As the planes starts to descend into Aspen, the majestic white-capped Colorado mountain range reflects with the beautiful midnight sky. The plane taxis along the snow filled runway and as the door opens I await my first Christmas vacation in Aspen, Colorado. I walk down the stairs onto the runway and I cannot believe the amount of snow on the ground. Over the last 72 hours Aspen has had over two feet of fresh new snow. I felt like I stepped foot into a winter wonderland!
I am continuously struck by the beauty of the mountain landscape. There are four ski resorts in the Aspen area, Buttermilk, Snowmass, Highlands and Aspen Mountain. We turn onto Main Street, and I realize how charming Aspen is. The town is filled with top designer stores, galleries and amazing restaurants, but it still has that cozy feel, especially at Christmas time.
We pull into the Little Nell Residences where we have rented one of their three large homes. The VIP concierge service is impeccable, taking care of all our needs, including preparing our Christmas tree before we arrived. Little Nell Residences are attached to the Little Nell hotel, which I highly recommend to stay at as well as the St. Regis hotel. We did a spa night at the St. Regis and it is definitely now one of my favorite spas. I absolutely enjoyed their oxygen lounge, which is fantastic when you are at such high altitudes, along with the hot tubs, steam caves and a cold plunge pool.
During our trip we dined at many different restaurants, including Matsuhisa, Casa Tua, AJAX Tavern, and Kenichi.
One day it was so cold I thought my fingers were going to freeze off. I took the gondola ride up Ajax Mountain and had drinks at the summit, which is for more advanced skiers. The gondola was much higher than I realized, but surprisingly, I wasn’t scared. It was fun to go to the top of mountain so I could get a birds eye perspective on the town. It’s a gorgeous view! My boyfriend skied down and says it’s definitely one of his favorite runs.
Aspen is so beautiful. It is a great place to celebrate the holidays! I definitely hope I can visit Aspen in again, except this time I want to check it out in the summer.
