Find our Inspection team's official review of The Little Nell, here. Below, one writer remembers an encounter with the high glamour that makes this one of the most unique hotels in the world.
My first trip to Aspen was for The Little Nell’s inaugural culinary festival. Checking into the resort while brushing elbows with Richard Lee, executive chef of Two MICHELIN Star Saison, I knew I’d made the right decision to visit during the dog days of summer for Saison-quality uni (yes, chef brought it with him) over layering up and lacing up my boots to hit the seemingly main attraction here, the snowy slopes.
The overspread of sage, pine, and emerald looked nothing like the snow-white peaks in the famous photos of this place. After meandering through Aspen’s art-filled streets, however, indulging in the impeccable dining scene, and participating in a bounty of warm-weather, nature-steeped pastimes, I could see Aspen’s likeness to the Alp towns of Europe. Specifically: Gstaad or St. Moritz. This is an intimate mountain village not just in the midst of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, but at the nucleus of the glitterati.
After its founding in the late 1940s, Aspen swiftly earned an esteemed repertoire; today, the words “elegance” and “glamour” are practically synonyms for a small town of just under 7,000 that rakes in hundreds of millions of tourist dollars each year. A walk down South Galena Street bodes run-ins with haute couture icons Prada, Gucci, and Valentino. Frequent celebrity and socialite sightings over the years include Gary Cooper, Hedy Lamarr, Goldie Hawn, Justin Bieber, and Beyonce.
Playing host to a majority of the socialites is One MICHELIN Key The Little Nell — the Grande Dame resort at the heart of Aspen’s action. Almost immediately upon opening in 1989, the hotel became the premier accommodation in town for international celebrities, dignitaries, Fortune 500 magnates, and political leaders. Revered for its mountain-lodge style rooms, complete with gas log fireplaces and mountain-view balconies, a lauded restaurant called Element 47, and ski-in, ski-out access, The Little Nell doesn’t only attract the stars. It also plays host to a series of highly vetted luxury brand activations, including an après-ski with Veuve Clicquot and Dior Spa summer takeover.
That’s just the start. The Little Nell balances its own fine-dining and an award-winning wine program with an on-site calendar of fêtes to rival the city itself. Their latest culinary fest ran this summer for a fourth consecutive year, featuring Gabriel Kreuther (of New York's Two MICHELIN Star Gabriel Kreuther), whose indulgent foie-gras terrine and smoked-two week aged crescent duck breasts dazzled diners during the year I attended, and Suzette Gresham (Acquerello, a Two MICHELIN Star restaurant in San Francisco). At their Ride + Dine Series, a partnership with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) sees cyclists join an e-bike journey that concludes at a scenic overlook for an al fresco dinner. Come fall, The Little Nell encourages guests to immerse in the golden foliage with off-road trips to the 11,212-foot summit of Aspen Mountain or wade into the Roaring Fork River on a fly-fishing excursion.
On my own visit, in between caviar bumps with the guest chefs and three-hour, Champagne-fueled lunches, I enjoyed slow mornings with coffee on my wood-ensconced balcony overlooking the chateau-style resort. I hiked on Hunter Creek Trail, devouring the sounds of cascading water. I soared alongside sunset in a gondola (in spaghetti straps nonetheless; no long winter undies required). I explored the ruby-lit underbelly of the highly coveted wine cellar, where the hotel hosts private wine tastings by request only.
The only thing I didn’t do was ski. But you don’t need my recommendation for that. Skiing is simply a given here. The obsessives rave about the guaranteed powder runs on Fridays and about the ski concierge who warms your boots and waxes your board. And even so — to me, at The Little Nell, skiing is almost beside the point. Would I return in winter? Of course. If only for the après scene.
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Top image: Steve Goff / The Little Nell
