Located about 3.5 hours driving from Denver, Aspen is the perfect getaway any time of the year! While Aspen is known for its amazing skiing conditions, it also offers other fun outdoor activities like hiking, biking and rafting. There are tons of luxurious shops and of course, great restaurants.
Mid-April through the beginning of June is considered “off-season” as it’s the end of ski season but not quite warm enough for summer adventures, but my husband, Will, and I still enjoyed a memorable weekend there celebrating our one-year anniversary! If you’re new to DINEvent, check out my Wedding Recap post.
We stayed at the W Aspen, which is right in the heart of the town. Because it was our anniversary weekend and (I assume) because it was the off-season, we were upgraded to their largest King suite for our 2-night stay. They also sent chocolate covered strawberries to the room, which was such a nice treat!
Lobby Check-In
Upgraded Room
After checking in, we had a late-lunch at Meat & Cheese, which came highly recommended by several friends. After lunch, it started to snow which is not uncommon at the end of April in Colorado - especially in a mountain town like Aspen. We headed back to the W, changed into our bathing suits, and soaked in the hot tub at the Wet Deck.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad & Tuna Ceviche with Homemade Chips
A glass of wine was necessary for our dip in the hot-tub
We had dinner at Clark’s Oyster Bar — a can’t miss, in my opinion. We also considered Casa Tua, PARC or Las Montañas, but I was happy with our choice of Clark’s. We started with West Coast oysters as our appetizer, naturally, followed by the Lobster Roll and Classic Steak Tartare as entrees. I don’t remember what was in our tequila drink, but I do remember it was tasty!
After a hotel breakfast the next day, we popped into luxury stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Kemo Sabe. If you’re a Bravo fan (like me!) you may remember the RHOBH cast hosted a party at Kemo Sabe last season!
We enjoyed cocktails and an appetizer at the bar of White House Tavern. Justin Bieber and Kylie & Kendall Jenner were spotted at the White House Tavern this winter! Leonardo DiCaprio has also been seen here numerous times. Celebrities aside, I will definitely head back to White House Tavern for a full meal next time I visit Aspen. The menu looked great and the vibe of the restaurant was cozy and inviting.
Hat wall at Kemo Sabe
Signature Margarita
Before dinner, we walked around a bit more and watched the skiers enjoy their last few runs of the season.
We were debating between Catch Steak or Steakhouse No. 316 for our anniversary dinner and opted for Catch, which was delicious. We started with the Catch Roll and Caesar Salad. We’d never seen Caesar served this way, but it was amazing. Will got the Truffle Butter Fillet and I got the Mediterranean Branzino. All the sides looked too good to choose from, so we went with Waffle Fries, Grilled Asparagus and Simple Mashed Potatoes. We were so full and didn’t get dessert, which is very unlike us, but can you blame us with all the other food?!
We ended our trip with a filling breakfast at the W before we hit the road back to Denver. Thanks to our Platinum Marriott Bonvoy status, we received complimentary breakfast for two.
In addition to the spots mentioned in this post, below are some others to visit on your trip to Aspen!
HOTELS
BREAKFAST
LUNCH/DINNER
ACTIVITIES
Aspen-Snowmass Four Mountain Sports
See a show at Belly Up
Thanks for reading!
XO,
Rachel