Vail, Colorado: Where to Stay, Eat and Run. Highly known for skiing and winter activities, spring and summer in Vail, Colorado are equally beautiful and fun! Whether you’re there for hiking and outdoor adventures or simply to relax by the pool and take in the mountain views, Vail needs to be on your must-visit bucket list!
When you think of Vail, Colorado, I’m sure your thoughts immediately go to snow and skiing. While this is one of the most popular times of the year in the mountains, I’m here to tell you about all the wonderful things Vail has to offer in the spring and summer.
Where to Stay:
Vail has many options when it comes to places to stay during your visit. Everything from cabins, condos, hotels and camping too. During spring often referred to as the off-season, you can usually get a discounted rate at many of the hotels and resorts.
Since our latest visit was in early May, we decided to take advantage of it being off-season and stayed at the gorgeous Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail. I can’t say enough good things about this resort and know we will be back again soon, off-season or not.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail is perfectly situated in Vail Village giving you easy access to all of the shopping, restaurants and the Gore Creek Trail. During our weekend stay we walked everywhere and didn’t use the car once.
The resort has everything you could possibly need during your stay. A five-star spa that’s perfect for working out any sore muscles after a day of hiking.
A fitness center complete with top of the line cardio equipment (including a couple of Peloton bikes), free-weights and a separate room for stretching.
An added bonus was the complimentary bottled water, fresh fruit, headphones and clean towels that were always in stock. They even have private personal training sessions available so you don’t have to worry about missing a workout or indulging in the cocktails and delicious food at the resort.
One of my favorite features was the outdoor heated pool and two whirlpools. Laying poolside with my favorite magazine or book and a cold drink is my idea of one of the best ways to relax in the summer.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail has plenty of options when it comes to food and drinks. Between Flame, The Remedy Bar, Bean & Gone, the pool bar and of course in-room dining, you won’t go hungry or thirsty.
Where to Eat and Drink:
When it comes to dining choices in Vail, I promise, you won’t go hungry. The hardest decision you’ll have to make is narrowing down where to eat.
One thing to keep in mind is that some restaurants close during the off-season. We had planned to have dinner at Root & Flower one night while we were there, but found out they wouldn’t be open until the following weekend after we left. I guess that just means we’ll have to visit again later this summer!
There were two places that we especially enjoyed eating and drinking at during our weekend stay, Mountain Standard and The Remedy Bar (located inside the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail).
Mountain Standard has a casual, rustic and relaxed tavern vibe to it, but the food and cocktails are a far cry from your typical tavern food. My husband and I like to order several appetizers or small plates versus one main course meal. This gives us an opportunity to try multiple things instead of having to settle on one.
One of our favorites at Mountain Standard was the Southern Pimento Cheese with the Buttermilk Sea Salt Biscuits to go with it. The concierge at the Four Seasons highly recommended trying this one out and he didn’t steer us wrong, it was incredible!
Other favorites were the Crushed Fava Bean Toast (pictured above), Chicken Liver Mousse and Coal Roasted Olives. I can never turn down a bowl of olives.
The bar is fully stocked and the list of craft cocktails has something for everyone. My husband of course had to test out their Old Fashioned (his favorite drink), which he approved of. I went with a spin off of a Moscow Mule that was complete with charred rosemary, delicious! We were also told that their Standard Margarita is very popular and I will definitely be having one next time.
We spent a lot of time at The Remedy Bar inside the Four Seasons. It was convenient to just be an elevator ride away from it and I can’t say enough about the friendly staff at the bar, the cocktails, the food and enjoying the gorgeous view of Vail Mountain out on the patio.
Our favorite cocktails were the Old Fashioned, – V -, the Strawberry Almond mocktail which I had them spike with vodka and a custom cucumber/gin concoction that one of the bartenders created for me.
You also won’t want miss out on their daily happy hour where the draft beers are half off and select wines are $6 a glass. And if you’re around late Saturday morning or early afternoon stop by and have a mimosa or two on the patio.
As far as food goes, this is not your average bar food. Some of our favorites were the Pretzel Charcuterie, because you know how much we love eating charcuterie on the weekends! We also loved the Spicy Tuna Huarache and both the Truffled Goat Cheese Pizza and Bison Pizza (pictured below) were delicious.
My husband’s vacation wouldn’t have been complete without trying The Remedy Burger, which he inhaled in about 3 minutes. I’m guessing he loved it.
For your sweet tooth you have to try their World Famous Remedy Haute Chocolate! Not only is it the most wonderful hot chocolate I’ve had, but the way it’s presented to you is a real treat too. We had ours’ outside on the patio next to the fire pits so we could enjoy the cool mountain breeze. I highly recommend you do too.
To end the night, be sure to take a couple of their warm cookies and a scoop of ice cream to enjoy back in your room.
Where to Run:
There’s no shortage of trails for running and hiking in Vail. It’s truly an outdoor lover’s dream come true. If you’re staying in Vail Village, accessing the Gore Creek Trail for a run, walk or bike ride couldn’t be easier.
I loved doing my morning runs on this trail because it was conveniently located right next to the Four Seasons. The trail runs along the Gore Creek and I-70 and is an out and back paved trail that goes on for miles.
There’s plenty of shade from the pine trees and the sound of the rushing water in the creek is so peaceful to listen to while running. The section of the trail that I ran was mostly rolling hills and nothing too strenuous. Perfect for when you’re on vacation, but can’t resist getting in some running.
Other trails to check out are the Booth Falls Trail and the Upper Piney River Falls Trail. While not in walking distance, they won’t disappoint!
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