Last month, we visited Telluride for the first time in eight years. We’d been invited to an Ah Haa School for the Arts Artist Retreat Dinner Series at the Madeline Hotel & Residences at Mountain Village (the ski resort part of Telluride). What I was most excited about, however, wasn’t a stay at the only five-star hotel, I was most excited about taking Fritzi. Not only is Madeline dog-friendly, but so is the gondola that runs between Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride.
This all meant that Fritzi took her first gondola ride last month. It was not her first five-star hotel stay, however. She is a very spoiled pup.
Living Large with the Dog at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa
Day One: Not a Short Drive
I will not sugarcoat it; Telluride, located in southwest Colorado, is a long way from Colorado’s Front Range. From Loveland, our drive was around seven hours, give or take a few minutes, much of it along Interstate 70.
When we arrived in Ridgway, I felt we were close but we still had 51 miles to Telluride. This part of the drive feels remote. It is as if one is heading deep into the mountains, far from civilization. And once one arrives in this iconic Colorado town, it’s magical, especially if your destination is the Madeline.
From the front lobby which draws you in with cozy, yet modern Colorado décor to our room, a large third-floor king featuring a dog bed, dog bowls, and even a fancy dog bone, Madeline is the definition of “lap of luxury.”
The first thing that happened as we settled into our fabulous room was somewhat embarrassing. Our Juliet patio door was open, and the Fritzi, a well-healed traveler, and already at home at the Madeline, proceeded to roll her ball out the door and onto the brick walkway below.
Instead of anger, the group by which the ball landed got a good laugh out of the situation. Later in the trip, we looked down from our patio and saw another ball on the roof of the Madeline below us, so this is not the first time a dog ball has escaped.
We decided that retrieving the ball was a good excuse for a jaunt around the village, so, Fritzi joined us. Once we recovered the ball, we discovered that if she’s carrying a ball in her mouth, she’s even less interested in other dogs, making it a breeze to walk her through a village crowded with dogs. Although it’s a Kong ball that squeaks, so it was a noisy outing.
Most Colorado resort towns are filled with furry canines, because in Colorado we love our dogs, but Telluride is an exception. I have never seen so many dogs! If you’re a fan of traveling with Fido, you’ll fit right in. No wonder the Telluride gondola is dog-friendly. It has to be! And by the way, there are even more dogs in the Town of Telluride, a handful off-leash, despite a leash law, so be aware.
That evening we kept things simple, taking the elevator down to the first floor to dine on the patio at Madeline’s Black Iron Kitchen & Bar. Starting with a crispy spring lettuce salad with lemon vinaigrette, Ryan and I ordered pasta, a ravioli stuffed with local mushrooms for me, and the special for him.
The southwest region of Colorado is known for fungi, and in fact, a mushroom festival happens in Telluride every August. If mushrooms are on the menu here, get them. Nothing beats the taste of local mushrooms.
This was not our first time at Black Iron. We’d stopped in here to meet friends from Ouray for a drink, eight long years ago. With fireside seating under the eves of Mountain Village, and in the shadow of the Madeline, it is a quintessential ski village eatery.
We ended the evening with a nightcap at the bar in the Timber Room, where I indulged in a gin martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives while relishing the good life.
Day Two: Living Life in a Painting
The next morning, Fritzi took her first gondola trip and despite a bit of anxiety, I’ll give her an A in gondola riding. Baked in Telluride was the goal and required a gondola ride into the Town of Telluride to get there.
Dog in tow, navigating the village required awareness because dogs are everywhere. Thankfully, Fritzi is incredibly obedient in public situations. Her German Shepherd nature is handy because it keeps her focused on getting through a crowd without being noticed or touched. She’s not unfriendly, but also not lab-like despite the wagging tail.
The Town of Telluride is adorable, I’m sure you know. For this reason, it is often featured in Colorado marketing photos. A formerly rough and tumble mining town it isn’t rough and tumble anymore. In fact, it is the second most expensive zip code in Colorado, behind Aspen.
In the span of a block, I saw a wild-haired man who looked like he last shaved in 1972, a man crossing the street in a white haute couture outfit with matching a white broadbrimmed hat, and a dog sitting patiently in a vintage convertible.
Our bagels were extra chewy from sitting under the heat lamps. Baked in Telluride does a brisk business and often there is a line out the door, so they fill a heated case with premade, wrapped bagel sandwiches. The price is right for Telluride and if you love baked goods, from cookies to croissants and other British Baking Show delights, this is the place to stop.
Telluride’s downtown is full of little pocket parks. We found one that we had to ourselves and we ate our bagels and decided where to hike.
Back on the gondola, Fritzi was getting the hang of it, we got off at the top to hike down Ridge Trail to Mountain Village. In hindsight, I would have done it the other way. My knees are getting too old for downhill, and I think we would have worked off more of our pasta and bagels if we’d hiked up and taken the gondola down.
The views are astounding. Many of the mountains surrounding Telluride remind me of those fantastical landscape paintings of the Rocky Mountains by Albert Bierstadt in the 1800s. His work is not quite realistic, but rather an idealized look at the West. Looking at the mountains in Telluride, one sees that such a mythical place does exist.
We spent the afternoon at the hotel pool. Every photo there looks like it was shot on a green screen, but I swear these mountains are real. It’s a full-service pool, so I literally would still be there if life made that possible.
An Artists Retreat Dinner
After spending a glorious afternoon at the Madline’s rooftop pool, surrounded by a postcard-perfect backdrop, we returned to our room and happy crated dog. After walking her, she was still tired from the morning’s activities, we prepared for our reason for being here, an Artists Retreat Dinner with Ah Haa School for the Arts and two of their visiting artists, David Kassan and Shana Levenson.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at this dinner, but I realized immediately that my art school graduate husband, Ryan Schlaefer, was in his element. With only twenty attendees, it was intimate in the airy private dining room and yet not intimidating, maybe it was the champagne.
Perhaps it was the openness of David and Shana, married and both with talent beyond rationale, or the welcoming attitude of the Ah Haa staff, however, the room felt oddly relaxed despite the oysters and caviar canapes, and flowing champagne.
The entire evening was a heady mixture of culinary delights and art talk; a feeling that gave Ryan and me a sense of belonging. No, we don’t eat poached organic eggs each in a vodka crème sauce with white sturgeon caviar regularly, however, we do live in the same creative world as the artists and art appreciators in the room. Being around creative people making a living by putting their talents to work is squarely in our wheelhouse.
The experience showed me that we need more of this in our lives. Perhaps not always caviar and five-star hotels, but thoughtful creative conversations that inspired us to imaginative innovation, whether through words or in Ryan’s case, furniture design.
Our entire experience on this visit to Telluride was dreamlike. From the landscape to the amenities to the Ah Haa School for the Arts, a visit to Telluride represents a little respite from reality.
Ah Haa offers many classes such as drawing, painting, bookbinding and more. Plus, they offer culinary experience throughout the year. There are also workshops for children and teens. For something to do beyond skiing on the family vacation this winter, check these out.
On the drive back home, we spent several hours talking about art. Although we spend many hours on the road solving all the world’s problems, we’ve never spent this long expounding on the topic of art. A real example of the extent of the inspiration we gathered from the Artist Retreat Dinner.
Thank you to the Madeline Hotel & Residences and to the Ah Haa School for the Arts for inviting us to experience the property and dinner.
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I love, love, love that Fritzi rolled her ball off the balcony. Looks like a wonderful visit. I’ve never stayed in Telluride, but Scott did many times back in his banking days. His bank financed one of the resorts in Mountain Village, and he flew from KC to check progress regularly. I could definitely spend some time at the Madeline and in that pool!