This is our #1 choice of property to stay at when visiting Telluride. Element 52 is located in town, which is our personal preference (instead of Mountain Village). At the base of the mountain you have more privacy than most of the hotels in town. Plus it’s the only ski-in / ski-out hotel in town during winter. The staff goes above and beyond and most of the properties are dog-friendly which is a must for us! We typically rent a 2 bed/ 2.5 bath condo which gives us (and all the dogs), plenty of room to relax and really make ourselves at home. We love having a full kitchen too so we don’t have to eat out for every meal. This is the condo we stay at for both summer and winter trips.

We have stayed at The Hotel Telluride in the past during ski season when we had two dogs and it was such an accommodating hotel. Lovely staff, super pet friendly, and nice amenities. It’s located at the beginning of town, so it’s walkable everywhere, just takes a little longer if you’re walking across town. They offer complimentary shuttle service to the Gondola, plus ski, bike and snowboard storage, The Hotel Telluride is the ideal setting for mountain views and a starting point for Telluride adventures. This boutique, European-style chalet is also close to local shops, dining and galleries, plus serves up on-site breakfast to start your day, fresh-baked snacks and casual American fare within a lodge-like setting.

This is our favorite spot for dinner! Award-winning chef and owner of 221 South Oak, Eliza Gavin, earned a spot in Season 10’s Top Chef competition on Bravo, and you’ll know why after dining here. 221 South Oak prepares fresh, quality ingredients together skillfully and there is always something new. What is so impressive is the FULL vegetarian menu 221 offers as well! Make sure you get the soup duo (this is Eliza’s specialty) and any of the desserts offered at the time. You won’t be disappointed.

We always make sure to grab dinner at The National when visiting Telluride. An elevated gathering place that offers unconventional yet approachable dining experiences. The menu is artistically crafted while working closely with the farms and surrounding communities. Our favorite dishes were the cauliflower soup, short rib, and any of the desserts.

This is somewhat of a newer restaurant, I think it opened 2 years ago and I feel like its gets better every time! Wood Ear is a noodle bar and whiskey lounge and it does not disappoint. Think Texas smokehouse classics meets Asian cuisine. The ramen bowls, rice plates, edamame, its all mouth watering and the ambiance is so cool. This is a must when visiting Telluride!

There is no Starbucks in town. I repeat there is no Starbucks in town and that’s 100% OK, because Coffee Cowboy is the only place you need! Located on Main Street in an airstream you’ll have the BEST coffee your entire stay. TRUST ME. Of course I always get an iced almond milk dirty chai. They also have fresh smoothies and a few grab and go pastries, should the line at Butcher be too long. Don’t forget to pay it forward and buy a drink for the next person in need!

Most recently this was known as LittleHouse but has since updated the menu and name to Petite Maison. Truthfully we loved it as LittleHouse for lunch AND as Petite Maison for dinner. We loved the French Onion soup and truffle fries to start. Truthfully you can’t go wrong with any of the mains. Will had the elk (and loved it), I had the gnocci which was pretty dry, but I’m hoping they were just having an off night. The drinks and desserts were incredible and we will definitely be going back the next time we’re in town.

Dunton is about an hour away during the summer months and 2 hours away during the winter months due to certain road closures. It is such an amazing experience, I highly recommend it. There are so many options for activities during the winter months; snowshoeing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice skiing, sleigh rides, enjoying the numerous hot springs, or just relaxing by the fire. There are options to go out for a day and make use of the facility, but we usually just spend the night so we get the most out of it! The staff is incredible and it’s truly one of the best places I’ve ever stayed/experienced.

Will surprised me with this for my birthday a few years ago and it was an experience I will never forget. There was a shuttle bus that picked us up in town, took us to the top of the mountain and then we started the experience. There is a sleigh ride, maybe 15-30 min (I really can’t remember how long), that takes you to a large tent where we have the most amazing family style dinner. Everyone sits at one big dining table, and enjoy a 4-course dinner. It was such a magical experience.

This goes without saying, but Telluride is known for their skiing and most people who visit for the winters, come to take advantage of the ski resort. It’s truly the best mountain I have ever skied and I have heard from numerous travelers who are from Europe, that its their favorite destination in the US. The advantage Telluride ski resort has are the incredible runs and trails with exceptional views. Beginner skiers can still take advantage of going up to the top of the mountain and working their way down. I have been to so many resorts where the green runs are limited and it can get boring. Here, there are plenty of green run options for beginners. I love to ski the blues and double-blues, but find some double-blues can be similar to blacks at other resorts. My favorite run is See Forever which I believe is the longest run on the mountain with the best views on a clear day. We normally start in town and take chair 7 to the top of San Sophia and then ski down to 4. From there take 4 to 5 to 14 to get to the start of See Forever. We also love doing Prospect Bowl off 12. The Enchanted Forrest of 10 is fun to ski through the trees – just be careful bc its easy to go fast and there are tons a little jumps. Telluride Trail off the front of the mountain is so fun to ski back into town. Will is a MUCH more advanced skier than me, and he loves doing Rev Bowl, Milk Run and really anything off chair 9 which they just reopened the day we left!

We normally rent our skies from Boot Doctors or Telluride Sports. They have locations both in town and Mountain Village and you can normally return to any location, so its really convenient.

Alpino Vino, the highest elevation restaurant in North America at 11,966ft, is an exclusive and quaint European hutte offering leisurely lunches and evening dining experiences like no other! Located off See Forever Trail, Alpino Vino is a favorite for lunch. Alpino Vino offers fantastic views of the famed Wilson Range with an appropriately themed Alpine Italian lunch menu featuring handmade pastas, panini, and antipasti. The Waygu panini and tomato soup are my favorites to warm me up after a long morning of skiing. They don’t take lunch reservations, so stop by early in the day to request a table. Open from 11am-2:45pm for food service and last call for alcohol is at 3:15pm.

My favorite spot on top of the mountain, Bon Vivant, stands as Telluride’s premier on-mountain dining venue. The menu is classical French cuisines with incredible french onion soups, crepes, cheese boards, etc. It is this combination of luxury and authenticity that creates an ambiance that is second to none. Bon Vivant is located at the top of 5. They serve sit down lunch Thursday – Monday and Tuesday/Wednesday is just walkup with limited options. On a clear day, it’s such a great spot to take in the beauty of the mountain.