Top of Telluride
DAY FIVE — AAH. I’m face down with soft music playing at the Golden Door Spa at the Peak’s Resort in Telluride (www.thepeaksresort.com) as the massage therapist works magic on my aching muscles (after four days of skiing!) with organic oils that she tells me come from a nearby town.
The huge spa—42,000 square feet!– is the largest in Colorado and boasts a huge fitness center, Pilates san yoga studios which sadly I never found time for even an indoor climbing wall which Tom Cruise who owns a home in Telluride used daily to prepare for Mission Impossible. Kids love the hotel’s indoor waterslide and indoor-outdoor heated pool.
I’m just happy for my time on the massage table! I’ve treated my two daughters to massages too—a Christmas-Hanukah present—which they greatly appreciate, they tell me, after five days of skiing steeps and deeps first at Silverton Mountain (www.silvertonmountain.com) and then here at Telluride (www.telluridemountainresort.com).
The Peaks is a ski in-ski out hotel and penthouse complex. It’s nice to just hand your boots over to someone at the end of the ski day and get your fleece-lined clogs in return and to hand over your skis without lugging them anywhere—and to have them waiting for you outside in the morning.
We’re actually staying at a luxe condo unit across the road from the hotel. I especially like the cabins that are even closer—all the comforts of a condo with all the resort amenities. (Check about deals that offer a night free.)
Telluride—both the Mountain Village and the historic town that is a short free gondola ride away—offer every kind of place to stay from the most luxurious condos and houses to simple hotel rooms (www.visittelluride.com for the latest deals-and there are plenty).
You can stay in the historic and quaint mountain town and hop the free gondola to the mountain village and ski back “home “at the end of the day.
You can choose ski-in ski-out Mountain Lodge (www.MountainLodgetelluride.com) that is adjacent to the Mountain Village grocery store, boasts an outdoor pool, and Jacuzzi and plenty of other amenities at rates that are at least 30 per cent off the rack rate (there are individual cabins too).
For those who want convenience and service, the 32-room Inn at Lost Creek (www.innatlostcreek.com) could well have the best location on the mountain-walk out of the door and right onto the lift! The ski valet waxes your skis over night and they’ll even wash your car before you leave! Kids and parents can unwind around the fireplace in the Great Room. And again, look for deals that offer a night free! Near By is the resort’s newest hotel, the 100-room Capella (www.capellatelluride.com )that takes concierge service to the next level. They call you in advance of your visit and have your favorite drink waiting—complimentary of course—while your luggage is taken upstairs. Each room comes with a “personal assistant” to cater to your every whim and après ski, homemade hot chocolate and cookies is served in the living-room like lounge that is available only to registered gets You could bring kids here but I think it would be a perfect adult getaway. There’s not even a set check out time so unless you have a flight to catch, you can linger as long as you like.
Speaking of flights, we nearly got stranded save for some advance thinking by my husband who was home working and keeping an eye on the weather channel. He knew we were supposed to fly through Chicago just when a blizzard was blanketing the Midwest, wreaking havoc with holiday travel.
No wonder it took a half hour on hold before we were connected with a United Airlines representative who not only rerouted us so we flew from Montrose, a little less than 70 miles from Telluride, through Denver home to the East Coast at no extra charge.
I was so glad my daughter Mel stayed on the phone instead of skiing while I was out working. When we got to the Montrose airport, we met a family trying to get home to Minneapolis who learned when they got to the airport they couldn’t get a flight for two more days! That could have been us.
Instead, I’m writing this as we wing our way east in comfort in clear skies.