La Dolce Vita....Colorado style

K found us a sweet package deal to Aspen*, including 3 nights in a very upscale hotel, the Viceroy at Snowmass Village.  When we checked in on Friday afternoon I was indeed impressed.  The lobby had this very elegant contemporary "fire and ice" display:

We arrived at our "room" on the 6th floor (right below the penthouse) to find that it was actually a suite:

*pardon our mess*

Even our  TV menu was personalized:

The clincher, however, was this bath.  It measured 15' x 18'....HUGE:

We spent many happy hours (OK, maybe I exaggerate) under the shower rainhead:

I honestly think 4 or 5 people could have comfortably fit in this shower.  (There must be some mighty kinky folks in Colorado!) The shower was stocked with bottles of designer body wash, shampoo, and conditioner which were also available for purchase from the hotel boutique for $40 each.  (We passed.)

Every morning we put on our fuzzy robes and sat on our balcony, sipping espresso (her) and juice (me).  We also found a German bakery in town and stocked up on a few pastries....yummy!

Mr. Homebuilder here was impressed with the quality of things, too...Poggenpohl European cabinets, Viking, Wolf, & Bosch kitchen and laundry appliances, (2) LG flat screens, see-thru gas fireplace, granite tops and honed marble floors....all top quality stuff.  I wasn't expecting to see this in a hotel!

Valet parking, a concierge of course, an elegant restaurant and bar....it couldn't have been nicer.  Now are you ready for the price? This was regularly a $650 per night room / suite, but we got it for $77 a night.  All I can figure is that Kelly must have sounded SUPER sexy over the phone when she signed us up!  *wink*  :)

S

* "Aspen" is sometimes used generically to include the town and resort of Aspen, and also the nearby area that includes the resorts of Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass Village.  We stayed in Snowmass, but spent most of our time in Aspen proper.

Colorado High

We're back from Colorado, and I still can't wipe this silly grin off my face.  It was SO cool, both literally and figuratively.  We flew from Dallas to Aspen via Denver with no hitches (United), arriving there about 1 pm.  Since our hotel check-in wasn't until 4, we decided to make the drive to Independence Pass, along the way passing snowdrifts on the side of the road still 12' high:

There was a photo spot a few hundred yards from the parking lot and I made a beeline for it....and discovered the thin mountain air.  Within 50 yards I began to feel dizzy, and recognizing what it was, stopped in my tracks and regained my balance, then slowed my pace.  I (K too) had a mild headache the rest of the day, but after that we were sufficiently acclimated.  Isn't this view breathtaking?....

All along the drive up we kept passing snow runoff headed towards the Roaring Fork River:

We eventually found a turnoff where we could check out a small tributary up close and personal.  That's where K dipped her foot in the river and pronounced it freezing cold.  Umm....Lover....it's snowmelt!  This was of interest to us as 2 days later we had reservations on a whitewater rafting trip down the Upper Roaring Fork.

Yes Sweetie, you...in there!

Later that day we checked in to our room at the Viceroy at Snowmass (more on that in another post), then went out for a nice meal and at 9 pm, a walking Ghost Tour of Aspen.  It was fun, and the only time all weekend that we had to wear our jackets.  The rest of the time it was cool, but sunny and calm.  (Pixel Peeper...nightimes, low 50's; daytime, upper 70's.)

The next day we drove to Aspen Highlands, then took the shuttle to Maroon Bells, probably the single most-photographed mountain(s) in all of Colorado:

We hiked around the lake towards the mountain, seeing deer and a beaver dam along the way, finally turning back as the last bus of the day left at 5 pm and we didn't dare miss it.

That's enough for now.  I'll share more later.  :)

S