Colorado Review

From my home in the Colorado Rockies, I’ve got a choice of airports.

Aspen (ASE) is only 30 minutes away, but usually prices to fly in and out of this chi-chi resort are steep, especially in the high season (summer and winter).

Grand Junction (GJT) is about 90 minutes from me, but it works if I’m flying to the West Coast (usually via Salt Lake City or Phoenix).

Denver (DEN) is a nearly-four-hour drive, but since it’s a United and Frontier hub, I get the best deals here. If I’m flying somewhere with the whole family (four of us; five if my mother-in-law comes along) we’ll make the drive to Denver and stay overnight in an airport-area hotel before our flights. We typically do this for long-haul trips to Mexico or the East Coast.

My preferred airport, however, is Eagle/Vail (EGE). Why? That’s easy: FREE PARKING!

How many regional airports these days offer totally free short-term and long-term parking? Not many, I don’t think. All the parking spots are within walking distance to the main terminal–no shuttle service needed. That’s a beautiful thing.

For me, the airport is an hour from my home. That means it’s about an hour and a half from Aspen. It’s also less than 30 minutes to Vail’s slopes, and not that much further to Breckenridge.

Basically, if you’re coming to the Rockies to ski, consider EGE if you don’t want to make the lengthy drive from Denver International Airport. Colorado Mountain Express vans make scheduled runs from EGE to the various Western Slope ski areas.

The Vail/Eagle County Regional Airport also offers free wireless internet service throughout the terminal. It’s spacious and always clean. A newly remodeled coffee shop and deli offers healthy food before your flight.

And the airport does accommodate jet service, which is great for me, since I hate flying on small propeller planes (yes, the irony of being a travel writer and dreading small-plane flying does not escape me). Boeing 757s regularly fly in and out of EGE.

For your next vacation in Western Colorado, I highly recommend checking out EGE. It’s truly the most convenient airport to most of the Rockies resort locations, and has many non-stop flights from major U.S. cities. Read more about EGE here.

The Arrabelle at Vail Square is the ski resort’s latest luxury property–it’s first new ultra-upscale hotel in 25 years, according to the general manager in an interview with the Vail Daily. Set to open January 5, 2008, it’s already receiving a bit of a media buzz, with its upscale appointments and amenities, including “highly anticipative” concierges who can arrange everything from dinner reservations to in-room massages to ski tuning.

Here are the facts, from the Arrabelle’s public-relations folks:

LOCATION: Steps away from the Eagle Bahn Gondola at Vail Mountain.

THE RESORT: A luxury resort with 36 hotel rooms and up to 50 additional condominium lock-off rooms, The Arrabelle at Vail Square will offer Old World charm and the timeless elegance of Europe’s grand resorts with the romance and world-class style of Vail’s alpine heritage. It will be a true ski-in resort as it is centrally located in Vail Square, just steps away from the mountain. The Arrabelle will also feature a Great Room, offering guests an exclusive outdoor veranda with sweeping views of Vail Mountain. For the summer months, the resort offers a rooftop pool.

VAIL SQUARE: Vail Square will feature an ice rink and fire pit in winter, a terraced area with fountains in summer and a summer
plaza for concerts and activities, over 33,000 square feet of retail space, including upscale boutiques (i.e.: Patagonia, Quicksilver) and restaurants, and seasonal movie nights on an outdoor movie screen.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Richly inspired Lodge Rooms based on the Biedermeier design style will vary from 510 to 710 square feet and feature flat-panel TVs, DVD players, BoseTM MP3/CD alarm-clock radios, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, canopy beds, work desk, fireplace, minibar, in-room safe and humidifier. The marble bathrooms will include a shower and separate tub, double sinks, a TV, plush bathrobes and luxury amenities. Junior suites and deluxe king suites are also available.

RESTAURANTS: Centre V will be a brasserie-influenced restaurant specializing in the satisfying cuisines of Paris and Lyon. Chef Thomas Salamunovich, owner of Vail’s acclaimed Larkspur Restaurant on Vail Mountain, will use his culinary imagination and expertise to create the menu and ambiance. Salamunovich studied under various well-known chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Jeremiah Towers. The restaurant will fuse an overall warmth and heartiness along with upscale style and elegance. The menu will include fruits de mer platters, steak frites, and French desserts such as Crêpes Suzette and chocolate pots de crème. Centre V will accommodate up to 200 guests.

SPA: The RockResorts Spa at The Arrabelle will exude fresh, contemporary elegance with a distinct European touch. The 9,000 square foot spa facility will feature six massage rooms, two facial rooms, a Vichy Shower/Swiss Shower room and a couple’s therapy room. Other offerings include an expansive spa boutique and area, an elegant nail salon, locker rooms with water falls, plunge pools, steam rooms and sauna, as well as a couple’s suite with private circle tub. Its 2,000 square foot fitness facility will include TechnoGym equipment.

HOTEL SERVICES: The hotel will offer guests ski and boot valet and storage, personalized butler service, a highly anticipative concierge service, a business library, children’s activities, babysitting services, a gift shop, valet parking in an underground parking area, 24-hour room service and 24-hour front desk service.

ACCESS: The Arrabelle at Vail Square is approximately 30 miles east of Vail/ Eagle County Airport, and 120 miles west of Denver International Airport.

And the rates for all this luxury? In the winter peak season, rooms will cost about $1,300 to $1,400 per night; in summer, about $450 to $500, according to the Vail Daily. Too pricey for you? Check out this Vail condo deal.

Vail, Arrabelle

It’s not even officially autumn here in the Rockies, but I’m thinking ahead to those first flakes of snow. The mornings are certainly crisper, the resorts have unveiled their lift-ticket pricing ($87 for a daily ticket in Aspen; buy multi-day passes for the best deal), and I’ve got my kids trying on their snow jackets and pants to see if they still fit from last year.

If you’re thinking about taking your family to Vail’s slopes this season, check out this amazing deal from Destination Resorts Vail: Four people for four nights in a two-bedroom condo anytime between December 1 and April 8 for only $600 (plus taxes and fees). Depending on availability, you may stay in one of the following properties: The Landmark, Westwind, Vantage Point (pictured at left), Vail 21 or Village Inn Plaza.

Plus, with this family package you get some nice perks: a complimentary recyclable disposable camera for fun family photos, free grocery delivery service and/or groceries stocked in advance of arrival, and a souvenir snowman-making kit.

Check out the specific amenities of each condo complex online and use the code FUN to book this four-night package. Or call 866.831.3222.

Vail, Colorado