2010-2013 Vail, CO Our Vail Winter Accommodations

In October 2010 we didn't have our 5-month winter accommodations lined up for our Eleventh Entire Ski Season Skiing Somewhere in the World. We were in Beijing and we knew we wanted to ski another season in Vail, CO in the USA. Generally the way that we find our digs, is that Dimitri trolls the Internet morning after morning until he has the Top 5 for us to discuss (see the tab above called "How Dimitri Finds Our Accommodations") or if possible to go see before we make a decision.

We decided to write an e-mail to our skiing friends Joerg and Rita Braun (who were in Hawaii at the time) to ask them if they knew of any possibilities in Vail. Lo and behold, within a day they wrote to us that their friends, Bob and Maddy Kleinman had just bought two units in the Simba Run Condominiums in Vail that they wanted to rent (http://www.simbarun.com/). Within days, Dimitri and Bob had made a deal for the 5-month ski season starting the next month (in November, 2010). The apartment was within our budget, the pictures of it looked very good and the building's amenities seemed first rate. Bob and Maddy agreed to arrange with Comcast for us to have high speed Internet and the premium TV channels so we were all set.

Then we learned more about our new landlords and found that they are foodies like we are, that they sail and travel the world enjoying "travel eating" like we do and that they also spend months in their Vail house in the winters skiing and snow shoeing, as well as in the summers biking and hiking. We would be able to meet them in person and enjoy all of these activities with them.

We arrived in Vail in November before Bob and Maddy arrived in Vail from Hawaii. The apartment met and exceeded expectations and there was Snow on the Ground. What more could we want?

Audre sitting at our breakfast table in our Simba Run apartment with a snowy yard outside.

The apartment had two bedrooms and two full baths, a washer/dryer, dishwasher and the rest of the mod cons we've come to expect. Simba Run has an outdoor Jacuzzi that we loved, as well as an indoor swimming pool and fitness room. 

Audre and Dimitri in the Simba Run outdoor Jacuzzi

The best amenity, however, was the winter shuttle bus that Simba Run operated from the underground garage to the ski lifts. Wow, we were thrilled with that.

The next delightful discovery about our new accommodations was that we had found The Nation's Best Landlords. Bob and Maddy were eager for their rental apartment to be the best it could be and they were happy to hear and implement suggestions (like building a badly needed pantry in the entry closet).

That's Bob in his ski suit helping Maddy in our kitchen (sprawled across the burners on the stove) work on the light over our stove (after they skied that day).

There wasn't any problem too difficult for Bob and Maddy to solve (witness the team work shown in the snap above).  And then the next delightful discovery was how sociable and likable they are.

Our landlords host us for dinner at their Vail house

So, we were thrilled with our winter digs. When Joerg and Rita came to Vail for skiing we had them to our new apartment for dinner.

That's Rita and Joerg on the right and our neighbors, Ed and Polly on the left, at a dinner party at our Simba Run apartment

Happiness is not being homeless (and having a little help from our friends).

And if you too want to experience The Nation's Best Landlords, rent their other apartment in Simba Run. Here's their Homeaway website for that apartment's summer rental advertisement: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p344167

Vail Hotels

West Vail on Dwellable