TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside

54 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Special Travel Issue 2019 Special Travel Issue 2019 | texaslifestylemagazine.com 55

Telluride The Ultimate Rocky

Mountain High

A Rocky Mountain town brimming with history and present-day cool, Telluride, Colorado is a place of awe-inspiring

beauty and otherworldly atmosphere. Historically known for mining, outlaws, and surprising technical innovations, Telluride is now most often compared to a mountain resort in the Swiss Alps.

It’s easy to see why: the town is surrounded by the San Juan Mountains and engenders a quiet, walled-garden feeling of being hidden and protected. Telluride has the same eclectic vibe as Austin, with a few high-end touches you’d expect from Houston or Dallas; but tempered with the relaxed Western tempo of the town.

Getting to Telluride is simple and comfortable with the new jet service to Telluride Regional Airport (TEX), only 15 minutes outside of town and available on Denver Air Connection (partnered with United Airlines). Another option, and perhaps the more economical one, is the Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), 65 miles from Telluride. Pro tip: Opt for a transport company like Telluride Express to get you to and from the airport reliably.

Once there, Telluride is an extremely walkable city as the historic downtown is only six blocks wide and twelve blocks long. Take immediate advantage of North America’s first and only free gondola up the San Juans that connect you to the neighboring town of Mountain Village. You’ll get the lay of the land and begin this adventure with an exhilarating yet unhurried climb through the mountains.

Stay at The Hotel Telluride - a chalet-style boutique hotel that exudes an aura of Rocky Mountain high. Travelers of all sizes and breeds (the hotel is very dog-friendly) can indulge in the amenities of an upscale hotel in the rustic and relaxed vibe of a well-appointed ski lodge. In the

hotel lobby, you’ll see a massive elk antler chandelier high in the wood-beamed ceilings, a rustic stone fireplace and deep leather couches flanked by gorgeous Southwestern-patterned chairs. Chess boards, local newspapers and a help-yourself coffee bar balance the grand room’s bolder presentations.

This 59-room boutique hotel has stately rooms, custom-made mattresses (you’ll never want to leave), and a friendly and incredibly helpful staff. Did you forget sunscreen, sunglasses, or maybe even a breast pump? They’ve heard it all and will not only guide you to Sunshine Pharmacy, but let you in on the must-have local goods like Tim’s Trauma Balm made with CBD oil. During the fall, book the Mountains and Morels package, an offering unique to The Hotel Telluride. (The experience is available from August until the first frost, and must be booked 14 days in advance.) If you’d rather look up than down, then book their Wings Over Telluride package (available through December 20, 2019). Telluride is best seen through the eyes of a local and the hotel has done a phenomenal job in making sure guests have the insider’s experience.

Walking into Telluride’s Historic Downtown is an easy ten-minute stroll. Or, grab one of the hotel’s cruiser bikes for a bit more speed. Telluride has an impressive stretch of bike paths, one that even leads straight to the Telluride Brewing Co. where you can try micro-brews made from the snow melt off the Rockies.

Colorado Street is the main downtown drag, lined with Victorian homes and other architectural marvels. Local restaurants and eclectic shops sit like picturesque bookends to Bridal Veil Falls. Known for its winter sports due to the highest concentration of 13,000-foot peaks in the Rockies, the town has a supremely unpretentious ambience year-round, and much more to offer than just hitting the slopes.

TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside

54 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Special Travel Issue 2019 Special Travel Issue 2019 | texaslifestylemagazine.com 55

By Emily Bond

(Continued on page 56)

co

ur

tesy

ph

oto

The gondola above Telluride and the valley below, awash with the golden colors of fall.

TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside

56 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Special Travel Issue 2019 Special Travel Issue 2019 | texaslifestylemagazine.com 57

Dress CodeLeave the heels at home. Telluride has a supremely relaxed dress code. Unlike other more high-end Colorado towns, you’re more likely to see a multi-millionaire going to 221 South Bistro in a pair of Keens and jeans. Make sure you pack a pair of hiking boots, a few more layers (you never know when that first frost will hit), and sunglasses. Pull out some vintage L.L.Bean outdoor wear stuffed away in your closet to bump up your mountain chic cred. At night, don a black cashmere sweater for bar hopping and prAna water-resistant hiking pants with a pair of Merrells for the day, and you’re good to go.

Grab a bite from The Grilled Cheese A La Cart - the brie and apricot is as good as everyone says. From there, indulge in some local shopping at the Telluride Trappings and Toggery and Hook for souvenirs. With happy hour fast approaching, saunter towards the gondola and ride up to Allred’s. Sitting pretty at 10,000 feet, order a Spiced Mule and take in the most jaw-dropping view. Feel underdressed? Remember, layers. A cashmere sweater can go far in this town, but keep your hiking boots.

When ready for dinner, ride the gondola back down and ease your way to Cosmo’s. The restaurant is, oddly enough, well-known for its seafood. Try the Lobster Corn Dogs and the Wild Blueberry Pie. Wrap up the night with a cocktail at There...Telluride, a cocktail bar off Pacific Avenue.

French Toast with fresh orange zest is on the menu at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, then sit by the roaring fire with your coffee in the lobby. Grab a copy of the local newspaper - bear sightings and the police report are particularly entertaining. Soon the hotel manager will hand you a packed lunch for the day and Eric Hynes will flutter in for your birding tour. Hynes, of Field Guides, Inc., meets with birding newbies to twitchers (experienced birders) for full or half-day excursions. The guide has a knack for spotting feathers from afar and the San Juan Mountain region is filled with them. On our first outing, we spotted a peregrine falcon (the fastest creature on earth), several bald eagles and all manner of sparrows and finches.

After several hours of mountainside birding, you’ll need a pick-me-up. In town, head to The Butcher and the Baker. It’s a foodie haven with homemade pastries and midday fare. Telluride is teeming with festivals, so be sure to get lost walking around Elk Park and in and out of shops while catching live music or performances downtown. Have dinner at 221 South Oak. Try and snag a table in the somewhat hidden back garden and try the local Rocky Mountain Elk T-Bone with Huckleberry Mostarda. Grab a late night cup of Willie Nelson’s CBD-infused coffee at La Cocina de Luz and call it a night.

The next morning calls for donuts and chorizo breakfast tacos at Baked in Telluride, then it’s back to the hotel for mushroom hunting. San Juan Outdoor Adventures' guide Tara Butson meets guests in the hotel lobby with a few mycology goodies (a mushroom-cutting knife and mushroom-foraging book), before setting off in her SUV. Butson points out famous peaks, former mines and the Ames and Smuggler-Union Power Plant, made famous by 19th century electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla, on the way up to Lizard Head Wilderness Area.

Many of the local chefs in town also take advantage of the abundance of edible fungi and you'll find other foragers along the trails who have respectfully taken only what they need; or a King Bolete ravaged by a hungry mountain goat. Butson’s second-in-command, Lindsay Red, who will soon rock climb her way to the top of the San Juans for her wedding, points out the difference between the poisonous and edible before foragers begin their hike. The trek stays at a slow and steady pace, as foraging for mushrooms requires a certain amount of patience. (It’s the Where’s Waldo of fungi.) But once you spot a chanterelle in the wild, you’ll feel like a highlander combing the mountainside.

With your bag filled with morels, porcinis and wild garlic, you’re ready to present your bounty to The Hotel Telluride’s Chef Zamora of The West End. The Mountains and Morels package includes a private three-course gourmet dinner incorporating the harvested mushrooms and wine pairings.

After a lengthy day of playing “spot the morels,” or “peeking at peregrine falcons,” soothe your muscles with a massage back at The Hotel Telluride - opt for the CBD-infused oil add-in. If you’re short on time but still need to relax, check out the salt cave inside Pure Beauty Wellness and Spa. At only 45 minutes, the salt cave treatment provides a quick detox and rejuvenation, and supposedly all manner of health and beauty benefits. End the night at Hotel Telluride’s hot tub, directly outside the bar window for easy access to all your prosecco needs.

A mule deer fawn at Miramonte Reservoir, just one example of the abundant wildlife around Telluride.

The West End Bistro at The Hotel Telluride offers a memorable dining

experience in an intimate setting.

Indulge in the amenities of an upscale hotel set in the rustic and relaxed vibe of a well-appointed ski lodge at The Hotel Telluride.

At dog-friendly Hotel Telluride, travelers of all sizes and breeds are very welcome.

Stroll or grab a hotel bike for an easy ride to historic downtown. Telluride has an impressive stretch of bike paths.

eric

hyn

es

the

ho

tel

tell

ur

ide

the

ho

tel

tell

ur

ide

the

ho

tel

tell

ur

ide

the

ho

tel

tell

ur

ide

TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside TEXAS LIFESTYLE | Jet Setter Stateside

56 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Special Travel Issue 2019 Special Travel Issue 2019 | texaslifestylemagazine.com 57

(Continued from page 55)