How To Spend The Perfect Summer Day In Vail, Colorado

You MUST Get To Vail So You Can Live This Perfect Day

Whoever said Vail was just a "winter city" is seriously confused.

The town is gorgeous when dusted in snow (see video for proof), but those same sights -- known to attract America's richest, most indulgent travelers -- are less crowded, less frigid and all the more epic during summer months.

Even if you're not down for crazy price tags, you can still get in on the scene. Observe, a perfect day in Vail from the pros at AOL On:


With some warm-weather tweaks from our arsenal, your schedule for a perfect summer day in Vail looks like this:

Early morning: Grab a coffee at Loaded Joe's

Seven o'clock is summertime wake-up call at Loaded Joe's in Vail Village, the swanky-yet-quaint setting for your ideal Vail day. A "mini hipster bar," Joe's is beloved for its almond milk macchiatos and lattes. Don't worry if you can't decide between the snacks -- you can come back for music and $3 beers later.

Mid-morning: Treat yo'self to a massage at Sonnenalp Spa

All treatments aside, the facilities at this indoor-outdoor spa are Colorado to the core -- a heated pool lets you swim from the interior with couches and a fireplace to the open-air patio, nestled right by a burbling creek. The heated stone massage looks positively blissful, even before a day on the mountain.
sonnenalp

Lunch break: Bowling and small plates at bōl

Literal steps from the Vail Mountain chair lift, bōl is easily "the most exquisite bowling alley in the world." The sleek space looks like it belongs in L.A. with 10 light-up lanes, plush leather chairs and a 60-foot wine bar. Sneak bites of spicy tuna tartare or confit chicken wings between rounds.

Afternoon: Scale Vail Mountain on Gondola One

...and then get back down! After a dazzling ride to the summit, the choice is yours: bike down the ski runs, hike through fields of flowers, or meditate on a mountaintop and let the gondola whisk you to ground level.
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Happy hour: Beers at the Red Lion

In winter, hundreds of skis and snowboards are propped against the walls during this watering hole's daily après-ski celebration. In the summer, it's even better -- big glass windows let you people watch while tipping back a cool Colorado microbrew.

Dinner: Sushi from Matsuhisa

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa -- yup, as in New York and Malibu's Nobu restaurants -- oversees "the best sushi restaurant in between the coasts" right here in Vail Village. No wonder everybody in the place looks famous.

Late-night: A (ridiculously swank) movie at CinéBistro

After wafting through the elegant bar and lounge, prepare for the classiest movie theater experience of your life. Big leather chairs are stacked stadium style and equipped with swivel tables so you can order cocktails or dessert to your seat during the film. Any other requests? Head to the concierge desk.

Before You Go

At a Romantic Mountainside Dinner at Beano’s Tavern

7 Sweet Places to Steal a Kiss in Colorado

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