126 Riverfront Lane, Avon, CO 81620, 970-790-6000
Rates: Studio suites with one king, a double sleeper sofa and kitchenette start at $394 a night in winter. Check website for deals and packages. Overnight parking is $25 per night.
Stay here if you: are looking for an upscale hotel experience with condo-style amenities a mere gondola ride away from the slopes.
It’s close to: Beaver Creek Mountain, accessed by the new Riverfront Express Gondola just outside the hotel lobby doors, as well as the town of Avon.
The rooms are: über-chic, done in the current style using sleek furnishings with a modern, minimalist bent but not too austere or cold — lots of leather, rich browns and beiges and plenty of soft, plush fabrics. Fireplaces in every room help, too. Kitchenettes and full kitchens use top-of-the-line appliances, and beds are, of course, trademark Heavenly. Big, marble bathrooms with separate shower and tub, fuzzy robes and thick towels. Have needs? The “service concierge” is there at the push of one button for anything 24/7.
They put all of the money into: working for the LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company deeded five of its 19 acres to the Town of Avon for open space and natural wetlands and built with recycled materials as much as possible. There are recycling stations on each floor, an on-site organic garden for the restaurant and market kitchens and huge windows everywhere to catch heat and light to minimize power usage.
The bottom line: The combination of condo and hotel makes this one of the best lodgings in the area. Additional notes: Dogs are welcome at no extra charge (dog bed and bowls provided); the ski valet setup finds boots secured behind the counter by room number and skis set up just outside the door on the way to the gondola at first light; and enormous infinity hot tubs offer plenty of room for guests to kick back. Spa Anjali offers a separate, comfortable salon for hair and hand/foot treatments while the full massage and other treatments are in a quiet, lovely, relaxing setting across the way. The fitness center is huge and inviting, although we were disappointed that it doesn’t allow kids under 16 at all, even with parental supervision.
THE OSPREY AT BEAVER CREEK, 10 Elk Track Lane, Beaver Creek, CO 81620, 970-754-7400,
Rates: Standard rooms with one king or two double beds start at $505 a night in winter. Overnight parking is included in the daily resort fee, which also includes Internet, for $30 per night.
Stay here if you: want to be literally a schuss away from getting on a lift.
It’s close to: the Strawberry Park Express lift, which requires you to walk out of the ski valet, put on your skis or snowboard, give yourself a good push, stop yourself from banging into the lift operator and then get on the lift. If you want to access the other lifts, simply walk across the bridge and about 25 yards. Beaver Creek Village is right there, as well.
The rooms are: adorable, decorated in the latest “pod” style, with cubist furniture and clean lines, a built-in, eye-level fireplace (in most rooms), MP3 player docking stations and flat-screen TVs with DVD players. No tubs, just oversized steam-style showers, and the bathrooms are stocked with more than enough towels and good-smelling, upscale products.
They put all of the money into: a $7 million remodel of what used to be the Inn at Beaver Creek. They added a small but top-of-the-line fitness center (supervised teens allowed!) with the best treadmills ever (built-in TVs and MP3 player-compatible), and the ski valet is manned by someone who can help tune or offer advice whenever you need.
The bottom line: The Osprey has an intimate, pampering, boutique-hotel feel that makes it appealing and exceptional. They’ve been working out a few kinks (no surprise considering the renovations), but have wisely empowered the friendly staff to make things right at every turn. The menu at the inviting tapas bar is stellar, and the option to sit in the warm, open, living room-style lobby area is a smart one — there’s nothing like plates of deep-fried brie with jam, truffle-oil-laced French fries and seared ahi tuna with a glass of Gruet to end the day, all while sitting on a comfy couch watching the snowflakes fly. The excellent complimentary hot-and-cold breakfast buffet is served in the same space, and après ski, there’s fresh coffee, tea and hot apple cider.
Kyle Wagner
