denij7

I've been reading messages on both towns for about 2 hours on this site & on TripAdvisor & I'm getting cross-eyed. Still can't make up my mind & would greatly appreciate advice. My husband & I have been living in Grand Junction for 8 months & are starved for some good food, shopping, entertainment. We have 3 days to spend in mid-May somewhere between G.J. & Loveland, where we'll wind up to visit family. Can't decide on Vail or Aspen. Just want to stroll around looking at unique shops, have some great meals, etc. Also need to keep the cost of lodging at a decent rate. I don't like condos, I'd rather be pampered a little! Thanks for any help...

padams421

Aspen is a town. Vail is a ski resort next to Interstate 70. Aspen has better food and shopping.

KMK

Aspen, same reasons padams421 gave you.

Mid-May is kind of off-season for either place, you may get lucky on lodging prices. There are a lot of nice hotels to choose from in Aspen.

dskier

I agree with the others. You may want to stop on the way down to Aspen at Carbondale.

amwosu

Shops and restaurants are a priority? Another vote for Aspen. www.aspensnowmass.com will get you started on lodging. Stay at the Hotel Jerome or the Little Nell for top notch service if you can afford their prices. If not, there are plenty of small hotels to try.

happytrailstoyou

Aspen is a delighful place and the surroundings are spectacular. If you don't like it, you won't like Venice either.

MaureenB

I'm making it unanimous for Aspen! Such a beautiful setting and a quaint town. For nice condo/hotels try Aspen Square (right in the center of Aspen town) and The Gant (just a couple of blocks walk into Aspen town). I recommend staying in Aspen itself, for its charm. A knock-out classy hotel is the Hotel Jerome, for authentic old-Colorado, but it's a budget-buster, too. Maybe not so much in May, though.

dskier

I stayed at The Sky hotel next to the Little Nell in Aspen. It was awesome. Not your usual hotel, but very fun and the staff was fantastic. It may be a little pricey.

hpl

Another vote for Aspen (sensing a trend here). We've gone in late May/early June and it was great. Consider the Hotel Lenado - we got a great price since it was off season. That does mean it will be cooler especially at night and the nightlife might be a little slower than it is during skiing or summer seasons but that was just what we wanted.

tnantx

You can't beat Aspen for a place to walk about, shop, eat and relax, especially at the time of year you are going. My husband and I make it a point to go on vacation every year together and we end up in Aspen every other year. The crowds are at a minimum, and the sales are awesome. The only downside is that during the off season not everything is open, but you can still have a great time. You can get casual food (look for the jeans and t-shirt locals) and also great fine dining. We always stay at the St. Regis when we go. The staff are super friendly, the rooms are great and the prices are very reasonable during the off season. Go to Aspen and have a great time.

jamcat

I agree with everyone on Aspen. I didn't enjoy all the traffic there & we thought at times it was less than friendly but the town was quaint. More importantly there was a wonderful park ouside Aspen named for a flower. I can't remember the name but someone else might. I was beautiful!! You must go there. Someone help me with the name of it!. The hiking trails were easy and there was a beautiful lake on the trail.

I did enjoy Vail. It was very pretty but preferred Aspen area.

JJ5

Aspen, bring money.