Top 50 Hotels Under $150 | Sunset Magazine
Sunset Magazine seems to have a better grasp of “affordability’ than some of the other travel publications and websites I come across. Here they list their favorite hotels in the West that run you less than $150 per night, broken down by Southern California, Northern California, Northwest, Southwest, Rockies, Hawaii, Mexico and, for some reason, a “4 Star Service, 2 Star Price” category.
Photo: Hotel Terra | Jackson Hole, Wyoming
14 Easy Weekend Getaways | The New York Times
Want to be on the beach by midafternoon? There are new flights to Destin, Fla., and the Turks and Caicos that are ready to make that happen. Feeling the urge to hit the mountain before the snow melts? Heavy snowfall and spring rates as low as $99 a night are making resorts like Breckenridge, Colo., and Snowbird, Utah, good bargains. Or are poolside cocktails more your style? There are plenty of options in Palm Springs, Calif., where newly renovated hotels are showing off freshened digs.
So, here you go. Whether you want high desert landscapes, powdery slopes or pristine blue water, we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you. Here are 14 top-notch escapes that require fewer than four hours in either a car or a plane from more than a dozen major cities. Wherever you live, we’ve got you covered.
—Michelle Higgins, The New York Times
Just to add a personal editorial note: I’m happy to see Breckenridge get a nod from the Times. I went to school in Boulder and spent a great deal of time skiing and partying at the Summit County resort. It’ll never receive the attention places like Vail and Aspen get, but Breck is a great spot; it’s centrally-located (a straight shot from Denver and easy to take a ski day at the wildly underrated Arapahoe Basin, for example), a good (if unspectacular) mountain, and offers a lot of extra-curriculars. It’s not as hoity-toity as Vail or Aspen, but it’s laidback groove makes it a welcome alternative.
Photo of the Day | Garden of the Gods, Colorado
via -cityoflove
Source: Flickr / scampychamp
America’s Best Ski Hotels | Travel + Leisure
I’ve stayed at the Sonnenalp and The Lodge in Vail and at the Woodstock Inn in Vermont. I’ve dined at the Stein Ericksen Lodge and thrown back cocktails at The Little Nell, the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, the Beaver Creek Park Hyatt, and at both the Four Seasons and Fairmont Chateau in Whistler. There is little question in my mind that these are all among “America’s Best Ski Hotels.” Bodes well for the rest that made the Travel + Leisure list.
Photo: Park Hyatt | Beaver Creek, Colorado
12 Spooky Hotels for Halloween | Fodor’s
It’s almost All Hallow’s Eve, and if you’re looking to spend the evening at a creepy haunted house, Fodor’s details a number of America’s most famous ghost-infested hotels. Wanna stay at the site of a brutal murder? Try Lizzie Borden’s joint. The Queen Mary is a top-notch choice if Art Deco elegance and a side of ghosts are your thing. And, of course, if you enjoy a freak-out with a literary bent, there’s The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining.
Photo: The Stanley Hotel | Estes Park, Colorado
Photo of the Day | Estes Park, Colorado
Photo: Morning Fire Of Fall by kkart via: landscapelifescape
Source: kkart.deviantart.com
World's Prettiest Mountain Towns | Travel + Leisure
Time to start thinking about ski season! A while back Travel + Leisure picked some of their favorite mountain towns. Having lived in Colorado while attending school there, I’m not sure Beaver Creek qualifies. It’s not much of a town really, more a masterplanned resort community - though the skiing there and at nearby Vail is exceptional. Hard though to understand how one could find it “prettier” than other Colorado areas like Telluride and Crested Butte.
Of the non-U.S. destinations listed, I’ve only visited Wengen. Now it qualifies! Quaint, earthy spot in the foothills of Eiger. I was there in the summer, so can’t vouch for the skiing, but I can attest to its beauty.
Still, of all the places I’ve skied, no town comes even close to Whistler. Insane skiing at both Whistler and Blackcomb, and the funnest apres ski town around.
10 Great Train Trips for Fall | USA Today
When I was a young lad, my family took the Durango to Silverton train. It’s one of the few things I remember about our obligatory cross-country family road trip. The USA Today lists that famous route and a number of others here.
America’s Best Hotels | Travel + Leisure
As chosen by readers of the magazine. Of all of these, I’ve only stayed at the Sonnenalp in Vail. Frankly I am surprised to see it so high on the list (surprised it cracked the top 25 at all, to be honest). It’s a wonderful resort in a great location, but I’ve stayed at a handful of places that I would consider superior - and somehow I can’t imagine any of them is on par with the Post Ranch Inn (pictured here) or the Chicago Four Seasons and Peninsula hotels, both of which I’ve been inside and are spectacular.
Photo: Post Ranch Inn | Big Sur, California
