Recently in Vail Category

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is on another adventure, and this time he has been seen at several different Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts. When you stay at one of these resorts in 2008, you can go on a Roaming Gnome scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes. Roaming Gnomes will be hidden in secret spots around the resorts. Participants will receive a clue sheet with hints as to where they are hiding. Once you complete your clue sheet, you can redeem it for a prize at the resort. You will also be entered into a grand prize drawing to win a five-day, four-night resort stay, plus two airline tickets worth up to $750 each. The contest began on May 1 and will continue through the end of 2008. The grand prize winner will be chosen at the end of the year.

Participating Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts are: Sheraton Vistana Villages and Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando, Florida; The Westin St. John Resort & Villas in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui, Hawai'i; The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas in Kaua'i, Hawai'i; The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Villas in Rancho Mirage, California; Sheraton Desert Oasis and The Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale, Arizona; Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado; Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort in Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Vistana's Beach Club in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

You're invited to experience a celebration of wine and spirits in Beaver Creek, Colorado from August 7 through 9, 2008. The Beaver Creek Wine & Spirits Festival will feature San Francisco-area celebrity chefs as well as the winners of the San Francisco International Wine Competition and World Spirits Competition. You can expect an exciting array of events, including tastings, food pairings, a wine auction, cooking classes and much more. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Rockies when you attend Walk & Wine, a guided hike from the Beaver Creek Hiking Center followed by a wine pairing luncheon. Or check out Fly Fish/Eat Fish, an event where you can fish the Eagle River with an experienced guide, plus taste over 40 award-winning wines, spirits and dishes from celebrity guest chefs at the festival's finale. To purchase tickets, visit here. After each day of wining and dining, return to comfortable and spacious accommodations when you stay at Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject. This week, she's been sharing with us two events happening in Vail, Colorado as the town prepares for two simultaneous festivals: Taste of Vail and the 5th Annual Vail Film Festival.

The arrival of spring means fun events for film aficionados who can slip away to Vail, Colorado. Each spring, Vail hosts the Vail Film Festival, a four-day series of events that attracts high-profile independent filmmakers and actors from around the world. Past screenings at the Vail Film Festival include Before Sunset, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy; My Date with Drew, starring Drew Barrymore; Kung Fu Hustle; House of D, directed by David Duchovny; The Wendell Baker Story, directed by Luke Wilson and starring Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Eva Mendes and Will Ferrell; and American Dreamz, starring Dennis Quaid, Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore.

This year's festival will be held April 3 through 6 in scenic Vail Village, surrounded by the majestic snowcapped mountains of the Colorado Rockies. The 2008 festival program will showcase feature films, shorts, documentaries, student films and honor stars such as Jeremy Davies, Olivia Wilde, Adrian Grenier, Tim Daly and Jesse Isenberg. Festival events include film screenings, classes, panel discussions, live music, nightly galas, a filmmaker reception and a closing brunch. The festival will also showcase Vail's alpine setting by scheduling afternoon and evening-only programming and offering discounted lift tickets to accommodate skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts. So whether you prefer relaxing at the movies or zipping down the ski slopes, Vail offers plenty of ways to keep you entertained. Plus, at the end of each exciting day, you will return to comfortable and spacious accommodations when you stay at Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

Despite the arrival of spring, snow sports and alpine thrills prevail in Vail, Colorado. Here you will discover a world of wintry activities even when other parts of the country are getting warmer. Each year, usually in late March, skiing legends, sports professionals and celebrities meet on the slopes of Vail Mountain for the American Ski Classic. With professional and amateur ski racing on the slopes, plus live entertainment and sumptuous dinner events offered off the slopes, the American Ski Classic offers an array of activities for visitors of all ages. All races are free to attend and offer opportunities for you to get autographs from world-class athletes. This year's American Ski Classic will be held March 26 through 30.

You will discover a world of excitement when you vacation in Vail Valley. Whether you prefer to watch top skiers perform or take to the slopes to test your own skills, Vail offers a seemingly endless menu of adventure. And at the end of each day you will return to comfortable and spacious accommodations when you stay at Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

Beer aficionados will love visiting Colorado, sometimes referred to as the Napa Valley of the beer world. Colorado's capital city of Denver brews more beer than any other city in America. And with more than 100 unique breweries statewide, you will not run out of new, tasty beers to sample when you visit Colorado.

Two of the country's largest beer producers, Coors and Anheuser-Busch, have breweries in Colorado. Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado is the largest single brewery in the world, producing more than 17 million barrels of beer each year. Here you may stop by for a complimentary tour, where you can plan to spend about 90 minutes touring the brewery and sampling their beers.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, you'll discover one of twelve regional breweries owned by Anheuser-Busch. Here you may enjoy a brewery tour and beer tasting, then interact with the Budweiser Clydesdales. If you're feeling more adventurous, stop by one of Colorado's microbreweries. Breckenridge Brewery handcrafts nearly 30,000 barrels of beer each year. You won't necessarily find these beers at home; Breckenridge sells its beers in a limited selection of states. Breweries are located in Denver and Breckenridge, Colorado.