My family has always wanted to spend Christmas in the snowy mountains, and this year we finally made that dream a reality. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend Breckenridge for a family friendly vacation. The skiing was amazing and the town is picturesque! Here's a detailed breakdown of our trip.
TRAVEL:
We flew from Austin to Denver, rented a van and drove two hours to Breckenridge. Our van did not have 4 wheel drive or snow tires, but Alex did great driving it and we didn't experience any issues. Once we arrived we went ahead and got the kids and ourselves fitted for our ski rentals through Breck Sports (you will need a reservation). This was a GAME CHANGER because it saved us a ton of time the next day. We saw people waiting hours in line the next morning and it was very chaotic.
STAY:
My family stayed at Tannhauser condos located on Main Street and catty corner to Peak 9 lift. This is an IDEAL location as you are next to all the shopping, restaurants and bars and you can easily walk to the Peak 9 lift which is where ski school is located. The condos are individually owned so some are in better condition than others. This is a great location if you have some people that are skiing and others that aren't because you don't have to worry about a vehicle.
My family stayed at Tannhauser condos located on Main Street and catty corner to Peak 9 lift. This is an IDEAL location as you are next to all the shopping, restaurants and bars and you can easily walk to the Peak 9 lift which is where ski school is located. The condos are individually owned so some are in better condition than others. This is a great location if you have some people that are skiing and others that aren't because you don't have to worry about a vehicle.
My sister and her family rented a beautiful mountain chalet via VRBO just 3 miles from downtown Breckenridge. The home sleeps 10 with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, an elevator and a HUGE kitchen. The living room and dining areas were perfect for entertaining large groups. We had 17 people hanging out in the home and it never felt tight. The owners had a beautiful Christmas tree set up which was great as we opened presents on Christmas morning there. It felt like we were in a literal snow globe. The kids spent lots of time outside sledding and snowboarding down the hills. The only downside was it didn't have a hot tub. That's on my list for our next trip.
SKI SCHOOL:
We enrolled our kids in snowboarding school for 3 full days. My oldest son Turner who is 9 LOVED it, and the full day was a great option for him. My almost 6 year old twins had a tough time going the full day, but the half day wasn't an option. We were able to get the ski rentals and lift passes at a discount because they did lessons. When made a reservation to get them fitted for their boards and boots the day before they started their first lesson. This was one of the best things we did because it saved a lot of time, and made the first day of skiing much less chaotic. It gets very busy and crowded in the mornings before ski school starts at 9am and we were able to bypass the line. We took our rentals home with us every day. The total cost was $3,766 for our kids' lessons, rentals and lift tickets (lunch is included).
Alex and I enjoyed skiing while the kids were in school, and found that Peaks 8 and 7 had the best blue runs. We always started on Peak 9 due to the location near our condo and ski school, and then would take various lifts over to the other peaks.
Most lunches we ate on the mountain or at my sister's cabin, but here are some recommendations for places we ate on Main Street.
La Française French Bakery - A delicious french bakery serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. We grabbed crepes, omelettes and almond croissants from here for breakfast. They have an amazing selection of hot sandwiches and French pastries. The line can get long but MUCH shorter than the Crepes à la Cart line.
Flip Side - An upbeat burger joint located on Main Street with lots of room but does not take reservations. They serve American fare including burgers, salads, sandwiches, tacos, and other homestyle dishes.
The Cheese Shop - I stopped in The Cheese Shop of Breckenridge and grabbed a cheese box to go for $24. It was worth every penny! They also serve sandwiches and dry goods such as pasta if you want to cook at home.
Downstairs at Eric's - If you have feral children like I do Downstairs at Eric's is your spot in the winter! They have a reasonably priced arcade, and serve ALL the fried foods. We devoured pizza, wings, a soft pretzel, beer, and burgers!
We didn't get a chance to stop any bars but I heard Breckenridge Brewery, The Gold Pan Saloon, and Breckenridge Distillery are great spots. I did get to enjoy a Colorado Bulldog while on the mountain which is basically a White Russian with a splash of Coca Cola.
Condo rental (5 nights) - $2,291
Kids' Lessons, rentals & lift tickets (3 days) - $3,766
Adult lift tickets (4 days) - $769
Adult ski rentals - $423
Flight for family of 5 + car rental - $2,690
TOTAL: $9,939
This does not include any meals or all the gear we bought for the trip which would probably add about $1,000.
This trip was even more special because 12 years ago Alex proposed to me in Breckenridge while we were on a senior college ski trip. We even stayed at the Tannhauser condos. It felt surreal bringing our 3 kids to the same spot he proposed 💍. I'm extremely grateful we had the opportunity to take this trip with my family and create lasting memories. Whitney wants to go to the beach next Christmas so we'll see 😉. Check out my IG stories for a closer look at our trip!
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