How to Choose Breckenridge, Colorado Lodging by Neighborhood

Vacation rentals give you freedom to relax

For many visitors, location trumps other property attributes as the most important component in selecting a lodging property. Breckenridge accommodations exist in variety of neighborhoods including the Historic District, Four Seasons, Four O’clock, Peaks 8 & 9 and several other outlying areas. With a more thorough understanding of these neighborhoods, the amenities they offer and their proximity to the town and ski resort, selecting the ideal property for your Breckenridge vacation needs should be a much easier experience.

The Historic District consists primarily of quaint Victorian bed & breakfasts and private vacation homes that were built as early as the late 1800’s. These properties have been immaculately preserved for your enjoyment and are located on, or near Main Street and its hundreds of shops, restaurants and watering holes. Visitors staying in the Historic District enjoy easy access to the slopes of the Breckenridge Ski Resort via the new BreckConnect Gondola as well as the town’s complimentary FreeRide transportation system.

Both the town and the ski resort border the Four Seasons area, located just off the south end of Breckenridge’s Main Street. Many properties here are located just a short walk to the slopes and some even offer ski-in ski-out access. The Four Seasons is one of the more densely populated neighborhoods in Breckenridge, consisting primarily of reasonably-priced condominium and town home properties.

Four O’clock lodging properties offer a variety of ski-in ski-out and ski-in walk-out accommodations. This area is named after Breckenridge’s longest ski run, which meanders its way past the doorsteps of the properties located here. The Four O’clock neighborhood offers a variety of accommodations including full service resorts, condominiums, townhouses and private homes. While the majority of the properties located here do not offer immediate access to the amenities of Main Street, many of them offer guests complimentary shuttle service throughout the town.

The majority of Breckenridge’s ski-in ski-out resorts occupy the base areas of Peaks 8 and 9. Here, visitors will find chairlift access just outside their condo door, along with on-site dining, shopping, spas, pools, hot tubs and complimentary transportation. Peaks 8 and 9 are also home to some of the town’s most luxurious vacation homes, tucked into the trees just off the ski runs.

Finally, many of Breckenridge’s private home rentals are found just outside the town limits in neighborhoods such as Blue River. Here, massive vacation homes and rustic ski cabins are tucked in amongst towering spruce and lodge pole forests just a short drive from the ski area. Though not served by the town’s public transportation system, these neighborhoods offer some of the most convenient lodging options in Breckenridge, with plenty of room for visitors to take some Apidexin, spread out and relax.

While location isn’t likely to be the only characteristic you consider when evaluating Breckenridge lodging properties, understanding which neighborhoods have the greatest appeal to your vacation’s needs should certainly help in narrowing down your choices. Regardless of where you choose to stay, you’re sure to Breckenridge’s authentic Victorian charm, laid back atmosphere and phenomenal beauty.

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Ben Kelly is the owner of Summit Vacation Concierge and is an expert on Breckenridge Lodging, Vacation Packages, Activities and Travel Services. He is a resident of Breckenridge Colorado and enjoys snowboarding, fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking and the Colorado backcountry.
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Storybook cottage offers California beach respite

A trip to California’s Central Coast is all about replenishment and reflection and an appreciation of the spectacular natural beauty here that never seems to grow old. And what better place to get a new perspective on your daily life than a storybook cottage footsteps from the pounding surf and amazing energy of the Pacific Ocean?

If long walks along a driftwood-strewn beach are your idea of a trip to the sea, then Moonstone Beach in Cambria is probably a good candidate for your next outing to the California Coast. Cambria is a place where you can spend hours each day walking – on the beach, on the boardwalk and through a quaint, historic artist’s colony chock-full of art galleries as well as unique shops and good restaurants.

Cambria is in San Luis Obispo County and located in an area that gives visitors several options for short daytrips. The wineries are just a few miles east, Hearst Castle just a few miles north. Some of California’s best beaches are a short drive to the south. And San Luis Obispo is just a few miles south and inland.

On our most recent trip to Cambria we discovered a charming group of cottages on Moonstone Beach that seem especially well suited to honeymoons or romantic getaways. There are just three “Moonstone Cottages” built on a small lot directly across the road from some of the best areas to explore on Moonstone Beach (so named because of the semi-precious agate and jasper stones that can be found in the sand). The cottages are not part of a big resort so you won’t be sharing your getaway with other travelers. Aside from seeing their vehicles parked in front of their cottages, we never even saw our neighbors the entire time we were there.

Each of the cottages is perfectly decorated with a lot of attention to detail. They’re not huge, but quite adequate for a couple and have plenty of room to move around. We stayed in the Seascape, the cottage closest to the ocean with the best view, which included a fireplace and mini-kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, sink and counter space. Across from the queen bed with its wrought-iron frame was a gas fireplace and, as is common with small cottages like this, an armoire eliminated the need for a closet. A small white table for two was perfect for enjoying the breakfast that arrived in a basket on our doorstep. A flat-screen TV and DVD player were on a small marble-topped desk, and marble showed up again in the bathroom vanity and shower enclosure. The shiny dark cherry-wood floor, along with the updated furnishings, created an overall mood of simple elegance.

Outside, a well-maintained English garden added to the storybook feel and a small patio, chairs and table were available for simply sitting and watching the ocean surf and the visitors walking the nearby beach trails. A mature cypress tree framed the cottage, completing the illusion this little lodging is straight out of Hansel and Gretel – but these are no mere cardboard displays.

Along this special part of the California Coast, the walks are the thing. It’s said you can walk entirely around the town of Cambria, including lengthy sections of a first-class boardwalk skirting the shoreline and complete this circumnavigation in about four hours. We settled for good long beach walks where we found plenty to explore including tidepools, small caves, interesting rock formations, abundant driftwood and, of course, the constant backdrop of the ocean waves crashing on shore with incredible fury.

We also walked the town itself, enjoying the many galleries and historic buildings such the Squibb House, originally built in 1877. Shops downtown are often located in historical buildings, or have motifs designed to highlight the historical nature of the village. Some shops are quite stylish and are located in relatively new shopping centers with historic designs.

We took a short drive and noticed the scenery in this part of San Luis Obispo County is what really makes it appealing – the closer you are to the coast, the more Monterey pines appear. The combination of rolling hills, quiet winding roads and towering pines makes this getaway a feast for the senses.

Hearst Castle

Maybe the biggest attraction for Cambria visitors is the Hearst Castle, just a half-hour drive up the coastline. Film stars like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Charlie Chaplain once boarded the train in Los Angeles to travel through the night up the California coast to reach the palatial hilltop estate of William Randolf Hearst.

Back in the 1920’s and 30’s, getting to Hearst Castle took a little bit of time. After traveling most of Friday night by train, Hearst’s celebrity guests were met at the San Luis Obispo station and driven by motorcar on primitive roads another couple of hours north to the castle’s location near San Simeon. These Hollywood guests – usually two or three dozen — would then begin a non-stop party that would culminate in another long journey home in order to be on their movie sets Monday morning.

Today, tourists arrive at the Hearst Castle by bus – yes, even if you drive your car, you won’t get to the castle unless you’re riding in one of the Park Service’s motor coaches that shuttle visitors up and down the winding, narrow five-mile road to the castle. With well over a million annual visitors, the castle now has a fleet of buses and a bus station to rival that of a good-size city.

Several tours are offered, so you’ll need to visit more than once if you’re intent on seeing the entire estate. But we found the two-hour introductory tour to be quite thorough, allowing access to many of the more spectacular parts of the castle. The tour guides here are obviously selected for their storytelling skills and ours, in particular, offered numerous anecdotes about Hearst and his many guests, and about the great time and expense that went into creating one of our country’s grandest homes.

Visitors to the castle marvel at the indoor and outdoor pools – the Neptune pool took 12 years to build — as well as the architecture, gardens and fountains. The introductory tour gives a good view of the main house and its interior including sitting rooms and dining areas that are larger than those found in many hotels. Art and antiquities are everywhere, and the sweeping view of the ocean and surrounding countryside is just as spectacular as anything you find on the grounds.

Other beach areas

Heading back down toward Cambria and then south, you’ll find more than 80 miles of beaches are ready for exploration, each just a little different than the one preceding it. Driving Highway 1 along the coast is a kaleidoscope of colorful beach scenes that offer everything from wide, sandy beaches for sun worshippers to craggy shoreline perfect for finding tide pools and various forms of sea life.

Driving the coastline, one cannot help but notice the exceedingly wide Morro Strand State Beach with Morro Rock in the background. Kayaking along this bay is popular and the beach is so broad that there’s plenty of privacy when you get ready to park your beach towels or chairs.

Pismo Beach is one of the most popular in the area and offers a pier that visitors can fish from. Nearby is a small but busy shopping district with restaurants, shops and other attractions. And down the beach a ways is the only drivable beach area in California, perfect for renting an all-terrain vehicle. Also nearby is the Oceano Dunes Park, set aside for off-highway vehicles as well as camping and other beach activities.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Cambria is midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along the Central California Coast.

WHAT: Cambria is a unique vacation destination because it offers the beauty of the beach, but enough nearby attractions such as Hearst Castle and the Paso Robles Wineries to offer much more than the usual beach activities.

WHEN: Year-round.

WHY: The area is easily accessible from L.A. or San Francisco and offers some of California’s best coastal scenery.

HOW: For more information on Cambria, contact the Cambria Chamber of Commerce at 805-927-3624 or go to www.cambriachamber.org. For more information on Moonstone Cottages, call 805-927-1366 or go to www.moonstonecottages.com. For more information on Hearst Castle, phone 800-444-4445 or visit www.hearstcastle.com.

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Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com , covering California travel destinations, and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com , covering Pacific Northwest travel destinations.

All kinds of holidays in Britain are set for a bumper season this Summer, thanks to the weak £ and the dreaded recession. So anyone running holiday accommodation should start sprucing the place up now!

The south west is a favourite with the Brits and overseas visitors alike, caravan holidays in Devon attract plenty of visitors from Germany and Holland. Make sure you choose your travel time carefully in peak season as the roads are very very busy!

For anyone who likes to take planty of luggage, going on holiday in a caravan in the UK makes a lot of sense. You can pack all your stuff in the van, hook it on to the car and off you go – no need to unpack at the other end, and your case is not going to be sent to the other side of the world without you.

The other group who are likely to be booking caravan holidays in the UK are dog owners.  Once we got a dog ourselves we took all our holidays in the England, as a result we had a fantastic time in Devon. If we did not have a pet we would probably have gone abroad, and would never have discovered all the beautiful places in the West country.  You do not need to have your own caravan, there are plenty of sites where you simply book a fixed mobile home for the length of your stay, just turn up and start enjoying the beautiful English countryside.

There are many options to choose from when choosing among Perdido Key rentals in Florida. In fact, the options are so many and so varied, it helps to have a very clear view of what you want to do and accomplish in the Perdido Key area before doing any research on gulf shore condos and certainly before making a reservation. Here are some things to consider:

Your Perdido Key rental decision should be influenced by who is vacationing with you. Family vacations are very different from romantic getaways, and many families prefer to stay in Perdido Key rentals near kid-friendly attractions like zoos, water parks and nature reserves.
On the other hand, if you’re taking a romantic interlude with your significant other, you may wish to reserve a Perdido Key rental that is farther away from such attractions and where fewer children are likely to be staying. Perdido Key also has an active art and cultural community, and the two of you may want to factor in proximity to museums, wine-tastings and other romantic activities when choosing a Perdido Key rental.

If you like to spend every waking minute of your trip actively pursuing recreation, then you will need to be sure that your Perdido Key rental offers or at least is in close proximity to convenient transportation, entertainment and possibly jetski rentals or deep-sea fishing operations. On the other hand, if you prefer a laid-back, day-long siesta in the sun with a cool beverage at hand and the gentle sound of the waves in the distance, you probably should book a gulf shore condo that is a little more off the beaten track. With Perdido Key’s many nature reserves and white-sand beaches, you should have many options to choose from.

Don’t forget to factor in the length of your Florida stay in a Perdido Key rental! Many property owners are willing to give you major discounts on gulf shores condo rentals if you are staying a month or longer in the area. If you plan to spend the winter in Gulf Shores, for example, make sure to ask about special rates on extended stays.

If you’re an early riser, then you won’t mind your Perdido Key rental being located on the ground level, where the noise from morning activities can be a little invasive. On the other hand, if you like to sleep late, be sure to request an upper level condo.

Choosing the right Perdido Key rental for you can have a major influence on how much you enjoy your stay, and also the types of experiences you encounter while you are in Perdido Key. Make sure that you check out all potential Perdido Key rentals online before reserving one, and that the local property manager can assure you that requests for location will be respected as long as you make them in advance. Then, enjoy your Perdido Key vacation!
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Terry Wedding is a custom vacation designer who owns properties in Sugar Mountain and Gulf Shores. His travels help him keep a finger on the pulse of his vacation communities and enable him to create one-of-a-kind experiences for clients. Learn more about Terry and his properties at http://www.pleasureislandcondos.com