Name: Homestake Condominiums
Address: 1081 Vail View Dr, Vail, CO 81657, USA, Vail, Vail, Vail, 81657, United States of America
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

Dishwasher

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Fridge

Indoor Fireplace

Cable TV

Shower

Rooms

Hairdryer (on request)

Telephone

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Kitchen

Microwave oven

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Free internet

Internet

Parking

Ski shuttle

Winter sports

Location

At the apartment

Room amenities

Camp Hale

Vail Recreation Path

Cascade Village Lift

Adventure Ridge

Born Free Express Lift

Grand Traverse

John A. Dobson Ice Arena

The Steadman Clinic

Gerald Ford Amphitheater

Chaos Canyon

Eagle County Airport

Homestake Condominiums

Vail

I seldom rank a condo five stars, but this one deserves it, even though it is not the Ritz; it is very nice. The most impressive fact was that it was very, very clean. No dust found in the corners, no hairs from other people on the towels, the kitchen dishes were basically all very clean, the refrigerator was clean with no leftover food from previous guests, and overall the place seemed immaculate. Hats off to the cleaning staff! This is one of the cleanest places we have stayed in many, many years!  Other PROS include: Keypad entry on front door so no need to keep up with a key. Also, great storage throughout the condo -  plenty of room in the kitchen to store our food and kitchen items, great storage in the bathroom as well, hooks for coats by entry door, open shelves/tables in living room area to sit stuff on, huge master bedroom with two large sliding door closets, plus four drawers and two large shelves and two bedside tables with two drawers each in master and Bedroom 2 had a desk area with 6 large drawers and a chair and nice mirror, plus a nice closet.  The owner did not have tons of their own stuff all over the place, so it left plenty of room for you to store your belongings.  

They provided nice bath soaps that were large enough to last several nights, plenty of shampoo, lotion, extra towels, extra washcloths, and a hair dryer. We could have used a few extra hand towels though. The bathroom had three towel racks to hang your towel on and reuse which was very handy, as well as good lighting. There was also a small heater in the bathroom that very quickly warmed it up nicely! 

The kitchen had tons and tons of dishes, lots of plates, wine glasses, coffee cups, glasses (large and small), pots, pans, skillets, and every type of cooking item you might need. Plenty of silverware except for small teaspoons. Lots and lots of other kitchen gadgets and knives, although the knives were not very sharp. I'd recommend trying a few serrated knives as they seem to stay sharp longer. There was also an easy to use microwave, two coffee pots, coffee, a hand mixer, a can opener, a large soup pot, large casserole dishes, 4 pie plates, colander, etc., a nice assortment of spices, a handy drawer with scissors, stapler, fireplace lighter, etc. They also supply plenty of dishwashing soap and dishwasher tablets.  The only thing we could not find was a cookie sheet, or dishwashing cloths, and extra dish towels (2 were provided) would have been nice since we were there for a full seven days. They did provide a brand new sponge in the kitchen. Several places we have stayed before leave a sponge that has already been used - YUCK! At the kitchen bar there are four comfortable bar stools. The kitchen is also well lit. 

The living room had plenty of lights, a comfortable couch and rocking chair, as well as a wood burning fireplace with tons of wood on the back porch and fireplace tools. The only thing missing was newspaper and kindling to start the fire with. There is also a small table with wooden chairs in the living room, but we found it more convenient to use the card table that was in the upstairs closet for eating, or the large island and bar stools. In the living room there is also a cabinet with a few assorted games, and a nice collection of books for adults and children. The windows provide a view of Vail Mountain Resort ski slopes, as well as other condos and mountains. 

The bedrooms were upstairs via a narrow staircase and 12 steps. Both the king size bed and the trundle bed were very comfortable and firm. There were plenty of blankets and pillows. Both rooms had windows with nice views. The master bedroom had a huge window with a view of the ski slopes. In the closet there was a vacuum cleaner, 3 humidifiers, a card table and chairs, tons of hangers, an iron, a clock radio in both bedrooms, and a fan - very nice!

The only maintenance issue was needing a couple light bulbs which were delivered within an hour after the request. The gentleman was very cheerful and polite. The director of reservations for Vail Management Properties, Greg Chandler, quickly responded to any of our questions. He was very helpful. 

CONS: Very few - The shower head is very low. I am 5’7” and it touched the top of my head. However, when tilted outwards it worked fine, and my husband who is 6’ tall had no problems with it. As I mentioned earlier, there were no knives that were very sharp. Also, all of the Teflon pots and pans were badly scratched and peeling, so we opted to use glass dishes in the microwave most of the time. The master bedroom could use brighter lighting. Also, neither bedroom was very quiet because there was no sound barrier between the bedrooms and the downstairs; the master bedroom was open to the living room below and the second bedroom was open to the staircase. This did not cause us problems because we were quiet when others were sleeping, and there is a door between the master bedroom and the second bedroom, which helped at night. We heard virtually no noise from other condos. 

There are 27 stairs from the parking lot level to the front door of the condo (3rd floor). There are 30 stairs from the parking lot down to the street to get to the bus stop; after reaching the street the bus stop is approximately 100 yards away from the steps. This was only challenging because we were carrying our skis, boots, and poles.  (Just a side note – If you do not like doing stairs, then Vail Resort ski area is not the place to go! There are 70 stairs between the bus depot and the beginning of Vail Village; then you must walk 1/3 mile through the Village to get to the snow near Gondola One all while carrying your skis, boots, and poles! Vail is the worst designed ski resort in regards to getting skiers conveniently to the slopes! No drop-off area for people or equipment, no escalators, no tram from parking lots to ski slopes,...)

Overall, Homestake B312 was very nice, and we'd stay here again if we were to return to Vail. Thank you to the owners for sharing their lovely place!

Homestake  B 312, An UNEXPECTED 5 stars

Homestake condos are a bit dated but are located near the Vail bus stop. The unit we stayed at was good but not great. Pros: nice views, 10 minute drive to grocery store and many restaurants and short walk to Vail bus stop. Cons: stairs-lots of stairs, small and dated condos and steep driveway/parking lot. Building B is better as there is a shorter walk to the bus stop.

Reasonably priced & close to Vail bus stop

We had 10 nights for a ski trip. We stayed in Building B. It was comfortable and convenient. Although room itself is not very big, it has worked pretty well for 2 people. WIFI is strong all over the condo. Shuttle bus is just around by a few minutes walk.

Comfortable and Convenient

We stayed in Building B (top floor). It provided us with a wonderful view of the slopes. We only had a short walk down a flight of stairs to the bus stop. The free bus ran every 30min (20min in peak times) to take you downtown the slopes. The condo basically had everything we needed for our stay. Some condiments were left in the cupboard I am guessing from previous guests. Free wi-fi worked fairly well, and there was a wide selection of tv stations. The location was very quiet. Wake-up call was around 6.30am when the stairs were cleared of snow and the plower soon after to clear the car park. Car parking was free but really there is no need for a car at all. Safeway and Wal-mart are only a short bus ride away to stock up on groceries. 

Cheap alternative in expensive town

We were in A308 (Building A). All and all – no complaints if you get a good deal. The complex is pretty much sits on the bus stop and it’s about 10 min to Vail village on a free city bus, which goes all day long every 20-30 min depending on the time of day.

There is a free parking (at least for one car) and if you’re lucky enough to get the room with the view, you’ll be looking at the ski slopes. 

Just like others commented, keep in mind that even though the bus stop is about 5 min walk time, this walk can be somewhat treacherous, if you’re in building A, as you’ll have to go down a VERY steep slope and then take pretty long stairs. Luckily, the slope appears to be heated as there is no snow there even when it’s dumping outside. However, it is still very tough walk in ski boots while caring skiis and other equipment. On the way back, while not as slippery, you’ll be climbing up the same steep walk, so conserve some energy for that. If you get a choice, pick building B – you’ll still have to deal with the stairs, but, at least, no slope. Also, see if you can get the first floor – the staircase leading to the second level is steep and long.

Each unit is independently owned, so our experience with inside of the unit maybe different from others. A308 was not well suited for small kids as the only way to get to the second floor is by a very steep staircase without any guardrails. Also, some ingenious designer decided that it’s a great idea to make the floor in one of the bedrooms upstairs about an inch lower than the rest of the floor. This can lead to some unfortunate consequences if you’re not careful. 

Otherwise, the unit was quite nicely equipped with pretty much everything you’d need. It is very old and you can feel it, but it didn’t bother us – bathroom was updated and kitchen had some newer appliances. One thing that stood out is lack of any shampoo. Wasn’t a big deal for us, but I’ve never seen a rental unit where the owners would provide a dozen soap bars and that’s it. The unit was rented through Vail Realty and I can’t say I appreciated a call from their office the day before the check out asking us if we’re going to be checking out early. I understand the reasoning for the call, but it should have been handled differently. They also require and charge significant fee if, prior to check out, you don’t run the dishwasher and wash whatever didn’t fit there by hand. Once again, most places ask for it, but I have yet to deal with it being “you do it or we’ll charge” you type of deal.

If you get a good deal - go for it. Try to get building B

After I reviewed the comments on this site, I decided to stay.
My room was A101 and it was really really old...

Pros:
Affordable price.
Good access to the slope by using the bus.

Cons:
If you stay at "A" side, beware you have to walk down steep slope which may be slippery.
There are no washer/dryer on site.
The room was really really old...

Next time I will pay a little bit more and stay somewhere else.

Choose your room!

We took a studio, but there was room for six people. Cake was big with everything you need (screw, microwave, coffee machine... we also had two TVs, wifi, free parking. Bus stop was only 100 meters away. We needed a bus to get to the ski center in Vail. But you need a car to get to Walmart and without it it it might not be so convenient here.

Homestake Condominiums

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