Thanksgiving in the Mountains

More than turkey and traditions

Why Thanksgiving is the Perfect Time for a Getaway

It's true. The most popular spots for Thanksgiving travel tend to be the coast (namely Florida, California, and Hawaii). Perhaps people are searching for the last vestiges of summer before late fall and winter really set in. 

We, however, beg to differ. Thanksgiving in the mountains can be absolutely magical. It can be a traditional Thanksgiving spent in a luxury home with plenty of space, or, as you'll see in our guest poll to the right, it can be a time to travel to celebrate anything but Thanksgiving. 

Let's start with the responses from a recent poll we took to see why people traveled and stayed in a mountain vacation rental during Thanksgiving 2018:

Clearly, everyone has their own reasons for travel, and we loved hearing how our guests used this traditional holiday for non-traditional getaways. But if you're still looking for a traditional holiday experience in the comfort and warmth of a large mountain home, there are plenty of reasons to give a vacation rental a try. Here are five.

5 Reasons to Spend Thanksgiving in the Mountains

Still not convinced? Here are 5 more reasons we think you, your family, and your friends would love experiencing the joy of a mountain Thanksgiving holiday. 

1. The Lowest Prices of the Holiday Season

It's hard to beat November rates

While not as low as October, rates for Thanksgiving are still substantially lower than holidays like Christmas and New Year's. And if you count the Friday after Thanksgiving as a holiday (considering it's rated as one of the least productive days of the year in America), that means you get two days off work while still paying a lower nightly rate. In general, guests can expect to pay anywhere between 25% and 60% lower in November than in December for luxury vacation rentals. Perhaps this is why so many of our guests last year took Thanksgiving as an opportunity to celebrate things like birthdays, friend reunions, and ski trips. 

As for the cost of holiday-specific travel, here's what you can expect, based on a one-week stay during off-peak season in early November:

Thanksgiving: 15-20% higher 
Christmas: 2X higher
New Year's: 3X higher

Compared with Christmas and New Year's, Thanksgiving is an incredibly affordable time to take off work, spend time with family and friends, and get some early season skiing in. In fact, in 2019, Vail is ramping up its snowmaking capabilities to guarantee a November 15th opening. Similarly, Breckenridge is planning an early opening of November 8, while Beaver Creek and Telluride will open the week of Thanksgiving. Aside from April, it's possibly the most affordable time to ski these stellar mountains (as long as the snow is good).

Monte Vista Chateau

Breckenridge, CO

Experience the French Alps right here in Colorado.

8 bedrooms + 2 sleeping areas
6 full bathrooms, one half bath
Sleeps 24
5 parking spaces
7,500 square feet
Click here for availability and booking info

Pineview Hideaway

Breckenridge, CO

This Breckenridge home two large outdoor decks and a huge outdoor hot tub excellent for large groups, and is located just outside Downtown. 

7 bedrooms + 1 sleeping area
Sleeps 24
5 parking spaces
5,138 square feet
Billiards room
Click here for availability and booking info

Prospect Lodge

Telluride, CO

Located in the hills of Mountain Village in Telluride, Prospect Lodge is remote enough to give you privacy and serenity, yet still only a few minutes from the action of town.

6 bedrooms + 2 sleepings areas
5 full bathrooms, 1 half bathroom
Sleeps 16
4 parking spaces
5,333 square feet
Click here for availability and booking info

2. Enough Space for Everyone

That includes private bathrooms for all

While there's something uniquely "Thanksgiving" about packing into a relative's home, sleeping on air mattresses, and sharing everything from bathrooms to living space, it doesn't have to always be that way. Imagine getting to spend the weekend with your closest family and friends, and always having an open seat on the couch. Always having a private room to return to. Having enough seating at the table for everyone to dine together.

That's what's possible at the right luxury rental. Still unsure? Take a look at these average accommodation sizes:

Hotel rooms: Between 325 and 400 square feet
Average US primary residence: 1,600 square feet

Average vacation rental: 2,000 square feet*
Average InvitedHome rental: 4,300 square feet 

With more than twice as much space as the typical home or vacation rental, our mountain getaways are perfect for the whole family. Here's a list of our  largest family reunion vacation rentals, which are between 4,000 and 11,000 square feet, or explore a few of them below.

3. Black Friday Shopping You Can Tolerate

No WalMart Rush around here

If you head to the mountains for Thanksgiving, don't worry about missing out on Black Friday deals. Rather, plan your shopping around the boutique stores, local artisans, and resort shops that all run similarly mind-blowing sales, but with a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. The festive decorations, classic ski town vibe, walkability, and more all add to the appeal of doing your holiday shopping in the mountains. 

4. The Best Pick of Available Homes

Strong supply is on your side

For travel during peak seasons like Christmas, New Year's and Spring Break, our homes can book up well over a year in advance. For Thanksgiving? Not so. This is our little secret season, when our highest-rated homes with top of the line amenities haven't yet been booked, and typically aren't booked until the beginning of October.

This late booking window should come as great news to anyone looking for a late-fall getaway. If you start looking in September, you'll have the most available inventory, and thus, your favorite home is much more likely to be available on your desired dates. 

Below are a few homes with availability during Thanksgiving 2019.

La Terrazza at the Ritz-Carlton Residences

Vail, CO

Welcome to the only residence in the Vail Ritz-Carlton with a private terrace.

2 bedrooms + 1 sleeping area
Sleeps 7
Valet parking
2,028 square feet
Private terrace
Click here for availability and booking information

Seventh Heaven

Breckenridge, CO

The 25-foot glass wall is just the beginning.

5 bedrooms
Sleeps 17
5 parking spaces
5,200 square feet
Heated, all-season patio
Click here for availability and booking information

5. The Amenities

The comforts of home, and more

it was always about the amenities, wasn't it? The Thanksgiving holiday is about gathering, cooking, and relaxing together. It's why we venture across the country and sleep on air mattresses in living rooms. But what if you could all be together with top-of-the-line furnishings, an in-home theater, a hot tub with incredible mountain views, or a mesmerizing stone fireplace? 

The kitchen is where the amenities really shine during Thanksgiving. You can prepare a traditional meal with commercial-grade 6-burner stoves, double ovens, high-end knife blocks, wine coolers, bar equipment, and more. Counter space, kitchen islands, and breakfast bars all help your entire group work together to prep and cook the perfect Thanksgiving meal. 

Contact Us

We're here to help

Looking for a place to spend Thanksgiving this year? Send an email to Reservations@invitedhome.com with preferred dates, group size, and which of our destinations you'd like to experience, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. 

Or, you can call our Guest Experience team at 970-536-1250. 

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