Was just granted some unexpected vacation time. Thinking of going to Colorado for first time since my childhood Dec. 26 for about 4 nights. Don't want to change cities, just find someplace cozy, cute, walkable, snowy. Someplace we can daytrip out of if we get bored or go on a scenic drive. We have never skied so while we may want to try it one day we'll want other stuff to do - shopping or skating or sledding of light walking/hiking, etc. This is a "relax" vacation, not a "see/do" vacation.

I've heard great things about Vail, Beaver Creek, Estes Park. I guess we're trying to find something like the small Swiss villages we fell in love with: great to just be there and soak up the beauty. I've been looking on VRBO for B&Bs and small cabins but could use some help narrowing down the city.

Ouray is called "Switzerland of America"
http://www.ouraycolorado.com/

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34824783

Hope this helps...
Debi

But, if you are landing at DIA, you could use up a good bit of your time driving to the Telluride area.

if you want the new building victorian look at vail or breckenridge. authentic colo try steamboat springs - it's still a working ranch town plus the ski area. estes park or grand lake are both great. gl in particular has loads of winter stuff. sled dogs, snowmobiles, skating, x-c skiing (easier to just go do than downhill)
perhaps you should look at leadville. surrounded on 4 sides by huge mtns.
any place in the mountains will be snowy. all of these are 2-4 hrs drive from dia.
ouray is oh so scenic, but as sylvia said a real long haul from denver. 6 hours if roads are clear.
not sure what you mean by 'change cities'. you can fly from dia to steamboat, vail, aspen. oh yeah aspen. this is a great place with tons to do besides ski. has the shopping, skating, dog and snowmobile tours, excellent dining, nightlife, easy to walk all over town, loads of authentic victorian homes...
did you grow up someplace in co or did you visit as a child?
i'd book someplace asap as this is prime season in the mtns.

You're going to have a real hard time finding a place to stay this late. Dec. 26 - Jan 1 is the most expensive and busiest time in the ski country.

Ouray is the most Swiss. Otherwise, Colorado tends towards Western decor. Vail is a town leaning toward resort. Beaver Creek is all resort. Estes Park is all town, no skiing. You might want to check out Breckenridge; town and ski resort or Frisco, from which you can visit lots of different places.

My first thought, too, was Ouray, but that is quite a drive from Denver.

Closest to Denver, my vote would be Breckenridge.

If you want quaint and quiet, my suggestion would be Estes Park. It's less than a 90-minute, easy drive from DIA, low season for lodging (i.e., cheaper and available!) snowy, exquisitely beautiful in Rocky Mountain National Park, you can go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, Estes looks great at Christmas. If you get bored, Loveland and Boulder are less than an hour away. Winter is the time to see RMNP - I think you'd love it!

Closest skiing to Estes Park is Eldora, west of Boulder. Probably an hour drive?

Sue

Say again what someone else said, this is HIGH season. You may need to decide based on where you can get reservations.

We stayed at the Rock Resort in Keystone for our honeymoon in September, and I would highly recommend this area.
They have a spa, nice little shops, restaurants, and nice rooms. You really don't have to leave for anything,if you don't want to.
There was a shuttle you can take to get to the lift, and other ski villages, and at the top of the mountain are restaurants!!
Keystone was an easy drive from Denver too. If you have time Keystone is a short drive from Breckenridge and there is plenty of shopping and strolling to do there.
Its was very beautiful and relaxing!

Just for the heck of it, I entered your dates for accommodations on the resort websites. Keystone is sold out but there are a few rooms available in Breck and Vail. Minimum price, $500 a night (excludes taxes).