Almost every Colorado ski resort now offers a range of choices for accommodation, from luxury hotels to simple dorms. One hotel, the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch at Beaver Creek ski area, has established a reputation as the premier example of Colorado ski lodging.
Beaver Creek, a premier Colorado ski resort in the Eagle
River Valley near Vail, prides
itself on its “village-to-village” ski experience.
Skiers generally leave from one of two main bases at the
villages of Beaver Creek and Arrowhead. Both villages
have lively streets of restaurants, bars, ski shops, and
accommodation.
Nestled on the mountainside between these villages,
the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch provides a more intimate
and luxurious setting. Offering both high-end residences
and luxury hotel rooms, Bachelor Gulch is an exclusive
enclave from which to enjoy outdoor activities in the
Rocky Mountains.
Bachelor is named after an early 20th-century settlement in the area, founded by seven unattached former miners. One of the settlers’ original cabins still stands on Daybreak Ridge, close to the modern resort. After the bachelors left the valley, cattle ranchers owned the land until the Colorado ski resort bought them out.
The architecture of the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch harks back to the time of the original Bachelor Gulch settlement. Hewn timber and rough stone give a rustic feel to the mountain resort, evoking a ski lodge from the 1900s, perfectly in tune with the natural surroundings.
Nevertheless, a stay at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch is a far cry from the life of an early Rocky Mountain pioneer. This is Colorado ski lodging at its finest. Over 80% of the rooms have direct ski-in, ski-out access to Beaver Creek ski area. Almost every room offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and each suite has all the fine amenities you would expect from a luxury hotel. There is a 21,000-square-foot four-star spa and fitness facility on site.
Signature touches add additional value to a stay at Bachelor Gulch. Ski valets are there to take your skis to your room and nannies are available for parents with young children. Perhaps the most unique program at Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch is the Loan-a-Lab program, through which visitors can enjoy the companionship of Bachelor, the resident yellow Labrador.
The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch is not just a winter resort: a premier golf course and access to pristine hiking trails and other outdoor activities makes Bachelor Gulch a great place for a summer vacation too.
Beaver Creek is located about 30 minutes from the Vail-Eagle Airport, which has connections from Denver to locations across the world. Denver is about 2 hours drive (except in the height of ski traffic). Vail Ski Resort is just 10 miles from Bachelor Gulch and shuttle buses are available from Beaver Creek, so visitors can explore more than one Colorado ski resort during their stay. Both Vail and Beaver Creek are just off Interstate 70 and thus easily accessible from Denver and the East and from travelers coming from the West.
