Rating:
Price:

The historic ambience and superb service at the Hotel Jerome make it the best place to stay in Aspen -- for those who can afford it. Jerome B. Wheeler built the Jerome during the peak of the silver boom. It opened in 1889 as Colorado's first hotel with electricity and indoor plumbing, and the first west of the Mississippi River with an elevator. The silver crash of 1893 ended Aspen's prosperity and the glory years of the Hotel Jerome, but a multimillion-dollar renovation has restored the Jerome to its original splendor. With its Eastlake Victorian architecture lovingly preserved, and furnished with period antiques, the Jerome is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Each beautifully appointed guest room is spacious -- even the smallest is more than 500 square feet -- and unique, containing period antiques and reproductions, a desk, comfortable chairs, queen or king beds with down comforters, and plush terry bathrobes. Bathrooms, finished with white Carrera marble and reproduction 19th-century octagonal tiles, boast oversize tubs and separate showers.

The resort's signature Century Room offers savory Alpine-American fare served in classical Victorian elegance, with main courses in the $20 to $30 range. Guests with lighter appetites can get sandwiches and salads at the historic J-Bar. In summer, the outdoor dining patio is delightful.

© 2005, Wiley Publishing, Inc.