Destination Spotlight: Colorado
Explore our Winter Wonderland!
Life & Style: Colorado
Colorado is synonymous with the image of the Rocky Mountains sloping majestically into the clouds and sliding down into the valleys. The region's mountain towns offer a chance to disappear into that easy pace of the West, with the boutique shops and warm breakfast spots speaking of simplicity and calm luxury. Winter literally elevates Colorado into another realm. You can shush down the sugary mountainsides, snowshoe or cross-country ski through utter white silence, snowmobile through forest passages camouflaged in aspen and evergreen or witness world-class professional skiers and snowboarders performing daring feats. Colorado's lodges and resorts delight, affording you the opportunity to spend your time shopping for that perfect ski jacket, savoring a wealth of delicious dining, and discovering the thrill of legendary skiing from Vail to Aspen. Come evening, you can cozy up with a glass of fine wine, the crackling fire warming your toes, the soft snow falling in the purple night outside and your cheeks rosy from the glow of a day spent playing in a true winter wonderland.
Where to Stay: The Lodge at Vail
On Condé Naste Traveler's Gold List 2004-2005, winner of the AAA Four Diamond Award for Dining (The Wildflower), and North America's Number One Resort according to SKI Magazine, the Lodge at Vail's reputation for excellence rings true. The hotel's special touches, such as antique armoires, high-backed leather chairs and thick terry robes imbue the accommodations with added graciousness. At the base of Vail Mountain, in the very heart of the bars, restaurants, nightclubs and humming natural beauty of Vail Village, the Lodge at Vail provides or is steps from anything a visitor could want.
Getting There and Around:
Colorado is Big Sky Country, so there's lots of space. That means freeways are the primary mode of transportation, and renting a car is one way to go. Interstate 70 runs East-West straight through the mountains and Interstate 25 runs North-South. Colorado Mountain Express provides professional ground transportation from Denver International Airport to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Aspen and Snowmass at www.cmex.com. Denver International, Colorado Springs and Telluride Regional are among the state's airports.
The Top Ten Things to do in Wintertime Colorado:
- Visit Nederland. 'Ned' is a fresh-air town of foresters, bohemians, artists and mountain vistas with a neat little train caboose coffee shop in the middle of the community. Nederland Chamber of Commerce: www.nederlandchamber.org/
- Visit Boulder. Boulder, in the Rocky Mountain foothills, is a city known for its environmental responsibility, alternative lifestyles, unique shopping, natural beauty and academic resources. City of Boulder's Website: www.ci.boulder.co.us/
- Roll the dice in Blackhawk. Poker rooms, blackjack, craps…games of chance abound in this historic mining settlement along the north fork of Clear Creek and Gregory Gulch. Some of the hot casinos include Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel: ph: +1 800 843 4753; Winner's Haven Casino: ph: +1 303 582 9239 and Mardi Gras Casino: ph: +1 303 582 5600.
- Watch the Broncos rumble across the field - a Colorado tradition. For tickets and schedule: to.denverbroncos.com
- See Denver Nuggets phenom Carmelo Anthony torch the net at the Pepsi Center. For tickets: www.pepsicenter.com/
- Visit the Garden of the Gods. This public park in Colorado Springs presents unusual sandstone rock formations, natural history lessons and the city's best gift shop. gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm
- Speed across the snow to memories of a lifetime in Vail - Alpine Snowmobile & Dog Sledding offers unique snowmobile and dog sledding tours at www.alpinesnowmobiles.com/
- Sledding! Roar down the slopes at Vail's Meadow Mountain, the local sledding hot spot. For information, call The Lodge at Vail at +1 877 528 7625.
- Theatre and the Arts - Vail Village and Beaver Creek present galleries, concerts, international ballet performances, arts and crafts festivals, wine tasting and more. For information, contact the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera at +1 866 650 7825.
- Skiing and Snowboarding, of course. A taste of the powder - that's why everyone comes to Colorado. For information and ski packages, call The Lodge at Vail at +1 877 650 7825 or The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera at +1 866 650 7825.