Lodging

Last month Keystone Lodge & Spa served as my family’s home base during our Vail Resorts Epic Summer trip. (This is a fabulous all-inclusive, activity-filled summer trip for families, by the way; it’s a great introduction to some of Colorado’s mountain resorts). The conveniently located lodge — just minutes from Interstate 70 and some of the state’s best outlet shopping in Silverthorne — offers some fabulous amenities and services if you’re traveling with kids, no matter what time of year you visit. Here are some highlights:

Comfortable Alpine decor in Keystone Lodge room.

Condominium Accommodations: We stayed in a two-bedroom/two-bath condominium across Keystone Lake from the main hotel lobby. Condominiums are my family’s choice of accommodations because we like to spread out (read: Mom doesn’t love sharing a bedroom with teeth-grinding kids) and have a kitchen refrigerator to store snacks and drinks. Our condo complex at Keystone Lodge had its own hot tub, and we were steps from the indoor pool (there’s also an outdoor pool in the main Lodge building). Of course, standard hotel rooms (see photo right) are also available: 152 rooms with one king or two queens, or loft suites with living room and king bed.

Keystone Lake: The main Lodge building, the retail storefronts and restaurant patios, and the condominiums all skirt Keystone Lake, where the kids got a kick out of feeding the fish (25 cents for a handful of fish food). Paddleboating on their own (at ages 7 and 9 they were tall enough to reach the pedals) was another hit. Canoes are for rent, too, though swimming is not allowed. Boat rentals are $15 a half hour, but this summer the resort gave out coupons for $5/rentals at hotel check-in. In the wintertime, the lake is transformed into a 5-acre ice skating rink — the largest Zamboni-maintained ice rink in North America. With twinkling lights and piped-in music, it’s a festive place to tie on some skates and make some turns with your kids.

Rent a canoe or paddleboat on Keystone Lake in the summertime.

Adventure Center: In the summertime, the Adventure Center on Keystone Lake is the place to rent paddleboats and canoes, as well as mountain bikes. There’s also a few arcade games and air hockey table and a full bar (grab a brew while the kids play).

Awesome Breakfast: Three buffet breakfasts at the Lodge’s Edgewater Cafe were included in our long-weekend Epic Summer trip, and I thought the spread was excellent (kids did, too). The daily offerings included special items like banana pancakes, as well as scrambled eggs (with just the right amount of cheddar cheese on top), sausage, French toast, pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and more. Dine inside or on the patio right next to the lake.

Access to the Ski Mountain: While the Keystone Lodge is not a ski-in/ski-out property, free shuttle buses run regularly to bustling River Run Village, where skiers and snowboarders can hop on the River Run Gondola to access the mountain trails. In the summer, take a scenic gondola ride to the top and hike around a bit or just take in the amazing panoramic views.

Lakeside Village Arcade and Pizza Restaurant: We didn’t play video games or eat at Pizza on the Plaza, but I liked that these options are available for families, just steps from the Keystone Lodge lobby. The yummy Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is a fun place to take the kids for a special treat.

When it’s time for Mom to take a break from the family, I highly recommend the on-site hotel spa. It’s in a funky spot (its basement location made me feel like I was descending to the bowels of the hotel), but the pampering service I enjoyed (last year when I was in Keystone for a girls’ getaway) was sublime.

Photo credits: Robert Miller/Vail Resorts.