One other thing about the west side is that the approaches to the lakes and timberline are much longer hikes than on the east side. One reaches some great high alpine lakes pretty quickly out of the Bear Lake Trailhead. Not so on the west side.
But, I do like Grand Lake as a town better than Estes Park. Quieter, quainter, wooden sidewalks and right on the shore or Grand Lake. Grand Lake reminds me of what Estes Park was 40 or 50 years ago.