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WHERE TO STAY Aspen has a range, relatively speaking, of places to bed down for the night. The St. Regis Aspen, the Limelight Hotel and Hotel Jerome are among the better known. And then there is The Little Nell, the only ski-in, ski-out, five-star, fivediamond hotel in Aspen. THE LITTLE NELL Owned and operated by Aspen Skiing Company, The Little Nell is welcoming with professional but not overly-formal staff. Located at the base of Aspen Mountain, the fireplace that serves both the lobby and the Living Room, a lounge area off Element 47, is very welcoming. Guest rooms and junior suites underwent a renovation in 2017 which has left the hotel with very tasteful and comfortable rooms that are predominantly white with furniture
in shades of gray and splashes of color from the art and other personal touches. ASPEN MEADOWS If you’re looking for something super cool and relatively unknown, there is Aspen Meadows. Designed by Bauhaus master Herbert Bayer, Aspen Meadows is on the 40-acre campus of the Aspen Institute (which also operates the hotel). A work of art, quite literally, the campus is just one mile from downtown Aspen but is somewhat secluded and feels as if it is much further away. Rooms ooze Bauhaus style and while they may feel a little stark to some, lovers of culture and art will adore them. The resort is competitively priced compared to others in town and there are shuttles to and from downtown.
So whether you call it a libation or a brewski and whether you drink it out of a hand-blown Zalto wine glass or off a ski, Aspen has everything from a pint of hoppy nectar to Champagne on the mountaintop. Aspen Brewing Company, Aspen’s only craft brewery, has a taproom on the corner of South Galena Street and East Hopkins Avenue. Along with traditional pub food, cocktails and wine, they serve some very fine Colorado beer. Try the Ajax pilsner or the Cloud 9 saison. For wine lovers, Aspen is quite possibly one of the best places in the country if you like variety. Cache Cache and The Little Nell (available in Element 47 and Ajax Tavern) have wine lists that are as diverse as they are extensive (November’s count put The Little Nell’s cellar at an impressive 21,530 bottles). Both work with several Colorado producers including Sutcliffe Vineyards, Jack Rabbit Hill Farms, Monkshood Cellars and Buckle Family Wines. For those who simply can’t wait to get off the slopes to start enjoying themselves, there is Chair 9 on Aspen Mountain. With just eight chairlifts on Aspen Mountain, Chair 9 was named to evoke the 19th hole in golf. It opens just as the lifts are closing. Belly Up Aspen is somewhat of an institution and features live music from both big names and local talent. 63
