Lodging

Minus the incident where my husband set off our condo’s smoke alarm while cooking dinner, my family had a delightful stay at the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon last weekend. Just an hour from our house, it was a convenient way for us to be “on vacation” at a lovely property — without the hassles of having to travel too far away.

Spacious living room in two-bedroom suite at the Westin Avon (note the classy modern furniture).

The Westin Riverfront opened last fall and was promptly named to Conde Nast Traveler’s annual “Hot List.” The resort was built “green” from the bottom up, with recycled building materials, sustainable landscaping and minimal external lighting to eliminate light pollution. It sits at the bottom of Beaver Creek Mountain, technically in the town of Avon, across the Eagle River. In the winter, a gondola connects guests with the ski mountain; in the summer, you cannot beat its location literally steps away from the Eagle Valley recreation trail for biking, running, strolling and in-line skating along the river.

With a two-bedroom suite, comprised of a spacious living area and full kitchen, double-bedded room with bathroom and king room with bathroom, my family of four had plenty of room to spread out. The adjoining rooms absolutely have a condo-like feel, with the dining table for six, sitting area, flat-screen television and all the cookware and dishware you need to feed yourselves or entertain — whether you want to make martinis or bake a pie (literally, martini shaker and pie plate, among other thoughtful items, were found in the cabinets). We ended up making not only the aforementioned dinner with smoke-alarm accompaniment, but also two breakfasts and a lunch in our condo — I love full kitchens for saving money by making meals over eating out!

Love the Westin Riverfront location by the river and recreation path, and in the shadow of Beaver Creek Mountain.

Our kids also took full advantage of the lap pool (too cold for mom on cool June days, though the pool is heated) and the  infinity hot tubs (perfectly toasty). Other amenities we didn’t use, but checked out and can recommend for appearing to be ggreat: the huge, chock-full-of-equipment fitness center (seriously, it’s big and beautiful); the Westin Kids Club, with its own colorful “Discovery Room” (child care does cost extra, starting at $55 for three hours during the day); Restaurant Avondale, which features a West Coast organic menu with seasonally fresh ingredients; Market Avondale, where you can pick up any grocery items you may have forgotten to pack, as well as to-go sandiwches, breakfast items and prepared entrees to eat in your condo; and Spa Anjali, a full-service spa that has an Asian-Mountain fusion feel going on.

We absolutely appreciated the friendly bell staff, who patiently retrieved our bikes two mornings for family rides on the recreation path along the Eagle River (I cannot recommend this activity enough; great exercise, pretty trail toward Edwards). Everyone we encountered on the bell staff was friendly and accommodating.

The Heavenly Beds that Westin is famous for didn’t disappoint; nor did the “White Rain” scented spa amenities in our huge bathroom (The Westin brand is certainly a favorite of mine.) I also loved the huge lobby, with so many cozy spots for resting in front of the massive gas fireplace or enjoying a drink from the adjacent Wine Bar. My kids found the supply of board games in the filled bookcases, and they managed to eek out a couple games of Connect Four while we were checking out and packing the car to leave.

I’d say the only negative aspect of our Westin Riverfront stay was the slightly pushy concierge who tried to get my husband and me to take a tour of the Starwood vacation-ownership villas next door. I declined, but she pursued, “You could take a tour before driving out Sunday morning…” One firm, “No, we’re not interested,” and that was that.

Overall, however, my family very much enjoyed the Westin Riverfont, our fabulous accommodations and the pleasant front-desk and bell staff (bit props to Margie in the kids club who patiently answered my questions and who genuinely seems to love taking care of guests’ children). While we enjoyed being hosted by the resort for the weekend, all the nice perks, services and amenities do come with a price. On the Westin Riverfront website, a summer Saturday-night stay for a two-bedroom suite starts at $349, with a nightly resort fee of $20.

Photos by Kara Williams.