This city loving, fashion obsessed, Texas girl has gotten wrapped up in a boy mom, adventure lifestyle that includes skiing and extreme sports. Here’s our Aspen family ski vacation recap, that will hopefully help you plan your trip, know where to eat, shop, stay and learn where to ski! I admit I went into the whole vacation with a negative attitude. Yes, I love QT with my boys, but instead of the typical Florida beach winter break vacation, I found myself on a 10 hour delayed flight to Aspen. Yes, 10 hours.
When we got there however, I felt it “click” , so 3 days later I was lobbying with my husband to extend our stay. That was good because 1) we had to stay in 2 places which means I can share more with you on where to stay 2) I really got a feel for the town, 3) I started skiing again after a long hiatus.
Why go to Aspen over other Ski Towns
Aspen really has something for everyone, even the people that don’t want to be there. đŸ™‚ I think one of the main attractions is that it has world class shopping, dining and “things to do” that other ski towns could be lacking. If there is a non skier in the group, this could be a game changer! The other thing I really loved about Aspen, is it’s proximity to Snowmass. Snowmass has incredible beginner/intermediate slopes (not available in Aspen) that made getting back and starting to ski possible! Although it’s a little trickier to get to than Park City or Telluride, I really loved the fashion scene. Walking in town reminded me of being at Fashion Week. Visitors take great care in their outfits, something that annoyed my husband but made my heart happy.
STAY- Where we stayed on our Aspen Family Ski Vacation
Snowmass Club
For our Aspen family ski vacation, we started out our trip staying at Snowmass Club. I really had nothing to do with the selection, as we were going with all of our annual ski trip companions! We choose this location because it has very comfortable, spacious apartments for families. We had a beautiful 3 bedroom living space with a fully stocked kitchen, grill and all the amenities. Along with this, there was daily housekeeping that did it all; wash dishes, organize, you name it and it was amazing.
The place was solid. It had an awesome restaurant in-house, daily hot chocolate happy hours for kids, some days wine for adults for Apres ski, not to mention ski valet service. If you’ve ever had to lug around ski equipment, it is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard; cold/wet, clunky, and it’s one of the worst things about skiing. The heated garage also made it easy to get in and out, and then our ski equipment was magically waiting for us up front to load to our car or the hotel shuttle.
The gym was impeccable, as was the spa/locker room faciilites and there was a kid club you could put your small kids at while you worked out or did whatever you needed to do. For the older kids, there was an stocked game room with video game access, pool table, table hockey and a TV. Kids of all ages were in heaven! As were the parents. LOL
Buttermilk Mountain was a short shuttle away, as was everything else. However, you can’t really walk anywhere from here, so if you like to stroll into a town center, this is not for you. If you have kids, large family or are doing a big group, you can’t really stay in a better spot!
St. Regis Aspen
We stayed at the St. Regis Aspen for the second part of our Aspen trip, once we decided to stay and our time was up at SnowMass Club. I had been there earlier in the week with my friend for a spa day, and honestly….had fallen in love with the place. It’s really pricey, no matter what room you stay in and as loyal Marriot Rewards people got lucky with booking with points. If you can stay here, I recommend it! It’s got everything, including butler service, a house dog Kitty, amazing dining, easy access to Aspen mountain and right in the middle of all the Aspen action. The exterior is absolutely stunning. You feel like you’re in Austria or a quaint European city. Being there right after Christmas was exceptionally magical, with the decor and cozy holiday details.
Some disadvantages are that unless you’re willing to fork over a lot of money, the rooms are small. So if you’re traveling with the family, and all the ski gear it will start to feel cramped. For couples, I could see how this is amazing! While the spa and locker room is beautiful, the gym is a bit dark and lacking.
To recap, the service is great and Marriot is so consistent. My husband is obsessed with the bedding and pilllows, he’s even tried ordering them from Marriot for our home. But I digress. If you can swing 2 rooms for you and the kids or don’t mind tighter quarters with a GORGEOUS backdrop as the trade-off go for it! When it is all said and done, given that I took 10X more pictures at St. Regis lets me know I loved it more deep down inside.
Ski School
Our kids went to the Buttermilk school. We choose this simply because they had more availbility but then we ended up loving it because of the terrain. They have a lift called the Panda that I was able to survive on as a beginner and gain confidence. There are more intermediate and advanced terrain as well, but it’s a great place to start, especially for kids.
Shopping in Downtown Aspen
If you’re a shopper, you’re in luck! You can find literally any high end brand that your heart could desire; Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Prada, etc. Jewelry shops like Rachel Lynn Chicago, whom I love, and one of a kind bakeries, like Paradise Bakery, that will steal your heart. It’s all very walkable, I would set aside half a day for this!
EAT
We didn’t really have bad meals here! However, one standout from our Aspen family ski vacation was Clark’s Aspen. The food was incredible, service top notch and we lucked out in getting a table here for lunch the day of. I got the crab cakes (my husband the oysters) lobster roll and fries and did something I never do; drink Champagne for lunch! It felt that special! Even the kids loved their burgers more than usual. On the way out, we literally ran into Kate Hudson coming in for lunch, don’t mean to blow your cover Kate!
Other places you must eat:
–Brunelleschi’s– great pizza spot that feels great after skiing.
-Viceroy Hotel “Toro Kitchen” lots of space, the most incredible chicken dish I’ve ever had (we ordered one to go) and fun cocktails.
Aquolina Aspen– solid place for traditional Italian. Downtown Aspen, cool bar, kinda tight so make reservations.
St. Regis Hotel “Velvet Buck”– great for families, located inside the most gorgeous hotel in downtown Aspen. Incredible service, ideal for kids.
Paradise Bakery- possibly the best brownie I’ve had. It wasn’t even mine but I haven’t forgotten about it.
What I Wore
Because this is a fashion blog, gotta tell you a little about my outfits! You can find a recap of all my outfits on the LTK App, as well as my IG feed! I also did several Amazon Lives from Snowmass and talked about exactly what I packed for this trip!
For what to do in Chicago with kids see here, my Kalahari Resorts review here and an awesome ski coat from Amazon here. Stay warm beauties! XO, Z
