Aspen Destination and Hotel Guide

La crème de la crème. The place to be seen. The playground of the rich and famous. Whatever the phrase, it has been used to describe Aspen. And with good reason. Chichi shopping and dining scenes, frequent celebrity sightings, breathtaking scenic views, and superb skiing on four area mountains have earned Aspen its name as the most famous ski town in the country.

Aspen has got style to spare. Well-heeled millionaires stop at Gucci on their way back from the slopes. Writers on summer retreats sip soy lattes at funky cafes. Aging hippies, extreme snowboarders, and Hollywood’s darlings all pass each other on the way to dinner. Surprisingly to first-time visitors; however, Aspen’s big reputation is packed into a charmingly small town.

Founded as a silver mining village, Aspen is located in southwestern Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley about 220 miles from Denver. The town can be roughly divided into three areas---a commercial and social hub downtown bookended by the more residential West and East Ends. But thanks to Aspen’s small size, where nearly everything is within walking distance or the reach of free shuttle buses, most guests will find it easy to get to wherever they want to be.

Without a doubt, downtown is the spot for shopping, barhopping and people-watching. Nestled between the slopes of Aspen Mountain to the south and Main Street to the north, downtown is home to the popular Cooper Avenue, Hyman Avenue and Mill Street pedestrian malls as well as to a variety of classy restaurants, bars, and accommodations. In fact, downtown Aspen offers such a high concentration of fun that Ski Magazine has voted it the #1 après-ski destination in North America.

A number of hotels can also be found in the West End, a quaint Victorian neighborhood where guests might go for a little peace and quiet and perhaps to save a buck off downtown’s more luxuriant offerings. This area hosts the Harris Concert Hall and the Benedict Music Tent, sites of frequent concerts during Aspen’s summer-long music festival.

In a town where famous faces are as common as ski boots, visitors can generally expect to pay a pretty penny for their lodging. Peak ski-season rates can reach $5,000 per night at the poshest slopeside hotels and anything under $200 is considered downright cheap. The high season apex is reached between Christmastime and the first week of January, when guests had better call in advance and expect to shell out the cash.

The story differs only slightly during summer, Aspen’s second peak season. Costs and crowds drop off quickly when the chair lifts close in April, but world-famous festivals, popular Fourth of July celebrations, and the area’s endless recreation opportunities bring them back up again beginning in June. Fortunately for warm-weather guests, summer rates never quite reach wintertime levels.

There is another big dip between October and mid-November, after the summer guests go but before the winter throngs come. In fact, visitors seeking lodging in Aspen will do well to pay attention to the puzzling number of high-season, regular-season, low-season and holiday-season delineations, which make a big difference in terms of price, availability, and minimum-stay requirements.

The area loosely called “Aspen” extends from Aspen Mountain (formerly Ajax) to include the nearby mountains of Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. Buses connecting these areas are free during the ski season and can be had for a small fee at other times.

Slopesters should take a minute to check out the characteristics of the different mountains. Aspen Mountain, for example, is famous for its tough terrain whereas the aptly-named Buttermilk is the opposite. Snowboarders are generally keen on the terrain and halfpipes at Buttermilk and Snowmass.

Although Aspen Highlands and (to a lesser extent) Buttermilk have some lodging of their own, most visitors to the area stay either in Aspen or in Snowmass Village 12 miles away. The abundance of its accommodation, the ease of its many ski-in/ski-out condominiums, and the sheer magnitude of its slopes make Snowmass a favorite of families, groups and convenience-minded travelers. The party crowd will probably want to spend their evenings in Aspen, however, as Snowmass Village’s dining and nightlife are not on par with those of its swankier sister.

To get to the somewhat remote Aspen/Snowmass area, some visitors rent a car or catch a shuttle for the scenic but lengthy trip from Denver. Others make the shorter journey from Eagle County Regional Airport 70 miles northeast. Most travelers, however, especially during the winter, fly right into Aspen’s Sardy Field a mere three miles from Aspen.

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