The Viceroy Hotel in Snowmass, Colorado...
My recent trip to "Aspen" was slightly different than past trips as I never actually made it into Aspen. The purpose for my August Colorado weekend was my Godson, Luke's christening. Luke's mom Molly and I have known each other since we were 13 - went to high school and college together and somehow I convinced her to move to Aspen with me when we were 22. When I moved to Los Angeles, Molly got a great job at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, where she is now Dean of Admissions and married Scott. They now have two adorable boys (the youngest being my Godson) and live in Basalt a perfect, picturesque town just 20 minutes down valley from Aspen. Time is precious with old friends that you don't see enough of, so I decided we needed a girls night to catch up on everything before the christening festivities began.
The Snowmass Viceroy was running amazing summer deals and I was dying to check it out as I am a fan of the other Viceroy hotels. Located at the base of Snowmass Mountain, it is the first hotel in Colorado to get the gold LEED certification, meaning it is a green and sustainable building and business. We loved our night at the Viceroy tastefully designed with appropriate mountain chic touches. All rooms, including 
"studios" which are the lowest level are spacious and have fireplaces and "midnight kitchens" equipped with glassware, tableware and cooking utensils. After hiking up part of Snowmass Mountain (there are several beautiful trails you can follow), we enjoyed a glass of wine in the scenic, outdoor hot tub before pulling ourselves together for dinner.
The Viceroy's Eight K restaurant is a visually stimulating attraction in itself, with an 87 foot glass bar and two sided fireplace. The food and friendly staff complete the experience. The menu changes with the seasons, but I loved the trout with orzo, tomatoes and basil. The Viceroy offers several cozy nooks for conversation. We debated finishing our glasses of wine by the outdoor fire pit, but elected to settle in on the cozy couches by the fireplace in the restaurant. Our summer evening at the Snowmass Viceroy was delightful. While it is perfectly set up for the ski season, I love the mountains of Colorado in the summer.
Basalt highlights coming tomorrow....