Vail Travel Guide: What to Eat & How to Burn It Off

The ultimate travel guide to Vail, Colorado. I’ll tell you where to stay, what to eat and how to burn it off! 

Back with another installment of my travel series, What to Eat & How to Burn It Off, I’m thrilled to announce our next destination: Vail, Colorado! Based on your comments, emails, snaps and more – I think we can all agree: we love to travel, and we love to travel often, but that doesn’t mean we want to return home 6 pounds heavier!

When it comes to an active getaway, I can’t think of a better hotel than Beaver Creek Resort located 12 miles west of Vail, Colorado. While typically thought of as a winter destination for skiers, I’m here to tell you that there are just as many reasons to visit in the summer and fall – if not more!

Located in the middle of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, summer and fall visitors have an array of options for keeping busy including hiking, biking, zip lines, color tours, wine excursions and more!

Now that we’ve covered where to stay, let’s get to the good stuff: the food! Any visit to Beaver Creek Resort needs to include a meal at the Beaver Creek Chop House. I’m a sucker for a good bloody mary and this spot didn’t disappoint. The truffle fries and steak salad were also on point.

If you want to head off property, I highly suggest heading into downtown Vail which is a scenic 20 minute drive from the resort. Lucky for me, my dear friend Lauren drove out from Denver to hang with me for the night so we got to explore Vail together!

She’s one of my favorite people on this planet and I’m so happy we got to hang out in her beautiful state of Colorado!

To celebrate, we headed to Pepi’s in Vail Village for a German-inspired happy hour. The Belgium beers and cheese plate were delicious and there was even live music playing on the patio.

For a more upscale dining option in Vail Village I highly recommend Sweet Basil. The skirt steak was cooked perfectly and the duck pasta was a huge surprise – in the best of ways.

If you are craving an upscale Asian meal, you have to check out Chef Nobu’s Matsuhisa also located in Vail Village. The miso glazed Japanese eggplant and blistered shoshito peppers were worth the trip to Vail alone!

Now that we’ve covered what to eat in Vail it’s time to talk about how to burn it off! My first suggestion is going to blow your mind: take a llama to lunch on a hike!

Believe me, I was confused at first too. But then I met Dude the llama and all was right in the world. You don’t get to ride them but they will carry your lunch and hiking gear up the mountains.

The llama tours are offered by Paragon Guides and are picked up right from the Summer Adventure Center at Beaver Creek Village. Go for the outdoor picnic, go for the view, go for the quality time with Dude the llama. Just do it.

For another fun outdoor activity, I highly suggest fly fishing! This was my first time ever fly fishing but it definitely won’t be my last.

Our guide with Gore Creek Fly Fisherman helped us with every aspect of the experience – from getting our fishing gear to teaching us the perfect technique. Guess who caught two first her very first time fly fishing?

If you prefer to stay closer to home base, Beaver Creek also offers a variety of guided hikes right at the resort in the same mountains the skiers will be hitting come November. Offering a variety of options including Family Fun Hikes for younger visitors or Rise and Shine Hikes for early risers (it even comes with a Starbucks gift card!) there is something for everyone.

The fall colors were just starting to peak during my visit in mid-September and I couldn’t get over the breathtaking views from every angle.

Whether you decide to visit Vail in Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall, be sure to add it to your travel bucket list! If you stick to this guide you’ll not only get to enjoy the best eats the area has to offer but I promise you won’t return home up a pants size.

Where are YOUR favorite places to eat, explore and burn calories in Vail? I’d love to hear from you! And if you’d like to see any other destinations featured in future series, let me know!

Disclosure: Beaver Creek Resort and Visit Vail Valley coordinated my hotel accommodations, meals and activities during my stay. Photography by Alejandro Photography. I was not compensated to write this post. All thoughts are my own.