Winter Park, Colorado Thanksgiving Dinner Options

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Chris

Thanksgiving Dinner in Winter Park, CO

The weather has taken a turn here in Winter Park and we are on our way to the opening of ski season and then we are at the favorite of all holidays, the day of giving Thanks. Thanksgiving this year is November 24th and that is eight days after the of Winter Park Resort. Hopefully, we will be giving thanks to all the snow that is on the ground this year (Thank You La Nina).

There are a whole lot of options this year for those wanting to get out of the house and let someone else stuff that turkey and make those candied yams.

The Lodge at Sunspot on top of the Winter Park Resort slopes will again offering a spectacular spread. The meal starts with a lovely gondola ride to the top on the Zephyr Express chairlift.

Buffet Menu:

Salad Station – chef tossed to order Caesar and/or field green salad w/ champagne vinaigrette and ranch dressing. Served w/ fresh bread & butter.
Chef carved turkey and prime rib w/ a jus and horseradish sauce.
Mashed potatoes w/ giblet gravy and sweet potatoes.
Soup du jour.
Herbed stuffing.
Sautéed baby carrots and green beans.
Desert Bar – pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate trilogy and assorted mousses.

Thanksgiving Buffet: $49.95 Adults / $19.95 Children 10 and under (Buffet Only)

For reservations, call 970.726.1446.

Price includes gondola ride, buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, and dessert. Sales tax and gratuity will be added. Alcohol and specialty beverages are additional.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch will also be offering traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in one of the most beautiful settings in Colorado. If you are looking to be pampered let DTR make Thanksgiving a snap. Give a special Thanks at Devil’s Thumb. Hang up the apron and let Chef Evan do the cooking this year. Besides a gourmet meal, you’ll get to relax and enjoy the day. Now that’s something to be thankful for! Advance Reservations Required.

Dinner at Heck’s 11:30am – 8:30pm $49
Dinner at the Ranch House Restaurant 4pm – 9pm $59

- A la carte options also available
Looking to stay intown for your Winter Park Thanksgiving?

Randi’s is offering a traditional Thanksgiving dinner . They will be open 11-8 serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner & several select menu items for those who are not into the Thanksgiving grub. Randi’s is also a great place to catch those Thanksgiving NFL games or to escape from the family overload. If you haven’t seen the new bar at Randi’s you are missing out. It’s a great place to catch a game and have a cold brew.

Deno’s is also offering a Thanksgiving Dinner and selections from it’s menu for those that are opposed to turkey. Check out their menu below:

Lets give thanks to what a wonderful place that we have here in Winter Park, Colorado? Looking to have a Winter Park kind of Thanksgiving? Check out Winter Park Lodging Company’s Winter Park, Co Thanksgiving Lodging.

Get the the Bird’s Eye View of the Village at Winter Park Resort

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Valarie

When we saw this fun and hip video with the bird’s eye view of the entire Village at Winter Park Resort, everyone at Winter Park Lodging Company was truly impressed (and wished we had come up with the idea ourselves).

From the long boarder guiding you through the gates into the Village, to the soaring views of the entire Village at the Winter Park ski resort, the video taken from above is captivating, with catchy tunes and amazing imagery.

See it all from the sky, including the Lofts, Village restaurants and shops, Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing and Founder’s Pointe condos. We’re sure that you will be impressed, too. Check out this cool Aerial Video of the Village at Winter Park Resort now and let us know what you think.

Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park Lodging Company

WPLCO1′s Channel

Winter Park Lodging Company now has it’s own YouTube Channel. Want to see all of our latest ski and mountain biking videos to get you psyched up for your coming trip look no further than the WPLCo YouTube Channel. Also, on the channel you will find tours of our properties to really see the vacation rental that you will be staying at on your trip to Winter Park, Colorado.

We have about 62 videos on the channel so far with lots of skiing at Winter Park and Mary Jane and even a couple of days with Powder Addiction on Jones Pass. The ski videos are all from last year but we are expecting another bonanza La Nina year. So, look for some good powder skiing with some new ski shots from our new additions to the Winter Park Lodging Company staff, Bill & Conor, affectionately known as the B C boys.

Last year one of our ski videos was picked up by the Weather Channel and was played nationwide for two days. Star of that almighty ski video was none other than WP local Ed. Check out the now famous Pine Cliff skiing at Mary Jane below:

You can also find on the, hopefully in the near future, famous Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel are Winter Park, Colorado mountain bike videos. Some fun stuff on the 600 or so miles of mountain bike trails we have surrounding WP. Here is a trip down Winter Park Lodging Company favorite Broken Thumb and Twisted Ankle:

Looking to see some Winter Park/Mary Jane ski and mountain bike footage subscribe to the Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel.

If you would like to come and enjoy our ski runs and mountain bike hills check out the Winter Park Lodging Company vacation rentals.

Fraser to Winter Park Ski Transit Service

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park Resort Ski Shuttle

If you live in the Winter Park/ Fraser area you most likely have heard the uproar about Winter Park Resort discontinuing funding for the Fraser neighborhood service with “The Lift” ski shuttle program. Winter Park Resort has had a lot of flak thrown its way for withdrawing this funding but truly what other ski town has the ski resort operator as the main funder of town transportation?

I think Winter Park Resort was, and is, the only one in Colorado.

Anywho, not to worry for this season, as two of our lodging competitors have stepped up to the plate to come up with the required funding to keep the purple and red line, the line that was to be discontinued, up and running for this coming ski season. I think this is a short term solution and that a long term solution will need to be addressed by the Winter Park and Fraser town councils in conjunction with Grand County.

The Lift will be running this year with ski shuttle service to Winter Park Resort.

Details of Ski Shuttle Service:

Day ski shuttle will be a “New Purple” line, effectively a combined route of areas previously serviced by both Red & Purple lines in 2010-11.
Day shuttle, on entering USA Hwy 40 from CR 8, will then take a direct “non-stop” shot to the ski area (with the exception of “dropping off” people in Fraser or Winter Park). Night shuttle will replicate service to areas provided by the night Purple line in 2010-11.
Night shuttle will replicate service to areas provided by the night Purple line in 2010-11.

Ski Shuttle Days of Operation:

Buses will operate for the 159 days of the 2011-12 ski season, commencing Wednesday November 16, 2011 through Sunday April 22, 2012.

Additional bus service to cope with “Peak” demand time periods will on an as required basis to cover most Saturdays and Sundays, except November 19-20 and April 21-22 (42 days) as well as the following Holidays (12 days):
Christmas Week: December 26-30, 2011
MLK Day: January 16, 2012
President’s Day: February 201, 2012
Main Spring Break Week: March 12-16, 2012

An approximation of 250 hours of additional “Peak” service (estimated 4-5 hours per day for 54 days) were factored in to the equation.

Ski Shuttle Hours of Service:

Day Service:

2 buses per hour from (1 bus every half-hour) 7:30AM to 5PM with the exception of 11AM-2PM where there would be 1 bus per hour.
This would effectively mean half-hour service 7:30AM – 10:30AM, hourly service 11AM-2PM, then half-hour service again 2PM-5PM.

Night Service:

Bus #1 starting at 5:30PM to 10:00PM (last run), once every half-hour

Ski Shuttle Route:

Ski Shuttle Day Route:

Start Winter Park Resort
Hwy 40 to Fraser, Right on CR804-MeadowRidge Road.
R on CR834-Cranmer
L on CR837-Balsh
R on CR836-Hughes
R on CR8360-Spinner
R on CR834-Cranmer
R on CR838-East Meadow Mile
L on CR840-West Meadow Mile
R on Meadow Lane
L on CR832-Meadow Mile
R on CR8500-Jabberwocky
Loop through Silvercrest, L on CR8500-Jabberwocky
R on CR832-Meadow Mile
R on Cranmer Pl
R on Wapiti Drive
L on CR8
L on US Hwy 40
R on Winter Park Drive to Winter Park Resort

Ski Shuttle Day Stops:

Safeway (on CR804)
Needles Eye & Railbender
Cabins at Porcupine Ridge
Eagle Ridge on the Summit
Elk Court Cabins
Lookout Village
Indian Peaks
Winter Park Tennis Club & Acadia
Meadowridge Ct #22, #17/18A/Clubhouse, Ct #29, Ct #26, Ct #6
The Pines
Bavarian Village
Silvercrest
(flag) Upper & Lower Ptarmigan
Twin Rivers
Winter Park Resort

Ski Shuttle Night Route:

Start Safeway Shopping Center
R on CR804-MeadowRidge Road.
R on CR834-Cranmer
L on CR837-Balsh
R on CR836-Hughes
R on CR8360-Spinner
R on CR834-Cranmer
R on CR838-East Meadow Mile
L on CR840-West Meadow Mile
R on Meadow Lane
L on CR832-Meadow Mile
R on CR8500-Jabberwocky
Loop through Silvercrest, L on CR8500-Jabberwocky
R on CR832-Meadow Mile
R on Cranmer Pl
R on Wapiti Drive
L on CR8
L on US Hwy 40
L on CR804-MeadowRidge Road

Ski Shuttle Night Stops:

Safeway Shopping Center
Needles Eye & Railbender
Cabins at Porcupine Ridge
Eagle Ridge on the Summit
Elk Court Cabins
Lookout Village
Indian Peaks
Winter Park Tennis Club & Acadia
Meadowridge Ct #22, Ct #17/18A/Clubhouse, Ct #29, Ct #26, Ct #6
The Pines
Bavarian Village
Silvercrest
(flag) Upper & Lower Ptarmigan
Twin Rivers
Safeway

Winter Park Lodging Company manages 11 Fraser ski condo rentals on this route, so fear not service will be here for this ski season.

Winter Park Resort #14 in Ski Magazine

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Chris

Top 15 Ski North American Ski Resorts: Winter Park

The Ski Magazine ski resort rankings are out and Winter Park Resort was one of the big winners. Ski magazine does their yearly resort rankings each October and this years rankings has Deer Valley, Utah as #1 and Vail as #2.

Winter Park Resort came in at #14 this year. Winter Park/Mary Jane jumped 8 spots in SKI Mag’s rankings to #14! The most moves out of all the North American ski resorts.

Down-to-earth feel. Nicely quiet at night. Serious skiing in the day! Winter Park Lodging Company couldn’t have said it better. With pluses of, Local favorite with a neighborly feel. And minuses of, Village and town lacking in dining and après ski.

On the minus notes we are getting new and better restaurants here in Winter Park. No, it is not Vail but who really wants that? As Ski Magazine said, Serious skiing in the day! Friendly locals and skiing that is what Winter Park, Colorado is about. Ski goes on about this a little bit: You still won’t find the dining or shopping that other Colorado resorts are known for, but there’s a sense of community here that you won’t find at those resorts either. Employees eagerly point you in the right direction or grab a wagon to haul your gear around the base— not because they have to, but because they want to.

Well sign me up, all skiing no pretension and friendly locals…. that sounds like a ski vacation. And yes this is Winter Park/Mary Jane, the #1 Colorado destination resort for snowfall. You can have the fur coats, the snooty lifties and all the shenanigans that Vail and Breckenridge throw at you. Give me my bumps, powder and tree skiing at Mary Jane and I will leave with a smile on my face.

So thank you Ski Magazine, finally someone is seeing the light, Winter Park Resort: a gem of a ski vacation destination.

Check out the complete top 20 North American Ski Resorts from Ski Magazine.

Best Bars in Winter Park, CO

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park Resort Area Best Bars

Beers and skiing go hand in hand like ski condos and hot tubs. We have finished, finally, the best burgers review for Winter Park, CO and since ski season is just about here we thought we would do what are the best bars here in Winter Park and the surrounding Fraser Valley.

There as many kinds of bars as there are beers and there is a place for each and every one of them. Local pub, restaurant bar, shot bar at the ski slope, sports bar, bar at the pizza place, the night club bar …. lotsa bars and we have them all here in WP.

What is your favorite and why is the question? Is it the selection of beers on tap, great location and view, the hotty slinging the swill, the bartender hooks you up with with free suds, great people watching (both sexes), what gets you to head out and plop your dollars on that bar?

I did a best place to get a beer in Winter Park a couple of years ago and all those places are still around but they are places to get a beer not necessarily bars (splitting hairs maybe?). So we are doing this top five bars for the start of this ski season. Remember we have some new places here in WP so lets not leave them out of the competition. Emilie’s wine bar, The Library Sports and Grill are two of the newbies that should be in consideration. We also have an older list of best patio to get a beer in Winter Park, CO. Lets not leave these, mostly, Winter Park Resort watering holes out of the equation either.

So here is how this works, I will post this blog on the Winter Park Facebook page and you all can recommend away either on the FB page or in the comments below this blog. I will take the top five and give those top five the old college try.

So here goes: What are the best bars in Winter Park, CO?

Best Burgers in Winter Park, CO

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park, Colorado’ s Best Burger

It has taken awhile but we have completed the best burger competition in Winter Park, CO. I have eaten enough burgers to be fairly sure that I will not be ordering a burger in a restaurant for the next couple months. The positive is I have learned we have some killer burgers here in Winter Park.

The original competition was going to be a contest of the top three recommended by our Winter Park Lodging Company Facebook Fans but there were more than three recommendations. I tried all five different burgers in addition to the ever present McDonald’s franchise here in Winter Park, CO.

I have seen some burger reviews break down a burger almost scientifically in how they rate the burger. I was not very scientific at all. If the meat was flavorful and the bun had a good texture and consistency I pretty much thought the burger good, from there it was deciding what burger had the best flavor combination overall.

The restaurants that we visited were Deno’s, The Library Grill, Heck’s at Devils Thumb Ranch, Randi’s and Sharky’s. There was not a bad burger at any one of them. I am a blue cheese lover and most if the time I ordered some kind blue cheese burger sometimes with bacon. At Hecks they had a burger with a nice slice of pork belly that can be seen in the pic on the far right. YUM!!!!!

So the top burger in Winter Park, Colorado goes to……… drumbeat please……..

Deno’s. As I said the competition was close but if I had to rate the five burgers I would go in this order:

Deno’s – great meat but it is the bun that really makes this burger.
Heck’s at Devil’s Thumb Ranch – you can not go wrong with putting a slab of pork belly on a burger. They might even be 1a
Randi’s – may have had the best meat but the bun was “stiff”. Still a really good burger and had some awesome onion rings to go with.
The Library – ordered the Paul Bunyon which is a two patty behemoth that will satisfy any large appetite. The sweet potato fries sound great but are pretty much mediocre.
Sharky’s – don’t know why they are last as the burger was really good but a tad small. They have a homemade bun that is fantastic.

So, there are the best burgers in Winter Park, Colorado from my humble opinion. You can and will not go wrong with any one of these. If you are in a rush, or hungover, you can still hit McDonald’s for that Big Mac or Q/Pounder with cheese but you would be much better off hitting one of these local stops here in Winter Park and Fraser.

Here is the original post for the best burger competition in Winter Park , Colorado.

Winter Park Resort First Snow Contest Winner

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Chris

First Snow Winter Park, Colorado

We have a winner to our first snow contest here in Winter Park, CO. It has taken a little while to get around to announcing this but yes we have had a couple of snows since the first last week.

There were thirty five entries on our blog and about twenty five more on the Facebook post about the first snow contest and yes there was a lucky soul, ok maybe talented, who hit the first snow date. It was not a huge snow this year as last but it was over an inch and there is no disputing the picture to the left that it was a measurable snow last week.

So our first snow date for 2011 is, drumbeat please ………….. October 6th. Yes that was last Thursday and we have a winner. Stormy the snow predictor this year is Thomas Schneider. And Thomas pretty much hit the snow fall total also. Nice work Thomas! Here is the winning snowfall total post “The ‘dust’ is already at the top, so it won’t be long. That first 1/2 inch will come on Oct 6.”

The fourth Winter Park Resort first snow contest is now concluded and we hope that this relatively early snow and subsequent snow storms means that we are in for some La Nina powder this year. ALl the mountains surrounding Winter PArk and the Fraser Valley are now painted a nice white and it is looking as ski season is almost here. Today up at Berthoud Pass there were three a couple of impatient folk with there planks out looking to find some fresh lines down the hill. That is the spirit.

Well, here is to snow early and often all year long. Put the trail maps in the freezer and do the snow dance…..

LET IT SNOW, LET SNOW, LET IT SNOW

Airfare Deal Alert for Winter Park, CO – October 2011

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Valarie

The deals are out there right now, especially for Texas and Arizona residents. Perfect. Ya’ll are probably really looking forward to Winter Park’s snowy temperatures after the steamy hot summer. But there’s more great deals to be found, including a flight from Portland, MAINE, for $120 round trip! For more flight deals to Denver, check out www.airfarewatchdog.com.

Baggage Basics: Also in this month’s airfare deal alert, learn which airlines don’t charge an arm and a leg for you to bring your luggage. For example, my favorite airline right now is Southwest, because not only can you bring two checked bags for free, you can make a flight change without paying a fee. To see Airfare Watchdog’s comprehensive list of all the airlines’ baggage fees, click here.

October’s Flight Deals as of 10/4/2011:

$118 RT	Amarillo, TX (AMA)
$184 RT	Atlanta, GA
$168 RT	Branson, MO (BKG)
$122 RT	Chicago, IL (MDW)
$138 RT	College Station, TX (CLL)
$186 RT	Flint, MI (FNT)
$108 RT	Houston, TX (HOU)
$164 RT	Indianapolis, IN (IND)
$98 RT	Kansas City, MO (MCI)
$166 RT	Killeen, TX (GRK)
$90 RT	Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
$139 RT	Lincoln, NE (LNK)
$186 RT	Longview, TX (GGG)
$122 RT	Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
$142 RT	Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
$118 RT	Omaha, NE (OMA)
$90 RT	Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
$120 RT	Portland, ME (PWM)
$116 RT	Tucson, AZ (TUS)

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Creative Ski Trip Savings for Winter Park, Colorado

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Valarie

Times have changed, as has the cost of skiing. It no longer costs $15 for a lift ticket, but there are lots of ways to save if you get a little creative. Here are our tips on how to stretch your dollar to the max, so you can have the maximum amount of fun on your Winter Park ski trip.

Lift Ticket Lessons!

Use our EasySki service. This ski season, guests of Winter Park Lodging Company will be greatly rewarded with convenience and low lift ticket prices (among other items) when they use our new EasySki service. We are taking the reigns for our guests and pre-booking lift tickets from $49 to $65 each. The catch is that you have to ski three days or more. If you only want to ski one or two days, see below in lift ticket coupons section.

Buy Early. Oftentimes, if you plan plenty of time in advance, you will save on your lift ticket costs. For example, with EasySki, lift tickets are the very cheapest before October 31st. Also, Winter Park sells their season passes at a really low price before the ski season. The earlier you buy, the cheaper the season pass. They become available in May for the upcoming winter and the price slowly creeps up through the summer and fall. Usually skiing skiing days or more with a season pass costs less than the cost buying single lift tickets. Don’t wait until after the ski season starts, though, that’s when season prices go really high, usually over $1000 each.

Teenager Trick: If you have a teenage child between the age of 13 to 17 years old, you can get him/her a season pass for less than the cost of an adult season pass, then use the ten $69 lift ticket coupons that come with it. The adult season passes also come with the ten $69 coupons, so even if you don’t have a teenager in your family, you can still save with an adult season pass & the discount coup0ns.

Coupons: If you only plan to ski four days or less, there are other ways to save. Coupon books area available in Denver and other Front Range grocery stores – King Soopers, Safeway or City Market. At their customer service desks you can purchase the EBook or GoldC Book, which has a variety of coupons for lift tickets at Winter Park Resort and other ski areas. The cost is $10 each and the coupons are for lift tickets for $63 to $72 instead of the $92+ price at the lift ticket window at the ski resort.

Four Pass: If you are a Colorado resident, you are probably already aware of the Four Pass, a four-day lift pass for $159. The catch is that you have to get your photo taken to get the pass, which means you have to be physically present at a Colorado vendor to purchase the Four Pass.

Gear Facts: Ski/Snowboard Equipment

If you own: Check out the option to ship your skis and bulky items instead of bringing it all on the plane. You’ll spend less to ship usually, with airlines charging as much as $100 for each oversize baggage item. Maybe consider shipping just your boots, and renting your skis and poles or snowboard.

Renting: Book your rental gear early. If you don’t own your own equipment and will be renting your gear, it pays to book online in advance rather than paying the walk-in rates, sometimes as much as 40% less.

EasySki service: not only saves our guests money on ski and board rentals (up to 40% less than walk-in rates), it also saves you time and energy. With EasySki, you have the option to get free custom delivery with Winter Park Resort Rentals, with a custom boot fitting right in the comfort of your vacation rental, plus an express ticket to pick up your skis on the way to the lift. Or get a basic ski rental package with Epic Mountain Sports for $18/day, plus tax. We’ll book it all for you!

What to Wear & Ways to Save

Savvy Savings on Clothing: if you live in Florida, chances are you don’t own an appropriate winter coat or ski pants. Or maybe you have kids that are growing so fast that it’s just not feasible to buy them a new coat and pants each winter. For these situations, it’s sometimes better to rent your winter clothing. I know that Ski Broker in Fraser has lots of coats, pants and other clothing items for rent from $10 to $25 per day.

Be Thrifty – get your ski gear at a consignment shop, or get your kids’ winter coats at a thrift store. There’s no better place to get second-hand clothing and gear than in a ski town, so maybe you can wait until you get to Winter Park then shop at one of our local thrift stores. If you don’t find just what you need, then check out the clothing rentals at the ski shops.

Tips on Transportation

Drive with Your Gear instead of Flying with Fees: Sometimes taking a little more time to get to your destination can not only be a fun adventure, it can be a great way to save lots of money. Nowadays when you fly, you’re not just paying for your flight. You’re also paying for transportation from the airport to Winter Park, you’re paying for your in-flight meals, you’re paying for the privilege of checking and even carrying on bags and you’re paying even more to fly with your oversize and overweight ski and snowboard equipment.

If you Gotta fly: Sometimes it just isn’t realistic to drive, so you just gotta fly. If you do have to fly, think of creative ways to reduce the costs of traveling on a flight.

Use the free ski shuttle to get from your lodging to the ski area. Sometimes taking an airport shuttle from the airport then walking around or using the free shuttle will cost you less than renting a car, plus you have to consider the cost of gas, the risk of driving in a winter environment you’re not accustomed to. Plus it can be a lot of fun to learn about the area by getting on a shuttle and checking out areas you wouldn’t otherwise see if you were always just driving directly to and from the ski area. Shuttles also mean you can skip the hassle of parking in a huge ski area parking lot and lugging your gear around very far, since they drop you off right in the Village.

Pack Light! Really, less is more. Less to pay in baggage fees, less to lug around, less to keep track of. You can really economize your luggage by re-wearing your under layers like your underarmor wicking gear, for example. Staying at a vacation rental with a private or even shared washer and dryer can really help. One bag really can get you by. It pays to invest in a scale to weigh your luggage to avoid fees for exceeding weight limits. Also, invest in organizing compartments for your luggage that maximize the space in your suitcases. If you can get all of your items in a carry-on, even better! You can ship your bulky coats, boots and skis or other oversize or bulky items that take a lot of space.

Learn Your Airline ABCs: Fly with airlines such as WestJet or Southwest airlines that allow two free carry on bags. Southwest even allows you to change your flight at no charge, you just pay the fare difference, if any.

More Airfare Tips: Check fares at nearby airports instead of just the closest one to you. Sometimes driving an extra hour to the airport can save you lots of money. Use cheap airfare alerts that go directly to your inbox when a discounted flight you’re interested in becomes available. My favorite is Airfarewatchdog.com, which I use every month for our monthly airfare deals alert. Pack a lunch or dinner for you flight instead of paying for the weird airline food. Finally, maybe you can book your flights with a credit card that waives baggage fees, like the Contintental OnePass Master Card.

Food and Dining

Shop for Groceries in Denver - as much as I like to promote buying local to support our local economy, if you really need to eat on a shoestring, go to a grocery store in Denver on your way to Winter Park. This option is really only viable if you have your own car, though, since the airport shuttles do not make any stops on the way.

Eat in – it really helps to eat like you normally eat while on vacation, then splurging on just one or two dinners. When you stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel, you can really take advantage of using the fully equipped kitchens to prepare at-home dinners and lunches. All of our vacation rentals have kitchens and usually have basic staples like spices, coffee filters, condiments and non-perishable items there for you to use (left by previous guests or the owners. I recommend checking out what’s at your vacation rental before going to the grocery store for your menu items or just getting your meats, fresh veggies and fruits at the grocery store on the way to Winter Park.

Pack Lunch. Instead of paying the ridiculous prices at the base for lunch, pack a lunch and store it in a $1 locker until you’re ready for your lunch break. Maybe you can even pack it in a small backpack, come down to get it, then ride the lift to meet the family at the Lodge at Sunspot or Snoasis for lunch. If you’re staying at the base, you can eat in for lunch in the comfort of your own condo, see more below.

VIP Discount Card – for the occasions that you do want to eat out, use our VIP Discount Card to save at restaurants. More details to come, but click here for a sneak-peak.

Lodging

Staying ski-in/ski-out – It may seem counter-intuitive because the cost of ski-in/ski-out lodging is higher than non-ski-in/ski-out, but think about the trade-offs. First of all, it’s just so convenient. Also, it can completely eliminate the need for your own car, so you can cross out a car rental and gas expenses. Staying at Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing and Founder’s Pointe comes with the benefit of using their private shuttle to get to downtown Winter Park or Fraser, plus the free ski shuttle is available to you as well. Another budget benefit to staying at the base is relative to your food costs. You can come down for lunch in the comfort of your own kitchen and dining room instead of eating at the expensive ski area eateries.

Activities & Other Expenses

Check out our list of Free and Cheap Kids’ Activities. There are many activities that will entertain the kids that don’t require you spend a lot of money. Think out of the box!

VIP Discount Card for Winter Park Lodging Company guests has deals that no other lodging company can offer. Save on sleigh rides, dining and lots of other activities in Winter Park and the Fraser Valley. More details coming soon!