(The old and the new. The hotel was remodeled on Thanksgiving of 2008)

I picked up the boys from school on Friday and we headed on up to Aspen to stay at The Limelight Lodge.

The hotel was so conveniently located to town that we weren’t going to need a car and so we parked Vini-Man in the heated garage and entered the lobby.

It almost felt like home with its light and spacious living room and I plopped my tired and worn out body down onto the comfortable couch in front of the stone fireplace and stared into the flames as the kids raced around like dogs, exploring every niche. I reminded Brevitt of what happened the last time we stayed at the hotel and told him to be careful around the pool.

the boys get comfortable in the lobby

We checked in and Brevitt took Tucker to race down the hallway and find the room on their own, apparently tweenagers do not need the navigational help of their parents anymore.  Tucker was elated that he had carte blanche control over the elevator buttons since Axel was staying by my side, happy to get my undivided attention for forty eight hours.

The room was just as I had remembered from our previous stay, clean, contemporary and comfortable with big leather furniture and a kitchenette.

The boys raced to the window, “look mommy we can see the pool and the hot tub,” they exclaimed but what I was most excited about was the incredible view of Aspen Mountain that we would wake up to the next morning.

I was antsy to go down and check out the complimentary wine and cheese that was being served for happy hour from 4-6 in the lobby and so I left the boys happily in bed watching television telling them that I would be back soon.

The Limelight Lodge was hosting Gay Ski Week that was beginning on Sunday and beautiful, well dressed men were filtering in to check into the hotel. The lobby was alive and bustling with guests mingling and chatting at the little café tables.

Weston Paas, the Food and Beverage Manager and the son of one of the current owners, Dale Paas,  greeted me with a welcome smile, a glass of wine and fresh baked cookies and we talked of the changes that were taking place within the hotel. I told him that what the locals find most appealing about the Limelight Lodge is not only the friendly atmosphere where children and pets are welcome but also that it has been family run since 1958.

He was hopeful that the family would still actively help to run the hotel once the contract closes and the Crown family, who owns the Aspen Ski Company, purchases the property.

Weston Paas and General Manager Brad Wyatt

I was feeling the pull to go back up to the room when a man with a thick New York accent introduced himself, “How ya doin’,” he asked me and proceeded to buy me a shot of Tuaca. He and his German girlfriend were visiting from Long Island. He was a firefighter in Aspen for two few years and wanted to stay but firefighters out here are all volunteer and he could not sustain that lifestyle.

As I was deep in conversation and thinking about what I loved the most about traveling was the people one meets, Brevitt showed up at my side totally disappointed that I had taken so long to return to the room.

Wade had to stay late at work and so I left our drinks at the bar and the boys and I walked across the snowy field of Wagner park to join the crowd and try out the soups at the Soupskol competition.

Finally Wade called us to come back to the hotel and go swimming, which is really all the children wanted to do, and so we ran back to the hotel, because we always have to run.

Throughout the day guests had entered the elevator in their bathrobes with to go cups of wine in their hands and Wade and I followed suit, slipping into the hotel’s incredibly soft bathrobes and  descending to the pool.

It felt so good to melt into the hot tub and look at the stars while the boys launched cannonballs into the heated pool with Wade. The pool was even warm enough for me and I joined them, playing their favorite dolphin game where they hold on and try not to drown me as I dive under water over and over again.

We took showers in our roomy bathroom and came out smelling like Sicilian blood red oranges from the provided Tarocco products and then we got into bed and watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox on the television.

When the movie was over Wade and I reached across to each other to touch hands smiling and secretly acknowledging that hotels may not hold the same sensuous and romantic allure as they did pre-children but it was still wonderful to all be together without the daily stress of bedtime and homework.

The next morning we fueled up on a complimentary Continental Breakfast of hard boiled eggs, deli meats, cheese and bagels while the kids gobbled up  cereal, muffins and hot chocolate.

It was sad to check out and Tucker repeatedly asked throughout the day if we could go back. I tried to convince him that although our hotel stay had ended we still had Winterskol to explore and that the fun was by no means over.

Limelight Lodge just won the Business of the Year award from the Aspen Chamber Resort Association and it is not difficult to understand why. It is a hotel that understands the value of appealing to the locals with its affordable rates and 126 rooms. It employs more than thirty five locals and donates to all of the community and local charitable organizations.

I don’t know if the other hotels in Aspen can toot the same horn but I am determined to find out and let you know.

The hotel entranceView from the hotel