Vacation at Hotel Aspen
Last week, we had the privilege of traveling to Aspen for the first time, and we had a blast exploring the town, hiking, and eating all. the. things. I got so many wonderful recommendations about things to do and places to go, so I thought I'd share our experience in one condensed post for your future vacations!
Lodging at Hotel Aspen
We stayed at Hotel Aspen, a dog-friendly resort just off of Main Street! It's in the center of town, had a heated pool and hot tub that Ross LOVED, and accommodated our pups with bowls, treats, and plenty of green space. The hotel staff was so friendly whenever I asked them for tips, and they gave us recommendations for hikes, loaned us umbrellas when it got rainy, and were there for anything we needed. We were walking distance from just about anything, but the hotel was completely quiet and clean, away from any noise or nightlife. We loved our stay and cannot recommend them enough!
So Much Food!
We took every opportunity for the 3 days we were there to try a plethora of food because that's our love language when it comes to travel. The first day, we had brunch at Public House, and I got the kale and sweet potato scramble with fried eggs and pickled red onions. We ate dinner at Kenichi on Tuesday night, and the sushi was extremely fresh and delicious, a rarity in the landlocked state of Colorado. Obviously, we finished the evening with ice cream from Paradise Bakery (PS. a medium is 3 scoops)!!
On Wednesday, we brunched at the Little Nell's restaurant, Element 47, and Ross's duck confit hash was mind-blowing! We got lunch at Meat and Cheese, my favorite meal of the trip, where I consumed the Vietnamese noodle salad, a Korean beef taco, and kombucha on tap (duh). They had a cute little market that I actually had to pry myself away from! We ate dinner at Cache Cache that evening, a French-inspired bistro, which was definitely the fanciest meal of the trip, but well worth it.
I failed on my pictures on Thursday, but I started the morning with an oat milk latte from Local Coffee, and we grabbed lunch at Spring Cafe, an organic and vegetarian/vegan spot, before heading home!
Things to Do
I truly don't feel like you can fully experience Aspen in just 3 days because it is so much larger and has more variety than most ski towns. Of course, we went to see the Maroon Bells, which were pretty foggy, but we made the best of it. We also hiked up Ajax trail because the trailhead is just off of downtown and takes you around the whole city. It had great views and was easy for the dogs!
Aspen has bikes all over town that you can rent for free for 30 minutes at a time! We loved using these for transportation, and of course, I went to Pure Barre Aspen for a class! On our next visit, I definitely want to hit up some more strenuous hikes and do a little more shopping - the options were endless!
With Independence Pass open in the summer, it took us just 3.5 hours to get to Aspen from Colorado Springs. After living here for 4 years, I can't believe we haven't visited until now, but I'm so glad we did it and had the best experience!