Vail

Vail sits high in the Rocky Mountains, far from any sea, so there is no beach life. In summer locals paddle and sunbathe at small mountain lakes and reservoirs nearby, but the water stays cold even in July and swimming usually means a hotel pool.

Eating in Vail is resort dining aimed at a well-off crowd. In Vail Village and Lionshead you find polished steak and game restaurants, Alpine-style fondue rooms, sushi counters and hotel dining rooms with long wine lists, plus mountain lodges for lunch between runs. Colorado lamb, elk and trout turn up on many menus, and craft beer from the state's breweries is easy to find.

What it lacks is a food culture of its own and a cheap end. Street food and markets barely exist beyond a summer farmers' market, and in the quiet weeks of spring and autumn many kitchens close. People who want variety drive down the valley or wait for Denver.

Vail was built as a ski resort in the 1960s, and its pedestrian village of gabled chalets and covered bridges imitates a Tyrolean town rather than preserving one. The Colorado Snowsports Museum tells the story of skiing in the state and of the Tenth Mountain Division, the wartime ski troops who trained nearby, and the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are a pleasant summer visit. Beyond that there is little to see, and nobody comes here for sights.

Nights in Vail are shaped by skiing. Après-ski starts as the lifts close, with packed terraces and slopeside bars in Vail Village and Lionshead, and on winter weekends a few bars and a small club keep going past midnight. The crowd is affluent and the mood more festive than wild.

In summer evenings are calmer, and in the spring and autumn off-seasons the town is close to empty after dinner. Visitors after a real night out will find it brief and limited.

Vail is a mountain base of the first order. The ski area is vast, with groomed front-side runs above the village and the open Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin behind, and dry Rocky Mountain powder through a long winter. The town lies at about 2,500m in the Gore Creek valley, so altitude is felt on the first day.

In summer the gondolas carry hikers and mountain bikers to high trails, and the Gore Range and Holy Cross wilderness areas offer serious hiking among lakes and peaks above 4,000m. Gore Creek and the Eagle River are known for fly fishing, rafting runs on the Arkansas and Colorado rivers are within reach, and autumn turns the aspen slopes gold.

Most of what lies within reach of Vail is other mountain towns. Beaver Creek, a smaller and more polished resort, is a short drive west, and Breckenridge, with its Victorian mining-era main street, is a little under an hour over the pass. Leadville, a high-altitude silver boom town with old brick streets and an opera house, makes a good half day.

Glenwood Springs, about an hour down the Colorado River canyon, has the most to offer for a day out, and Aspen and Denver are each around two hours away for those willing to drive. The list is pleasant rather than deep, and almost every outing needs a car.

Vail works well for families who come to ski. The ski schools are large and well organised, there are gentle learning areas and children's terrain, and the car-free village is safe and easy to stroll. In summer the area at the top of the gondola offers ropes courses, a mountain coaster, tubing and short nature walks, and the town's parks and creekside paths are good for younger children.

Outside skiing and mountain activities there is little made for children: no zoo, aquarium or major museum. The altitude can tire small children for the first day or two, and winter cold and long days in gear make it demanding with toddlers.

Within Vail itself, getting around is simple. The core of Vail Village and Lionshead is pedestrian, the gondolas and lifts start from town, and a free bus service runs the length of the valley, linking the outlying neighbourhoods with the slopes. Many visitors spend a week without a car.

Getting there and leaving town are harder. There is no passenger rail, the nearest airports are a shuttle ride away, and the mountain interstate over Vail Pass can close in heavy snow. Regional buses run down the valley, but trips to other towns are far easier with a car.

Shopping in Vail means the pedestrian lanes of Vail Village and Lionshead, lined with upmarket ski and outdoor clothing, fur and leather, jewellery, Western boots and hats, and art galleries selling mountain landscapes. It suits visitors buying ski gear or a luxury souvenir.

The range is narrow, aimed at a wealthy resort clientele and short on independent design or anything inexpensive. There are no department stores or markets of note, and serious shoppers head to Denver.

Vail is one of the most expensive places to vacation in North America. Slopeside lodging, lift tickets, ski school, equipment hire and restaurant meals all cost far above normal American levels, and peak winter weeks push prices higher still. The free town bus and summer and off-season lodging rates soften things a little, and staying further down the valley saves money, but nobody chooses Vail as a budget trip.

Vail's performing arts life is a summer affair, but a serious one. The Bravo! Vail music festival brings major orchestras in residence for weeks of concerts at the open-air Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, with mountains behind the stage and lawn seating for picnics. The Vail Dance Festival draws leading ballet and contemporary dancers, and a long-running jazz festival fills late summer.

Outside those months the offer shrinks to après-ski bands and occasional touring acts. There is no theatre or concert season through winter, so visitors who come for music should plan around July and August.

Wellness in Vail is the resort spa kind. The large hotels in Vail Village and Lionshead run polished spas with massage after skiing, outdoor hot tubs under the peaks, saunas and steam rooms, and the town's pace outside peak weekends is quiet and unhurried.

There is no bathing tradition here, though. For natural hot springs, Glenwood Springs, about an hour down the canyon, has large mineral pools and vapour caves used since the 1800s. The altitude and dry air also mean the first days are better taken slowly.