Rating overall
8/10
Beaver Creek / Photo: Jack Affleck
Town
Beaver Creek village is luxurious, full of high-end shops, pricy restaurants and people in fur coats and boots. Its also unbelievably staid, despite the friendly locals who hail from all over the world. Theres a skating rink in the Beaver Creek plaza, where two hours including rental can set you back about 30 dollars. Other than that, its worth heading into Avon, or nearby Vail, for cheap eats and (less) expensive beer.
Beaver Creek
Photo: Jack Affleck
Food options
Even a burger on the mountain can set you back 12 bucks, so best to bring your lunch or fill up on the fresh-baked cookies offered to all skiers coming down the mountain after 3pm. Costly, fancy and formal are the three themes of dining in Beaver Creek, although good sandwiches can be found at the Coyote Café, On the Fly and the Saddleridge. Those not on a budget can dine at the exquisite Mirabelle (French), or Toscanini (Italian). For a splurge, take a sleighride to Beanos Cabin for gorgeous game and grill, with the lights of the snowcats making the mornings corduroy sparkling through the windows.
Accommodation
There is nothing cheap about Beaver Creek, so those looking for an inexpensive room would be better served in the hamlet of Avon, where double rooms start at 99 bucks a night, including breakfast.
Nightlife
Its after dark when Beaver Creek shows its age; its expensive, dowdy and not very exciting for anyone looking for a nighttime buzz or grope with a nubile local. The Coyote Café is your best bet for a beer, and the Dusty Boot is good for a laugh and watching snow-bunnies lose their heads to one of a dozen kinds of tequila. Head into Avon to hang with the locals, or into Vail, but remember that the Eagle County cops are among the strictest in the state for drink driving. Best to grab a cab or one of the free shuttles that makes the rounds until midnight.