Old World Charm in the Colorado Rockies

Alpine destinations around the world are known for their hospitality: The beautiful-yet-rugged terrain makes life rugged and travel tenuous, giving rise to the need for welcoming comfort at the end of the journey.

It makes sense that the know-how associated with providing alpine hospitality is a time-enriched tradition, passed down through generations and easily translatable to other mountain regions around the world.

It was likely with this in mind that the Faessler Family has operated places of respite for alpine visitors in Bavaria since 1919. They also spent much of the latter half of the 20^th century renovating a small motel near the chair lifts in Vail, Colorado, into the expansive, posh resort that stands today under the smiling sun logo of the Sonnenalp (roughly "sunny mountains" in German).

When I set out over the mountain passes from Denver, I had two questions in mind: why a ski resort in the summer and why the Sonnenalp?

I grew up spending my summers working at the front desk of a ski resort hotel in Alaska, and I constantly fielded questions regarding what in the world could be done in a ski resort during the summer? ("Take it in," was the general answer).

Would there be more to entertain than some curious off-season lurkers wandering among the tendrils of snowless ski runs and skeletons of motionless chair lifts?

The Sonnenalp cuts an imposing figure regardless of the season. The architecture is at once grandiose and intimate. Its alpine style is both cozy in colder, darker seasons, yet takes full advantage of the glorious outdoor environs in warmer, sunnier ones.

True to its name, the design of public and private spaces seems almost purpose built to maximize sunshine and mountain vistas regardless of whether you're relaxing in your room, in one of the public spaces or outdoors in the pools and hot tubs.

The service staff manages to pull off Bavarian costume without looking out of place, perhaps because nothing in the resort would look at all out of place in the Alps. Heritage architecture and furnishings give the semblance of a European vacation without the transoceanic journey.

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Guest rooms are cozy, courtesy of furnishings specially ordered from German crafters and resulting in a well-choreographed eclecticism. Teutonic sensibility certainly overpowers any hint of eccentricity, with environmentally friendly full-sized toiletry bottles in each bath alongside carefully worded hints that guests wishing to enjoy the products at home purchase them from the gift shop.

Expertise in alpine hospitality is apparent throughout. Fireplaces and humidifiers-a must at such elevations-are standard. Pleasant touches such as an abundance of bottled water and cookies at turndown enhance the holiday atmosphere.

It's clear that leisure and relaxation are serious business around here, aided by the homeliness of the property and charming welcome from the staff.

Also clear is the importance of togetherness, with plenty of communal spaces for gathering and enjoying company. Perhaps this is aside a roaring fire next to the silver coffee service in the King's Club lounge each morning-even during the summer the mornings in Vail are crisp and cool enough to appreciate a fire-or outdoors next to the pool or in the expansive spa.

There were also plenty of international and local families and groups enjoying languid evenings in the hotel's Swiss Chalet restaurant, where the rich smells of well-loved wood furniture and room trimmings meld with the intoxicating bouquet of fondue and raclette dinners. Sunny breakfasts with a buffet offer everything from American-style hot items to rather more exotic European cheeses, sausages and cold cuts. It's all a wonderful excuse for communal languor before heading outdoors to invigorate in the mountain air.

The hotel is in the heart of Vail Village, so it certainly has location going for it.

The village is surprisingly active on summer weekends, with a crowd having no shortage of activities, from taking trams up the mountain for hiking and biking, to plenty of shopping and river activities at lower elevations closer to the hotel. Perhaps not the frenzied crush of mountaineers one might expect during the height of the ski season, but certainly no deserted ghost town, either, as the nadir for Colorado mountain resorts is generally from early October through Thanksgiving.

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The Takeaway

For an old world experience in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, the Faessler family's decades of alpine hospitality expertise is backed up by the exacting standards of the Leading Hotels of the World, guaranteeing a worry-free, sun-drenched restorative.

The Math

Low season rates start around $300 plus tax and resort fee.

Instagrammable Moment

Fondue and raclette dinners make for culinary sparkle; mountain vistas are omnipresent and the hotel's charming European aesthetic won't keep your camera out of sight for long.

Loyalty

Guests are enrolled in the Leading Hotels of the World's program, Leaders Club, free of charge during their stay.

Good to Know

Breakfast-inclusive rates are a good value at around $20 per person, per night more than rates without breakfast; the retail price for the breakfast buffet is higher.

Reservations are certainly recommended for Swiss Chalet during the dinner hours, particularly on the weekends. Only a few slots were left on Open Table when I booked the night before.

At 8,100-foot elevation, it's necessary to invest in self-care by drinking plenty of water, relaxing your pace (particularly traversing slopes and stairs-something to keep in mind when selecting accommodations as at the Sonnenalp are split-levels) and visiting the hotel spa's oxygen bar, which charges a per-minute rate for scented oxygen blends.

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