Breckenridge Resort Review
Our trip to Breckenridge was amazing. Below you will find my Breckenridge Resort Review on the DoubleTree Hilton Breckenridge. This goes over all the shenanigans we got into, their fun amenities, how to set yourself up for success in Breckenridge during the winter, their sustainability practices, and the DoubleTree Hilton Breckenridge’s amazing chefs and incredible restaurant.
Getting to Breckenridge
We paid for an Epic Shuttle from Denver airport straight to our hotel. The shuttle was able to get us over to Breckenridge and back in a storm that many cars couldn’t make it through. The drivers were efficient and quite friendly. We recommend this shuttle and will take it again next time.
Preparing Yourself for Breckenridge Success
Breckenridge is high up. Like really high up. For me this meant that I had gnarly headaches the first two days we were there. I felt like I was hungover but I don’t drink. My skin was also really dry. To prepare yourself for a great time in Breckenridge:
- Drink lots of water. I mean it. Get super hydrated.
- Bring your favorite headache medication. We like Ibuprofen for when you have food in your stomach, and acetaminophen (Tylenol, extra strength, rapid release) for when you’re on an empty stomach. Note: Don’t take acetaminophen if you’re drinking alcohol. It puts extra stress on your liver.
- Bring lots of lotion. Face lotion, body lotion, chapstick, sunscreen. If you’re staying at DoubleTree in Breckenridge they provide body lotion and sunscreen!
- Borrow a humidifier. Our awesome hotel (DoubleTree Breckenridge) let us borrow one which did me a lot of good.
- Consider getting an oxygen can (they sell at most drug stores in the area) or stopping by an oxygen bar.
Breckenridge Resort Review: DoubleTree Hilton Breckenridge
We stayed at the DoubleTree Hilton and LOVED it. It has fun amenities:
- Vegan, gluten free cookies at the front desk. You can ask them for extra after you try the first bag and become a cookie monster like I did. You have to ask for these cookies, however. They will hand you non-vegan cookies at check-in if you don’t specify vegan.
- A great gym with free weights
- An indoor heated pool
- Spas overlooking the snowy mountains
- Saunas
- A business center with computers for guests to use
- A café inside the hotel
- A ski and board shop inside the hotel where you can get expert advice, rent gear, and purchase gear.
- A PHENOMENAL restaurant called 9600 Kitchen that I go into more detail about below.
Skiing in Breckenridge and First Tracks Fridays
My Breckenridge Resort Review and blog wouldn’t be complete without discussing the amazing skiing that is available to you! Breckenridge is a ski town in the winter and everyone is there to play in the snow. This makes for a fun energy that is all about getting to the slopes.
As guests of DoubleTree Hilton we got to go on First Tracks Friday which meant that we got to go onto the mountain an hour before others started skiing on it. That was an awesome experience. Some First Tracks-ers got to see two moose. Brian and I saw a fox chilling on the slopes before they were taken over by people.
The hotel is across the street from a lift, which means on snowy days where the snow adequately covers the street you can ski in and ski out right to the ski valet where you drop off your boards, skis, and poles and they store them for you so you don’t have to lug them up to your room.
Some things to note about this hotel:
- The elevators on the wings of the hotel say that you can go down to the 2nd floor to get your skis. You can’t. Don’t try. It will lead you somewhere confusing and you’ll have to go back up. Instead, come down to the 3rd floor and got to the elevator in the lobby which will take you down to the 2nd floor for ski valet.
- There are no suites. By that I mean that there are no rooms that have a bedroom that closes off from a living space. However they do have large rooms with two king beds, and they have rooms with adjoining doors so you can stay connected and partying with the rest of your group.
Breckenridge Resort Review: DoubleTree Hilton’s Restaurant 9600 Kitchen
Now this is a hidden secret of Breckenridge that I am SO excited to share with you. You can have a gourmet culinary experience in the 9600 Kitchen. In fact, even if you don’t stay at the DoubleTree you could ski over, right off of the Quicksilver chairlift, for lunch or dinner. And if you want to get cleaned up before eating, it is worth the 5 minute walk from main street.
I know what you’re thinking “really, Seyka? A hotel restaurant?”. But yes, really. This team of chefs takes their art and food seriously, while also having a warm, passionate energy that you can feel spilling out of the kitchen. There is something special going on here. You may have to taste it to believe it.
DoubleTree Breck made a big deal about bringing Aaron Boyd on as Executive Chef and after meeting him, seeing how his team loves him, and experiencing the food that came out of their kitchen, I say that they didn’t make a big enough deal.
We had the incredible pleasure of a executive chef designed 6-course vegan culinary experience. Our chefs Aaron Boyd, Travys Armitage, and their team created a delectable tasting for us of what they can create with only plants as ingredients. Because we aren’t sensitive to gluten, ours was not gluten free. However, they let us know that they accommodate people with all sorts of dietary restrictions and make spectacular food.
I would recommend calling ahead of time to make a reservation and notify the team of your dietary restrictions so they have a bit of a heads up, but they have a full kitchen so they can take care of you even if you don’t. The team at the 9600 report that they “consider it an honor to serve and cook for [their] guests in efforts of providing an incredible dining experience”.
We had a 6 course vegan dinner overlooking the slopes.
Our epic vegan foodie experience included the courses below.
Course 1: Vegan Cheese Board
Course 2: Butter Lettuce, Pear, Candied Almonds, Dried Cherries, Poppyseed Salad
Course 3: Vegetable Stew, Microgreens
Course 4: Baguette with Melted Vegan Cheese and Brussels Sprouts
Course 5: Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper with “Buggs Bunny” Carrots
Course 6: A Huge Crepe with Chocolate Drizzle, Ripe Plantains, and Pomegranate Glazed Walnuts
Here is a video of the full meal.
When we first got into Breckenridge I was starving so I ordered the Brussles Sprouts on their menu and asked the chef to modify it vegan. He thoughtfully came out to talk to me about the options and ended up crafting this spicy, delicious dish that I also recommend.
Breckenridge Resort Review: Pictures of the Resort
Check out this video to see the resort through our eyes. (Coming very soon!)
Vegan Food in Breckenridge
On the occasions that we left our resort for food, we were not disappointed. Check out my blog on vegan food in Breckenridge to see our list of places we loved (Coming very soon!).
Breckenridge Resort Review: Sustainability Practices
As you guys know we are all about luxury travel, saving the animals, healthy lifestyle, AND saving the planet. So we put a big focus on sustainability and environmental practices in our resort reviews. Here is what we can tell you about DoubleTree Hilton Breckenridge’s sustainability practices.
DoubleTree Hilton Breckenridge has the best of both worlds being a Hilton property and owned by Vail Resorts. Both of these companies have a strong commitment to their communities, planet and future of hospitality and recreation. Check out the links below to get a greater scope of what they are working on locally and what is supported by their parent companies.
Locally, they are partnered with Clean the World to recycle all of their toiletries. Clean the World is a company out of Miami that collects unused toiletries, sanitizes them and then redistributes globally to 3rd world countries, areas of natural disasters and vulnerable communities. They also bring an education system, resources and programming to help these areas have access to clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene. The counter benefit to this partnership is the massive diversion of these unused toiletries going into our landfills!
They are also in the process of a complete revamp of their waste management systems to provide full recycling and composting between all lines of business to really move towards a true zero waste facility. They are sure excited about this, and we are too!
We had a really special time feeling welcomed into the DoubleTree and getting to make it our home for a week. We recommend this resort.
Xo,
Seyka
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