Sitting at the base of the Aspen Mountain (Ajax to locals) gondola, the Little Nell is one of just three five-star hotels in Colorado. (The others are The Broodmoor in Colorado Springs and Ritz-Carlton in Beaver Creek.) The main hotel wraps around a stunning heated pool, and the adjoining bar is one of the hottest après-ski spots in town. Standard rooms feature 42-inch LCDs, Bose stereo systems, and goose-down comforters. Larger, top-floor premium rooms add seating areas, a separate

Sitting at the base of the Aspen Mountain (Ajax to locals) gondola, the Little Nell is one of just three five-star hotels in Colorado. (The others are The Broodmoor in Colorado Springs and Ritz-Carlton in Beaver Creek.) The main hotel wraps around a stunning heated pool, and the adjoining bar is one of the hottest après-ski spots in town. Standard rooms feature 42-inch LCDs, Bose stereo systems, and goose-down comforters. Larger, top-floor premium rooms add seating areas, a separate dressing area with closets, and master baths with soaking tubs and rain showers. The hotel also boasts an impressive collection of suites with living and dining areas and sporting original artwork and wetbars. Most rooms have balconies where you can watch Glitter Gulch's notable citizens come down the eponymous Little Nell trail (or watch them return home from the bars on the town side). Lush furnishing—like Belgian wool carpeting, down-filled sofas, and gas-log fireplaces—make these rooms some of the most comfortable in town. Well-heeled greenies can now stay in the newly added 2,500-square-foot "Green Suite," a solar-powered suite with an enegy-usage monitor.

Aspen is home to four mountains, the quaint 673-acre Ajax, whose slopes practically drop right into the Nell's balconies; Aspen Highlands, home to few crowds and big terrain in the hike-to-only Highland Bowl; family-friendly Snowmass and its sparkling new $35 million base village; and Buttermilk, whose terrain parks play host to the X Games every January. After skiing, all activity migrates back toward town—places like the see-and-be-seen Bentley's Bar at the Wheeler Opera House, packed bars like Eric's Downstairs, or the Sky Lodge with its outdoor hot tub and Alice-in-Wonderland-esque oversize fireplaces.

The Little Nell houses three bars as well, all of which attract a lively après crowd who slurp champagne in their ski boots before heading back to their own hotels to get ready for the nightlife. Its Montagna restaurant is world-class, too. Executive Chef Ryan Hardy, in addition to being a cheesemaker and organic farmer, turns out what he describes as "Rocky Mountain artisan cuisine." Translation: dinners like handmade pappardelle and chicken confit, bought from local farms and served with fresh garbanzo beans and crispy artichokes. Master Sommelier Jonathan Pullis is on hand to pick out innovative wine choices to pair with each course. Wine classes and tastings are offered throughout the year for guests. That kind of service spills over into the hotel as well—concierges give private tours of town and its Milan-worthy shopping district, help you adjust to the altitude, warm your boots in the morning, and bring your skis to get tuned if needed. After all, this is a luxury experience in a place that helped define the term, and that experience does not include schlepping your skis.

A former senior editor at Skiing magazine, Pieter van Noordennen owns more ski jackets than any man should.