 selections so you see what you like best. I loved the seafood
gumbo and crawfish etoufee’ but the red beans and rice was also great.
Then try some Louisiana Shrimp, the deep fried Catfish or jambalaya
on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Get an order of the fried okra and relax
before you finish with their out of this world New Orleans beignets
which are deep fried donuts with powdered sugar just like they service
in the Big Easy city. Cajun music is played in the background and the
staff and servers are wonderful. This place is a must and you will love
the food and easy-going atmosphere.
Dinner at Copper Mountain Resort-
The Incline Bar and Grill in Copper was very popular and had tasty
food. We split a mixed green salad and their French onion soup before
trying their tasty salmon and Colorado Striped Bass for dinner, which I highly recommend. Do not miss the chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice
cream for dessert.
Copper Mountain Lodging provides some great options for accommodations
as we were centrally located at Tucker Mountain Lodge. The room was
spectacular with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, fireplace, fitness center,
steam room, hot tub and free wifi to name a few amenities. You also
get access to their great athletic club, fitness center and big
indoor lap pool. The ski school and lesson for my daughter were super
and she loved it so kudos to them.
Copper Mountain Ski Resort offers a wide variety of terrain to suit
your preference and ability. Located about 90 minutes-2 hrs from
Denver, you catch the resort off the I-70 and it is worth the visit.
It is not affiliated to the Vail resorts but has connections with
Winterpark and Beaver Creek with lift ticket discounts and packages.
Some great runs were off the Super Bee, Timberline, Union Creek,
American Flyer and American Eagles as they offer a nice selection of
blue and some black runs.
If you want more advanced slopes, you need to go to the top of the mountain and backside as I heard great things about it. I didn’t get a chance to make it up there on this family feature plus the weather and wind shut the top down quite a bit on our visit. The staff, rental department and other workers were super professional and helpful. The highlight was the ski school lesson for
my daughter who really enjoyed it and learned a lot on her first day
ever skiing.
WINTERPARK
The Winterpark Ski Resort is a great place to learn, practice and get
more extreme. We came during a snowstorm and had one epic sunny day
after the fall, which was some of the best skiing I have ever
experienced. The variety of green and blue runs were plentiful and
you can try a blue-black off of the Mary Jane trail. Other great runs
came off of the Super Gauge lift that went high up and the Panoramic
lift to the top of the mountain but produced some steeper yet soft
snow. Pioneer lift all the way on the far side was a little difficult
to get to with a green traverse but once over there, it was hard to
leave. It was not crowded at all so the blue runs were plentiful and
we had some incredible fresh snow about half way down in the trees.
After the fantastic day, we checked out the tubing and that was a
blast. Grab your tube and sign the waiver after paying your $20 for
up to one hour of time starting on the top of every hour from 11am
till 5pm with the last hour spot. They have 3 lanes from slowest to
fastest so experience them all to have a thrill. The tubing hill is
located at the Vintage Hotel at the parking lot of the cabriolet
gondola that you take into the resort from the free parking lot. More
at http://www.winterparkresort.com/
The Best Western Alpenglo Lodge in Winterpark is in a great location in the town and only a few miles from the ski resort. They supply a complimentary
breakfast with eggs, make yourself waffles, fruit, yogurt, breads,
cereals and more.
The rooms are nice while the staff is super friendly
and helpful. A nice thank you to Katie and Alex who went well and
beyond to help. The computer in the lobby is available to use and
they just installed a new TV so they are working out the kinks to get
live television next.
Check out their hot tub in the back and hot
chocolate, coffee and juice machines open 24 hrs. I suggest staying at
the affordable Best Western on your next visit. If you are interested
in a historic bed and breakfast, check out Chateau B and B off the
main road about 5 minutes from downtown and where the Best Western is
location. http://www.wplodging.com/
One other place to stay with a unique historic vibe is the Winterpark Chateau, a luxury B & B located near the center of town. The owners are very nice and hospitable and they have done a great job updating the rooms and perfecting the beautiful look. More at http://www.winterparkchateau.com/
Davinci in Winterpark was one of the best restaurants we have ever
experienced anywhere. The fine dining and cool Latin atmosphere, neat
decor with stone columns, tango artwork and background tango/Latin
music give this Italian cuisine a great vibe. Let’s get to the food
with head chef-owner Leo and executive chef Brandonin charge. His creations and technique are marvelous. For starters, try the mozzarella board, which comes with a variety of 5 mozzarella cheeses including my favorite, the burrata. The cured in house salmon was delectable but our top choice was the Caesar Salad Chicken Pizza, which was hard to stop eating before the entrees came out so we didn’t fill up.
The menu changes but there is a nice variety of salads, pastas,
flatbreads and main courses. For our entrees, we chose the market fish
of the day, which was tilapia with a side of risotto that tasted
wonderful. The rack of Colorado lamb was cooked to perfection in a
demi-wine sauce with roasted potatoes, carrots and asparagus. Just
divine! Enjoy a glass of win to accompany your meal or one of their
signature cocktails. For dessert, don’t miss the homemade cannolis
or tiramisu. This is Leo’s first restaurant after having his own
catering company and working for some top chefs in NY. They just
opened in August 2013 but seem to be doing well. The prices may be a
tiny bit higher than some of the others but trust me it is worth it.
The service was excellent and you get a warm feeling while enjoying
the great dining experience. More at http://davinciwp.com/
Fontenots Seafood Restaurant in the heart of Winterpark offered a
great variety of foods. From southern to American to Asian style
dishes, we highly recommend a visit on your next time in the area.
We started with the bbq shrimp, panko crusted deep friend calamari and
crab-crawfish cakes and all were delicious. We stayed with the New
Orleans theme as that was their most popular preparations and went
with the seafood combo of blackened catfish with crawfish etoufee’ and
more tasty grilled shrimp served with mashed potatoes and veggies.
The other entree we ordered was the tender beef tenderloin in a rich
irresistible sauce. We both had the small cup of gumbo. For dessert,
don’t miss the bananas foster with vanilla ice cream. Other choices
were the bread pudding, key lime pie and chocolate brownie..
The decor is very relaxed with pictures of New Orleans and the staff
was extremely friendly and helpful including our server Nancy. More
at http://fontenotswp.com/
Casa Mexico was our second stop for dinner and also located in the Copper Creek Mall near Davinci, where we ate the prior night. So after that fantastic meal, Casa Mexico had a tough act to follow. Totally different food but it was great. We started with the kid’s quesadilla and burrito after the chips and tasty, spicy salsa. Then we tried the quesa fundido, which went well with the tortillas and guacamole before our main course- The family dinner sampler for 2 and we can see why they call it the best choice on the menu. It comes with juicy chicken breasts, tender skirt steak and sautéed shrimp with a little salad, more guacamole and pico de gallo, rice, beans and tortillas. You will be very full and satisfied and try one of their specialty margaritas to go along with your dinner. The restaurant is somewhat new opened mid 2013 but it was a great hit. The owner Estaban was very hospitable and has some specials on the menu named after him. Definitely make a visit to on your next trip to Winterpark and enjoy and great dining experience with authentic ambiance, atmosphere and good service. You can see more at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Casa-Mexico/162811007240436?rf=568054806573885
