“I’ve acquired ‘em from right here, thanks,» I advised the attendant, who gently protested, however I took my skis from his arms and walked a number of yards to Vail’s Gondola One. Ski journeys may be filled with hassles, however I’d been spared even the slightest inconvenience since arriving at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail. In actual fact, the resort’s elegant new three-story Chalet had imbued luxurious into each facet of my day. 

I’ve visited Colorado’s biggest ski resort a handful of occasions, however this mid-December journey was a very totally different expertise. My gear was saved within the mountainside Chalet, so there was no trudging over Vail Village’s brick walkways in ski boots. The brand new locker room is stocked with complimentary necessities like hand heaters, lip balm, sunscreen, and slippers for enjoyable within the lounge upstairs.

Within the morning, I loved tea and a protein bar from the unfold of refreshments—and pocketed a packet or two of gummy bears. After our final run, I ended by the Chalet for lunchtime soup and sunk into the plush couches. The homey lounge surrounds visitors in heat tones and pure supplies, with seating draped in fur blankets and pillows, and polished logs serving as tables. I used to be content material to people-watch from the floor-to-ceiling home windows whereas different visitors performed chess, learn, or socialized across the round hearth to cap off a day within the snow. 

The brand new lodge is only one facet of the transformation the resort has undergone within the final 18 months, in keeping with public relations and digital advertising supervisor Rebecca Lewis. “Each facet of the resort has modified, not solely from an aesthetic perspective but additionally when it comes to streamlining our operations and doubling down on our dedication to the visitor expertise and the enduring 4 Seasons anticipatory service,”  she advised me.

Suites not too long ago acquired a recent facelift following multimillion-dollar upgrades to plain rooms, and the spa’s design and programming have likewise been modernized. In December 2024, the lodge opened Tavernetta, the second location of Denver’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated restaurant of the identical identify. On the helm is Bobby Stuckey, co-founder of Frasca Hospitality Group.

I attended opening evening of the Italian high quality eating house throughout my go to. A captivating grasp of a number of culinary trades, Stuckey was doing every thing from recommending wines (he’s a grasp sommelier, in any case) to bussing tables. “For him, it’s simply approaching each visitor, each dish, each desk, each night, with a stage of thoughtfulness and heat. That unwavering dedication to the visitors, and the dish, and kitchen operations is simply completely contagious,” Lewis advised me. 

Design particulars mix conventional Italian structure with modern twists, courtesy of Studio Collective, a Los Angeles-based company that additionally labored on the Chalet. The restaurant’s mosaic stained glass doorways had been crafted utilizing centuries-old strategies. On its facade, a completely purposeful “buzz for Spritz” button pays homage to Florence’s iconic wine home windows. 

I couldn’t resist a walkup Aperol Spritz, however Tavernetta has an intensive Italian wine checklist, Champagnes, and elaborate cocktails. The whole lot from the antipasti to the dolci had been immaculate in taste and texture, nevertheless it’s the grass-fed carpaccio and linguine with beneficiant heaps of Maine lobster that I can’t cease fascinated about.

Together with the visions of carpaccio dancing via my head, my enchanting spa day and thrilling hours on the mountain have occupied wistful daydreams since my journey to Colorado. Right here’s my detailed assessment of Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail.

The Rooms

The resort has 110 rooms and 23 private residences. Having stayed in a few of Vail Village’s extremely sought-after lodging prior to now, I used to be stunned by the spaciousness of my customary double-bed guestroom upon arrival. It had a walk-in closet, gas-burning hearth, and terrace furnished with two rustic chairs and a small desk. The toilet stood out with a double self-importance, a big walk-in bathe, L’Occitane tub merchandise, and beneficiant lighting for straightforward primping. These entry-level rooms are designated as Peak, Premier, Deluxe, and Resort primarily based on the views from every. 

Along with 575-square-foot single and double-bed guestrooms, 4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail has one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites as much as 1,842 sq. toes. They’ve all been not too long ago renovated to optimize consolation with out sacrificing fashion. Pure supplies like wooden and stone, Italian-inspired accents (a nod to Vail’s European heritage), and heat, soothing tones invoking the mountain panorama had been key components of the upgrades. I toured a two-bedroom suite that delivered thorough luxurious with a residential really feel. There have been three fireplaces in whole with ample hearth seating, two bogs, every with a soaking tub and a walk-in bathe, and a classy dwelling house with a desk that permits for eating and lounging.

Meals and Drink

Tavernetta, the second location of the award-winning Denver restaurant, serves breakfast and dinner and is ideal for having fun with a lavish Italian meal or upscale cocktail. The wine checklist is strictly Italian-only, however a number of Champagne manufacturers can be found for events that decision for bubbly. Meals is impressed by delicacies from a number of Italian areas, from do-it-yourself pasta dishes to branzino served with Sicilian salmoriglio sauce.

For much less formal however nonetheless decidedly refined eating, visitors have The Remedy, which opens at 11 a.m. It’s bathed in daylight by day and warmed by massive indoor and outside fireplaces by evening, attracting a full of life après scene of locals and guests. The globe-spanning menu has one thing for everybody, together with a luxurious scorching, or haute, chocolate freshly poured over a marshmallow dice and strong chocolate lattice, price each penny of its $25 price ticket. 

In the event you don’t have time for a full breakfast, cease by the Speyside Café for complimentary espresso and tea, plus pastries, sandwiches, and contemporary juices out there for buy. The café additionally homes seasonal pop-ups: go to Wednesday via Friday till April 2025 for a ramen bar with single-malt whiskey pairings.

Actions and Facilities

Alpine snowboarding at Vail Mountain is the realm’s largest declare to fame. 4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail supplies visitors with a roughly four-minute shuttle service to the doorway of Vail Village. From there, it takes about one other 4 minutes to stroll to the Chalet (escorted by an attendant when you have gear to move), the place visitors can retailer their ski gear, seize complimentary mountain must-haves like hand heaters and sunscreen, and revel in refreshments by the fireplace. 

Again on the principle property, there is a 75-foot-long outside heated pool open year-round, plus two scorching tubs. A coated outside lounge features a hearth the place complimentary s’mores kits are put out nightly. 

There’s a health club for off-mountain exercises and a Gorsuch retailer for on-mountain wants. Along with snowboarding, the concierge can prepare actions like sleigh rides and snowshoeing within the winter and biking and horseback using in the summertime. Meeting and event spaces starting from 270 to three,530 sq. toes can be found for reservation.

The Spa

4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail unveiled a redesigned spa in 2024. It has 13 remedy rooms, in addition to males’s and girls’s chilly plunges, eucalyptus steam rooms, dry saunas, and scorching tubs. If I hadn’t had dinner reservations, I’ll have stayed within the large whirlpool’s frothy water all day. A coed rest room is the proper place to unwind with companions. “The artwork is foraged with native flowers and textures and colours to echo the area’s landscapes,” assistant spa director Brandy Velasquez stated of the room’s decor, designed by Rose Inc. Workshop. 

A variety of remedies, together with the Healing Ritual (previously the Sleep Ritual) and a 110-minute therapeutic massage, goal wellness and restoration to make sure visitors hit the slopes in peak situation. The Signature Excessive 360-degree Magnificence Therapy left my face feeling hydrated and sculpted after the lengthy flight and days out within the chilly. Like lots of the remedies, it concerned soothing merchandise by Evidens de Beauté, a skincare model from a French-Japanese husband-and-wife duo drawing inspiration from each cultures.

Household-friendly Choices

4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail is a family-friendly property with babysitting providers and baby-proofing instruments out there upon request. For older kids, there’s a teen heart with a pool desk, air hockey, snacks, and a TV lounge. Youngsters beneath 5 eat totally free on the resort’s eating places. The concierge staff may also help visitors plan year-round outside actions akin to tubing, snowshoeing, and whitewater rafting.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The resort gives accessible rooms with both one king mattress or two double beds and accessible one-bedroom suites with one king mattress, a Queen-sized couch mattress, or a rollaway. Eating places, ballrooms, the courtyard, and the spa are accessible. The outside pool and scorching tubs and the spa’s whirlpool are geared up with lifts.

Sustainability efforts embody no single-use plastic water bottles, meals containers, and toiletries. Linens are modified each third day by default, and there are electrical car charging stations out there for visitors.

Location

4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail is positioned simply outdoors of Vail Village, the bottom of the most important ski resort in Colorado and the third largest in america. With roughly 354 inches of snowfall per yr, 5,317 skiable acres, and loads of off-mountain après choices, it’s a smart selection for planning a ski trip. Vail’s legendary again bowls are an unlimited expanse of various terrain. From weaving via China Bowl’s aspen forest to crusing down the sweeping, groomed face of Solar Down Bowl, a few of my most thrilling reminiscences from a lifetime of snowboarding came about at Vail. 

Vail Mountain usually closes for snowboarding in mid-April, with optimum snow circumstances peaking in February. The low season gives mountaineering, horseback using, and classical music performances. The village enjoys about 300 days of sunshine every year. 

The closest airport is Eagle County Regional Airport, which is just below 40 minutes away by automotive. Denver Worldwide Airport is a few two-hour drive away on Interstate 70. The property may prepare an airport switch for a payment, however shuttle service round Vail Village is complimentary.

The right way to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Friends who guide choose suites for 3 consecutive nights between Could 22, 2025, and December 10, 2025, can obtain a fourth night free. The resort has designated value days in January, February, and March that function lower-than-average charges.

4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail is a part of American Specific’ Wonderful Motels + Resorts portfolio, providing card members further facilities and providers akin to 12 pm check-in, 4 pm check-out, and room upgrades primarily based upon availability when reserving a keep via American Specific Journey.

Nightly charges at 4 Seasons Resort and Residences Vail begin from $600.