Planning and amenities for feeding a large group
Planning for large group lodging can take a lot of time and effort, let alone getting everyone fed 3 times a day! You’ve booked your Colorado stay at Bella Vista for a family reunion, wedding, or retirement celebration, etc. With everyone’s parents, siblings, spouses, and kiddos you’re looking at 28 people! That’s a lot of mouths to feed! Luckily at Bella Vista Estate we have you covered, from buying the groceries and stocking your fridge, to recommending local restaurants, or hiring a personal chef, whatever you need to make your stay more relaxing, we are here to help. Below we list options so that with a little planning ahead your vacation actually feels like a vacation (and you’re not stuck in the kitchen)!
Create a cooking schedule amongst guests
One of the benefits of having a large party is that you can split duties among more people and no one has to feel overworked! Our fully equipped, spacious kitchen has everything you’ll need to make meal prep easy. Split up the week’s meals between family units, have one family do one night and then they get the rest of the time off! Or you can split the work, one unit does the entree and another does the sides or dessert and another does the cleanup! Have each family unit share their favorite recipes with everyone. There’s no need to worry about groceries, let us know in advance what you’ll need and we’ll fully stock the fridge and pantry for you!
Make breakfast & lunch a breeze
If you have a favorite go-to breakfast, let us know before your stay and we’ll have the ingredients stocked; yogurt, granola, berries, bagels and cream cheese, toaster waffles, etc! Lunch can be just as easy, let us know your favorite sandwich fixings and we’ll have them on-site. Or you can stop in town to grab lunch at our wonderful local restaurants in between bike rides and visiting the hot springs. We have plenty of recommendations, so just ask! Then let dinner be a time to relax at Bella Vista and enjoy some family time.
Cook family-style dishes
Manifest your inner Italian mother! Large family-style dishes like pasta and lasagna can feed a small army without costing an arm and a leg. More hands make the prep and cooking go faster, so get the whole family involved! Make it from scratch or we can get frozen lasagnas for you to use as a no-stress option. After a long day of playing in the pool, hiking or biking around the mountains, a hearty pasta dinner can hit the spot.
Catered meals & carry out throughout
If you’d rather not cook at all, that’s not a problem either, we can provide suggestions for restaurants that provide carry out or catering. If you’re looking for American, Italian, Mexican, etc, you can order food to-go from dozens of local establishments. There’s also the option to hire a private chef for a handful of meals throughout the week. Some chefs can drop off a hot and ready meal, or they can cook a full 3-5 course meal in our kitchen. Whichever you prefer! While it might cost a little bit more to have catering on certain nights, this will give you extra time to enjoy stress-free relaxation with your family.
Private chef the entire time
A private chef can also be hired to cook a gourmet meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your whole group. Enjoy delicious meals made especially for you. If you like this option but prefer to not have someone in your space 24/7, sometimes the private chef can leave pre-prepared breakfast and lunch options for the following day. That way they are only there in the evenings, giving you more privacy. Just let us know what you prefer when it comes to feeding your group and we’re happy to help make the arrangements!