Aspen's Top Ten

Newsflash: Aspen, Colorado is expensive. The Limelight LodgeAs many ski vacationers discover whiling planning an Aspen winter getaway, cheap places to bunk up in America's priciest and poshest ski town are few and far between. Most vacationers cope with this bittersweet reality long before touching down at the Pitkin County Airport, usually while booking hotel or airline reservations. Nonetheless, the savvy and penny wise ski traveler may be surprised by the diverse array of relatively affordable hotels, motels, condos, and ski lodges for a comfortable, warm, and restful slumber. Like finding a fistful of quarters between sofa cushions, one just has to know where to look and book.

Elk Song Ranch
$58,000,000

Nestled into 67 acres off Owl Creek Road between Aspen and Snowmass, the Elk Song Ranch croons to the tune of 58,000,000 dollars for a posh estate with 20,000 square feet. Available exclusively through Sotheby’s International, Elk Song Ranch is a seven-bedroom hideaway with large pond, private trails, and mountain views. The rustic wood trim interior is inspired by the Colorado high country lifestyle. The luxurious list of creature comforts includes a great room with a sunken bar, a billiard room, a theater, an outdoor swimming pool, multiple sitting areas, a well-appointed great room,. an exercise room, and an outdoor space with a hot tub.

Aspen Tuscan Masterpiece

$43,800,000

Aspen’s grandiose Tuscan Estate dazzles with 16,000-square feet of well-appointed bravura, receiving nods from VH1’s Fabulous Celebrity Real Estate Splurges as one of the four top estates currently for sale in the United States.

Summer is here and the living is easy. We’ve assembled a list of 10 magnificent Aspen swimming pool scenes where one can unwind, revitalize, and refresh in heavenly waters.

The St. Moritz Pool in Aspen, ColoradoKicking back poolside and taking a plunge into the deep end is a touchstone of many summer vacations. Yet Aspen’s high alpine pool scene doesn’t quite capture the traveling public’s imagination like the glitzy, anything-goes sizzle of Las Vegas casino pool parties, the rooftop pools of Rio de Janerio, or the seductive palm-fringed hideaways in Southern California and Miami. Perhaps it is because Aspen is mythologized exclusively as a cold weather ski destination rather than a place to sport swimwear, drape a beach towel, and spend an afternoon floating in the water.

While the pool scene in Vegas and Miami is hardly under-the-radar, Aspen’s pool scene is one of its best-kept summer secrets.