Hyatt Vacation Club at The Ranahan: A Review

When my sisters-in-law and I were looking for hotels for our girls trip in Breckenridge, CO, I suggested many budget options, like Holiday Inn. They were definitely not on board with that. I usually pick a hotel based on how low I can pay while still having a clean room. They wanted an actual nice hotel. So my sister-in-law found the Hyatt Vacation Club at The Ranahan, and it forever changed my perspective on hotels and travel. Here’s an overview of the property and our time there, and why I would 100% recommend this hotel (and why I may never stay at a Holiday Inn again).

Property Overview

The Ranahan sits off of the main road between Frisco and Breckenridge. It’s about a 10 minute drive from both towns, which goes by quick because the scenery is so beautiful. There are walking and bike trails out in the front, a spacious parking lot, and a bubbling brook out back with lawn chairs. The Ranahan was the ideal spot for us during our stay - we mostly visited Breckenridge, but also ventured out into Fresco and a few hiking trails.

Pools & Hot Tubs

The pool situation is a great situation. There’s one large heated pool that flows from indoor to outdoor. Indoor, there’s a splash pad and a water slide, which is great for kids (and adults). As the pool goes outside, there are “shelves” along the wall of the pool for seating, and also a little splash area near one of the edges. 

There are also 2 hot tubs - one next to the pool, and one beyond a gate. The one in the gated area isn’t only for adults, but it does have a more relaxed/serious vibe since it’s clearly separated. We enjoyed the hot tubs every single night. It was a great way to end the day!

The pool area also has grills that are available to anyone to use. Since this hotel is designed for families, it’s a great way to cook and save money on vacation.

The real magic to the pool is the scenery. The view of the mountains right there is just incredible - especially at sunset. We were out here every evening and it added so much value to our trip! Chatting, being amazed at the view, having fun in the pool - it was our simple evening ritual.

Amenities

Other than the pool, The Ranahan also has a gym, and a lounge area with games and books. We didn’t spend too much time here because we were busy in the pool, but I did use the gym one morning and it was nice! 

The parking is free (woohoo!). There was no continental breakfast.

Activities

The Ranahan has a weekly schedule printed out in the lobby with all of the activities they offer that week. For example, they were shuttling a group over into town to do a coal mining tour. Another day, they were meeting in the lobby to take a group out to learn how to fly fish in the river out back. Some activities were free, and some you had to pay for, but were reasonably priced. 

My favorite activity was Trivia on our first night there. After a long day of travel, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. I saw that there was trivia, but we were 15 minutes late. I asked an employee if it was too late to do trivia (since it didn’t seem like it was happening), and he told me not enough people wanted to do it. There was a couple from England over by the pool table who were the only ones who wanted to do it. So I asked them if they still wanted to play, and they said yes!

As they were setting up the trivia game, another couple came into the bar. They were biking home, but it started raining, so they came in here for cover (and a drink). I also got them to play. Lol (I love a good trivia game).

We ended up WINNING and we all got free drinks! It was a great time and the perfect way to start our trip.

Rooms

The hotel is long and narrow, so each room has it’s own balcony. Our room was at the back of the hotel, so our balcony overlooked the bubbling brook with the mountains in the background. 

We had a king size bedroom, which had 2 closets and a fireplace. It also had it’s own door, which is nice if you have kids or a toddler, so you can have your own space. 

Our room had a full kitchen with an oven, stove, pots and pans, utensils, and a refrigerator. Again, this hotel is designed for families who stay for at least a few days, so everything is set up for families to cook and make their own food instead of eating out every night. 

Our bathroom was a full bathroom, and we also had an in-unit washer and dryer. 

There was a table in the dining/living room as well as a couch. I slept on the fold out couch, and my only complaint was that it was so soft and slouchy that I hardly slept at all. 

Dining

The Ranahan has it’s own “restaurant” and bar. The restaurant is just the lounge area, and one of hte employees takes your order, so it doesn’t have it’s own space, but it was pretty good. Nothing to write home about, but it also wasn’t bad or anything. The drinks were great!

The bar turns into a coffee shop in the morning with lattes and pastries. I ordered a latte my first morning, but it was below average. I wish I had waited to get one at a local coffee shop later. The pastries were packaged, so again, nothing special. 

Basically, if you’re feeling too tired to go out or to cook, then the hotel restaurant is a great choice. If you’re wanting a fun dinner out with great food and atmosphere, going into town would be best.

Service

Everyone at the front desk and the lounge was so kind and helpful. Another great thing about The Ranahan was that after you checkout, you can still use the amenities all day. So if your flight wasn’t until the evening, we could still swim and use the showers in the locker room before we left.

Overall Rating

I give Hyatt Vacation Club at The Ranahan a 9.5/10. I absolutely loved our time here - it was our home away from home. It really made our vacation great being able to have such a great hotel as our home base. Not only was it clean and spacious, but the amenities were amazing and it was so relaxing and serene to soak in the hot tubs every single night, with an incredible mountain view. I have told so many people about this spot, and to visit Breckenridge in general.

I am so excited to take my family back here. Breckenridge is such a great spot for a girls trip, but I also know my husband and toddler would have a great time here, and The Ranahan is the perfect hotel for us to set up camp!

Until next time- may your weekend be full of creativity and style.