Accommodations in Aspen range from luxurious and pricey to modest and inexpensive. StayAspenSnowmass, (800) 262-7736 or 925-9000, can reserve nearly all properties listed here. Multiday lift-and-lodging packages are the best deal. You also can log on to www.stayaspensnowmass.com and check out the "Virtual Hostel" for last-minute, discounted lodging packages.
Hotel Jerome (920-1000 or 800-331-7213; $$$$; left) and The Sardy House (920-2525 or 800-321-3457; $$$$), both on East Main Street, reflect Aspen's glory days. The Sardy House is a Victorian home, elegantly transformed into an intimate Bed and Breakfast. A modern addition has been tacked onto the rear, but try to get one of the original rooms. The Jerome—on the National Register of Historic Places—is a grand old hotel restored to more elegance than the silver barons ever knew. Even if you don't stay there, this Aspen landmark is worth a walk-through to view the antiques and old photos on the walls.
The Little Nell (920-4600 or 888-843-6355; $$$$) is just steps from the Silver Queen Gondola at the base of Aspen Mountain. It has received the highest rating (five on a 1–5 scale) from several rating services, such as AAA and Mobil. All rooms have fireplaces, sofas, oversized beds with comforters, and marble bathrooms. There is a spa and a heated outdoor pool.
The St. Regis, Aspen (920-3300 or 800-241-3333; $$$$) is richly appointed, with a tasteful decor that brings to mind an exclusive hunting club. It has a fitness center and various ski packages, and its restaurants are top-flight. Though the red brick building is just a few years old, it looks like it belongs to historic Aspen.
The Residence (920-6532; $$$$) has world-class European suites in an historic downtown landmark building. Also luxurious are the newly renovated Aspen Club Lodge, now called the Sky Hotel (800-882-2582; $$$$) $$$$) and the delightful award-winning Hotel Lenado (925-6246 or 800-321-3457; $$$$). The latter, another property of the Sardy House owners, may be small, but it's huge in amenities, personality and service. A delicious hot breakfast is included in the room price, which drops into the $$$ category during shoulder seasons. Look for the funky-colored building on South Aspen St.
The Snowflake Inn (925-3221 or 800-247-2069; $$$; right), a block from the transportation center on East Hyman Avenue, is clean and roomy. It's within walking distance from the Ajax gondola, the buses to the other areas, and the downtown area. And it has a very friendly staff, laundry facilities, a heated pool and spa, and a free continental breakfast and après-ski snacks. What more does one need?
One of our readers tells us Hotel Durant (925-8500; $$–$$$$) is one of his favorite "little hotels." Beautifully renovated in 1996, it's just two blocks from downtown and one-and-a-half blocks from lift A-1. The lounge fireplace and outdoor Jacuzzi provide great ways to relax after a day on the slope.
Virginia Cardinal Headquarters Our favorite place in Aspen, a lodge of a kind that's disappearing all too fast, is The Mountain Chalet (925-7797 or 800-321-7813; $–$$$). This place is just plain friendly to everyone, including families. If you can't stand a 3-year-old crawling over a lounge chair in the lobby or families howling over a game of Monopoly, then don't stay here. Rates are reasonable and include a hearty breakfast served family-style. It's a few blocks from Aspen Mountain's Silver Queen gondola, and across the street from the transportation center (ideally situated, in other words). Call early for rooms, because folks reserve space here well in advance. Package deals for lodging, lift tickets and full breakfast are as low as $60 per person per day in a dorm bunk or a four-person room; about $130 per person per night for two to a room. To get these prices, call the chalet directly.
Other places that treat guests very well are the Mountain House Lodge (920-3440; $$), the Hotel Aspen (925-3441 or 800-527-7369; $$) and the Molly Gibson Lodge (925-3434 or 800-356-6559; $$). Also try Skier's Chalet (920-2037; $$) across from the Shadow Mountain Lift (formerly Lift 1-A) with a heated outdoor pool, the Limelight (925-3025 or 800-433-0832; $$), and the St. Moritz Lodge (925-3220; $), a hostel only five blocks from the center of town.