Vail is Splendid! By Connie Lawn with Charles Sneiderman, March 20 to 26, 2011


Our favorite time of the year is the spring, when we can make our annual trips to the West. Sometimes we go more than once a year, but spring is the best. So far, Vail is proven to be wonderful, as expected. The trails we tried were well groomed with a solid base of 69 inches at Mid Mountain. So far Vail has received 395 inches of snow this year! The trails were in excellent condition at the top. Towards the bottom there was some soft snow and slush, as could be expected in 44 degree weather. But you had the option of downloading on the Cascade Village Lift which took us to our comfortable, luxury hotel , The Vail Cascade Resort and Spa.
This resort and spa is definitely a wonderful place to stay! It is large, comfortable, with old country elegance and all the modern conveniences. The service is impeccable, and all the staff members are anxious to please. It is located in the Lionshead section of Vail, which is one of my favorites. It brings back memories of areas I used to ski with Jerry Ford, when he was President. Some of the best, easy cruising trails, including Simba and Born Free, feed into this section. The Vail Cascade is in easy walking distance of its Lift, which then feeds into the Eagle Bahn Gondola, and a series of other lifts, trails, and bowls.
There is so much we like about the Resort, but one of the many aspects is its dog friendly status. For this trip, we were joined by our son and his wife, who live in Denver. They have a new puppy, a Sheepadoodle, named Moxie, and did not want to leave her behind, This hotel is great to dogs! A young woman down the hall from us had four. If you want, special bedding and bowls are provided, but we brought our own. There is a fee of $50 extra for the dogs, but you would pay nearly that much in boarding fees. (This fee is nothing compared to the $250 penalty if you smoke in your room, which I think is a great policy). Our room was conveniently located near the elevator, which went right out to a dog walking area. Plastic bags and disposal cans are provided, to keep everything sanitary. Too bad we could not fit the dog with skis or snowboards.