Advice / opinions on reservations for longer stays?

[Sojourner]

I have been trying to decide on the best approach for booking accommodations for a fairly long trip to Colorado ski country in Jan/Feb. I had been hoping to find a small condo (through VRBO or Airbnb) somewhere along the I-70 corridor near the big ski areas, but I quickly realized these were all above my desired budget of about $80/night. Now I am looking into hotel / motel options, and I've found a few in my price range, but I'm hesitant to book for the entire 30 days this far ahead of time. There is one option in particular that seems almost ideal in terms of price, location, and room amenities, but it gets so-so reviews online (older place, kinda run down, thin walls, etc). My concern is that I'll be locked into it for the entire trip with no way to cancel, so if I arrive and really don't like the room, it could be a big downer and make the trip less enjoyable. Is this just something I have to live with, or is there some other approach that could give me more flexibility? Wondering if anyone has had to deal with a similar situation and, if so, what would you recommend?

[pjm-7]

Do you want a fixed base for the whole trip or are you willing to be a little more nomadic? You could easily find a hotel room in the west part of Denver and drive up to some of the areas. While up at the Summit County resorts you could check in to various places to see if they have any cancelations that they need to fill for a couple of nights.

[Sojourner]

Well, I was looking for a place closer to Breck and Keystone, and not too far from Vail. Driving in from Denver would add another hour or so to the commute. I am planning to ski roughly every other day, so I'd prefer a place that is within 30 minutes of all the areas mentioned above just to cut down on wasted time in the car. Frisco is looking like a pretty good home base for me, and it's where I found the one hotel that I'm considering booking. I would book it today if I could cancel without penalty once I get there -- but that's probably wishful thinking.

[steelyman]

If you find a place you do like and think you might stay there again, it's another reason to get friendly with the owners. I went two years to a VRBO and the second year they gave me a big price break.

The owner got to know me, knew I wouldn't trash the place and kept it clean. Same thing with the husband. Even their dog! I would recommend the place to any of my friends visiting the area and ask the owners, "treat them right".

[RockyMtn]

Try Frisco. About half way between Keystone and Breck. Nice little town. Have some reasonably priced hotels...don't know if I would stay a month but YMMV.

Sorry, didn't see you were considering Frisco. Nice town...owned a house there for 15 years! What hotel you looking at?

[braumeister]

You might also look west. A number of years ago, I rented a rather nice condo in Avon for a couple of weeks at a great price.