Sandstone Creek Club Review – A Great Stay in Vail

Sandstone Creek Club Offers Comfortable Rooms

For our stay at Sandstone Creek Club, we booked a two-bedroom, two-bath condo that we split with friends who joined on the trip.

The rooms were spacious, with comfortable beds (one room with a king, the second with a queen and a single), blackout curtains, and about every condo amenity we could ask for, including an in-unit washer and dryer, full kitchenette, dishwasher, and more. This one felt more like an apartment you'd rent on a home-sharing service over anything we're used to seeing in a conventional hotel.

The kitchen was perhaps our favorite part of the stay here if only because we were able to cook breakfasts and dinners, with leftovers for select lunches, and helped us avoid paying the astronomical restaurant prices in town several nights of our stay (less astronomical grocery bills, however, could not be avoided- while stocked with some basics, we still had to buy most seasonings, oils, and other essentials to cook).

Although our room was set up more in condo format, as Sandstone Creek Club hosts timeshare properties, they also offer conventional hotel rooms to rent without some of these apartment amenities at a slightly cheaper price point to help keep costs down. So while we quite enjoyed the extra amenities that a condo provides, these are entirely optional pending your needs.

This one felt like a home away from home with everything we needed during our visit. The only downside was that the unit we were in was on the lower level and, despite having outdoor access, had limited natural lighting even when the sun was shining. Yes, it felt a bit like a basement apartment, brick walls and all, but this was such a minor concern in the grand scheme of things. (Timeshare perks- you get the room that is allocated to you, after all!)

Easy Ski Storage and Transit to the Gondolas

One of the best selling points about Sandstone Creek Club was just how easy it is to go skiing despite being on the other side of the highway from the resort itself.

On the ski storage front, their setup is hard to beat. The first room past the lobby features large lockers for each unit, and we were given keys at check-in to allow us to access our skis whenever we wanted. The only hard rule here was that boots and skis were only allowed in the lobby and the storage room area, and guests were to wear regular footwear everywhere else on the property- an easy ask that was abided by everyone.

Their transportation options were also quite robust. During our visit, the hotel offered two shuttles into town virtually every hour of the day, plus one for the grocery stores, and departed Sandstone Creek Club on the hour and the half. The first stop was in Lionshead Village, just about five minutes later, and the second stop was at the upper level of the transportation center in Vail Village about 7 or 8 minutes after that. 

For return trips, just simply head to either of those spots at the respective drop-off times (so 5 or 35 after the hour at Lionshead Village and roughly 10 and 40 after the hour at Vail Village), load your gear, hop on, and head back to the property with ease.

But for those who miss a trip, the Sandstone bus stop for Vail's public bus system is located just outside the property on the main road and can be reached in about 2-3 minutes on foot. This bus seemed to come about eight minutes after the hotel shuttle and was a good fallback option if you accidentally missed a shuttle- also for free!

So while we could not just walk right out from our hotel straight to the gondolas, the transportation options here did not leave us wanting for more all the same.

• Note: Weekday and Weekend times may be different for all transportation options mentioned and, as always, shuttle times could change. Always confirm the posted times at the front desk after arrival.

On-Site Amenities Outside of Ski Time

Although we were pretty happy with a reasonably priced hotel with easy transit options, there were other amenities we enjoyed on-site to highlight.

First was the heated pool. This decently sized pool had both indoor and outdoor sections, with a connector that you could swim through to head outside, all without leaving the pool. Although the view from the pool was somewhat poor (very minimal slope views), and the cold air made being outside far too uncomfortable for us, we appreciated the novelty of the design all the same. 

Second were the hot tubs and sauna options. Two large hot tubs were found on either side of the pool, sadly inside only, and helped our muscles recover after a long day of skiing. Likewise, one steam and one dry sauna were also found a few steps away and were quite relaxing and, compared to the pool, seemed underutilized by other guests.

Beyond this, the clubhouse also had most other standard hotel amenities like a fitness center and many outdoor recreational options (tennis courts, mini golf, etc.) that those who visit in the summer months could enjoy. But as we were here to ski, and ski a lot, we did not utilize any of these for obvious reasons!

Overall, Sandstone Creek Club offered us quite a relaxing stay that we could enjoy with friends in our two-bedroom condo rental. Although we got lucky on price via our timeshare connection, this hotel would still be high on our radar simply because the two-bedroom condos rival those of single bedrooms on the resort proper. So for any minor convenience of being a bit further away, we made up for it by being able to hang out with friends in a shared unit for less!

Sandstone Creek Club is located at 1020 Vail View Drive in Vail, Colorado. To book a room at Sandstone Creek Club, click here.