Aspen, Colorado
The scene: America’s A-list may be in constant flux, with tech billionaires and influencers as likely to turn heads these days as movie stars and singers, but whichever tribe is in the spotlight, you can be sure of one thing: you’ll see them on the streets of Aspen each winter.
It’s not just the allure of its reliable snow and uncrowded slopes that draws them. It’s the fact that they can walk with relative freedom around its Wild West-flavoured streets. This wealthy corner of theColorado Rockieslikes to leave celebrities in peace, so don’t be surprised if you rub shoulders with them browsing in the local branches ofPradaandGucci, buying a new ski jacket atMoncleror trying on aStetson in Kemo Sabe.
The A-list’s favourite time to visit is over Christmas and New Year. In the past three yearsKylie Jenner, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Ivanka Trumphave holidayed here, alongsideJeff Bezos, the Amazon founderwho has a home in the town’s ultra-exclusiveRed Mountain district.
Fancy joining them for a drink? Element 47 in The Little Nell, the luxury hotel, is the place to start. It sits right at the bottom of Aspen Mountain, known by locals as Ajax and one of four ski mountains at the resort. Celebrities love it because its prices tend to keep star-spotters at bay. You also should consider the private Caribou Club, where a week’s membership in high season costs $2,000 for two.
Whether or not there is somebody famous sitting at the next table, you’ll enjoy getting stuck into the town’s restaurant scene.
Bosq has a Michelin star, while Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge, opened only recently, supplies a ten-gallon hatful of Western atmosphere with its food and drinks.
Just remember, though, your closest celebrity encounters may be the ones you don’t even notice, because here’s the other big reason that A-listers love Aspen. Up on the slopes, swathed in goggles, helmet, snood and ski clothing, nobody can tell who you are.
Where to stay:The Little Nell is the pick of Aspen’s hotels, its central place in Aspen’s social life assured by its slopeside setting, next to Ajax’s key lift. The style is cosseting and conservative, with the ever-attentive staff being the real stars of the show. If you want a little more elbow room, its 26 self-catering residences were renovated in 2023 and offer two-four bedrooms and a dedicated concierge service.
However, if you’re going to do Aspen properly, you need to make like Kylie Jenner or Mariah Carey and book a whole house rather than a hotel room. The most coveted are on Red Mountain. Set on south-facing slopes, across the Roaring Fork River, they offer a sense of detachment, stellar views towards the ski slopes and the lion’s share of the sunshine. And if that’s not secluded enough, book the whole of Kevin Costner’s Dunbar Ranch, six miles further up the valley. Available to rent since 2023, its prices peak at $50,000 a day over Christmas and New Year, which gets you three separate houses, as well as the run of the 160-acre surroundings, complete with a private snow-tubing track, cross-country ski trails and the chance to try dog-sledding.
