Ski Resorts

(Good luck finding a hotel room though!) As it turns out Hollywood isn't so into that kind of snow.

Fortunately out west ski and snowboard season run long. A good year means soft, fluffy snow starts falling just after Thanksgiving until -- if you're really, really lucky -- as late as Cinco de Mayo. Utah doesn't claim "Greatest Snow on Earth" for nothing -- the trademarked white stuff maintains a unique blend of "consistency, abundance and quality," says Ski Utah's Director of Communications Jessica Kunzer, "Anyone who skis dreams of skiing out west. You might like skiing wherever you're from originally -- if it's Minnesota, or, out east in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, [but] the general wish is to experience our soft, ice-free slopes."

The fleeting effects of Sundance come and go, but the snow steadily falls and the apres ski scene never dies. Here are three stellar spots to kick back and relax between smooth runs and story-worthy wipe-outs.

Votes have been cast for Best Ski Hotel, Best International Ski Destination, Best Caribbean Cruise Line, Best City Hotel and Best Luxury Family Winter Destination. The Luxist Readers' Choice Award Winners are all leaders in their respective fields.

Best Ski Hotel
Aurelio Lech, Austria's most luxurious ski and spa lodge, nestled in the exclusive resort of Lech am Arlberg, is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel. Aurelio Lech, which opened in December 2008, provides all the sophistication and comforts of a world-class hotel combined with the ambiance and elegance of a private residence. Each of its nineteen bedrooms and suites were individually designed and offer cozy, chic and extremely luxurious amenities. The resort's 14 deluxe double rooms and five suites and junior suites all offer views of the snowy slopes. The resort offers two spas, including the Spa at Aurelio Lech which is a holistic day spa with exclusive treatments, a modern fitness center complete with the latest equipment and a personal coach, several indoor pools including an activity pool, an extensive thermal suite and a tranquil meditation center where guests relax in front of an open fire. The Ski Spa has a herbal sauna, aroma vapor bath, cooling-off pool, blossom bath, adventure showers, Jacuzzi, Techno-Gym equipment and treatment rooms. At 23 meters in length, one of the resort's two swimming pools is the largest and deepest swimming pool in Lech.

Best International Ski Destination
Lech and Zürs in Austria is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award for Best International Ski Destination. One of Europe's finest skiing locations, Lech and Zürs offers the glamour and glitz of Milan or Paris in the setting of a quaint mountain town. Packed with top-notch restaurants, stellar scenery and copious entertainment opportunities, it is made up of the neighboring hamlets Lech am Arlberg and Zürs. Lech and Zürs dates back to the fourteenth century. Like many ski resorts in Austria – as opposed to ones in France and Switzerland – Lech and Zürs offers a slightly younger, more laid-back atmosphere. It is established as one of the world's greatest ski resorts and a snowy playground for Europe's rich and famous. Renowned for its five month guaranteed snow season, glamour and quality skiing, attractions include outdoor performances like "Viva Verdi: The Magic of Arias in the Alpine Landscape," a riveting performance of light, fire and passion enacted on a unique outdoor stage setting consisting of several hundred cubic meters of snow and ice with an impressive natural backdrop.

If escaping to warmer weather isn't your optimal idea of a vacation, head west to the Rockies for a family ski trip. There, the air is clear, the powder is fresh, and the amenities are plenty. For the best of all three, try Beaver Creek and Vail – the winners of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award in the Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation category.

Perhaps the most famous of America's ski resort towns, Vail has its reputation for good reason. Vail Mountain, at 5,289 skiable acres, is the largest single mountain ski resort in the U.S.; the town of Vail is a luxury ski bum's dream. The area, which is reminiscent of renowned resorts such as Switzerland's St. Moritz, Italy's Cortina and Spain's Val d'Aran, it is a year-round destination for families with plenty of activities geared for all ages. Its legendary ski slopes make Vail the ultimate place to enjoy world-class skiing and snowboarding in addition to Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating. Kids ages four and under ski free; children's lift tickets start at age five and go to age 12. Nightlife includes world-class theater productions and some of the best dining in Colorado.

Vail offers plenty of other activities, such as the Nature Discovery Center atop Vail Mountain. The Nature Discovery Center has provided guests with access to the wonders of the natural world in addition to a variety of environmental education and interpretive programs led by naturalists. During the winter season, Vail Ski School students visit the Discovery Center as part of the ski school's SKE-Cology program, which educates youth about mountain safety and mountain ecology. In winter and summer, naturalists lead snowshoe tours and nature hikes that explore the sub-alpine habitat atop Vail Mountain, including Nature at Night, a free nature talk held under the stars. Expert naturalists also host regular moonlit snowshoe tours, allowing guests to learn about their surroundings while snowshoeing through the White River National Forest.

The resort offers two spas, including the Spa at Aurelio Lech which is a holistic day spa with exclusive treatments, a modern fitness center complete with the latest equipment and a personal coach, several indoor pools including an activity pool, an extensive thermal suite and a tranquil meditation center where guests relax in front of an open fire. The Ski Spa has a herbal sauna, aroma vapor bath, cooling-off pool, blossom bath, adventure showers, Jacuzzi, Techno-Gym equipment and treatment rooms. At 23 meters in length, one of the resort's two swimming pools is the largest and deepest swimming pool in Lech.

The hotel's butler and concierge service can arrange a variety of activities, including heli-skiing and heli-boarding in the Arlberg Mountains. There's also Nordic walking, tobogganing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice-skating, snowshoeing, paragliding and much more.The resort has professional instructors and fully certified ski guides. The Lech Ski School is one of the first of its kind and was established in 1925.

One part of the Hotel Aurelio, "The Aurelio Club", can be rented exclusively as a chalet with nine rooms, its own spa, including a swimming pool, chimney room lounge and a separate meeting room.

Rates for a deluxe double room range from 675 euros to 1,500 euros per night, depending on the date; while suites range from 900 euros to 2,200 euros a night. A video of the hotel can be viewed here.

Gallery: More from Hotel Aurelio

The Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice nominees for the Best International Ski Destination nominees include one of the planet's most decadent getaways that is nestled in the southwestern Swiss Alps. Another is a mile-high Swiss village that is one of the best-known holiday resorts in the world. The third nominee, based in the French Alps, offers dramatic slopes that are among the most challenging in the world. The fourth nominee offers the glamour and glitz of Milan or Paris in the setting of a quaint mountain town while the final nominee, features challenging slopes, spectacular panoramic views of the Alps and delectable Italian cuisine.

Chamonix, France
For Francophiles and French homebodies alike, winter paradise can be found in Chamonix. Located in the shadow of Mont Blanc, Western Europe's tallest, Chamonix is a popular destination for winter sports, and not just wealthy ski bums. Its dramatic slopes are among the most challenging in the world, drawing ice climbers, paragliders, and extreme skiers and snowboarders who relish the chance to go "off-piste" and conquer inclines sometimes steeper than 60 degrees while dodging dangerous crevasses. There are a multitude of slopes for skiers who are beginners and intermediate level, as well. Chamonix offers tremendously long slopes, skiing through the trees and free ride. For those with tamer tastes, there's the spectacular cable car ride to the top of the Aiguille du Midi; during the trip, riders rise 2,800 meters in 20 minutes.

Chamonix's skiing extends over three main areas: Brévent/Flégère, offering south-facing slopes and exceptional views of the Mont-Blanc chain, the Grands Montets, high altitude north-facing slopes which dominate the village of Argentière and the Balme area, wide open slopes at the top of the Chamonix valley, bordering on Switzerland. The sister resort of les Houches lies at the opposite end of the valley and is accessible with the Mont-Blanc Unlimited ski pass.

Vote now for what you believe is the best international ski destination. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

The best ski hotels in the world, according to Luxist's readers, include award-winning hotels in France, Switzerland, Austria, Colorado and Wyoming. One is Austria's most luxurious ski and spa lodge. Another is a landmark hotel in the center of legendary ski paradise St. Moritz, known for its unrivaled luxury, immaculate service and extravagant and exclusive Après Ski experience. The third is an intimate alpine retreat in the heart of the world's largest ski area in the French Alps while the the fourth is a "peaceful home" located on the edge of a mountain high above Jackson, Wyoming. The final resort is an exclusive enclave tucked away in the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Amangani Hotel, Jackson, Wyoming
If it is action-packed days on the slopes and a convivial après-ski atmosphere you are in search of, look no further than this 40-suite resort. Amangani, which translates to "Peaceful Home", is the first Aman resort in the United States. Opened in October, 1998, Amangani is near the southern boundary of Grand Teton National Park.

Constructed with soft-hued Oklahoma sandstone, Douglas fir, cedar and Pacific redwood, the three-story resort is cut into the hillside on the western edge of the East Gros Ventre Butte. The area is encircled by elevated peaks and buttes, hence the world "hole" is used to describe this extensive alpine valley. It is a peaceful location at the southern end of the Greater Yellowstone Area, a vast expanse of mountain and meadow, sage flats, river bottoms, national forests and wildlife sanctuaries.

Amangani is a short ride away from some of the North America's most acclaimed ski runs at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where ski and snowboarding enthusiasts enjoy 1,000 hectares of high-thrill skiing and snowboarding terrain featuring a lift-serviced vertical drop at 1,260 meters (4,139 feet). As Jackson Hole averages 1,016 cm (400 inches) of snow a year, it offers some of the best skiing conditions in the world. During winter months, snow piles up to four meters (10 feet) in the mountains. The entire valley turns white after mid-November and winter can stretch past early April.

Looking for a family winter adventure? Consider a visit to Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias and a vast wilderness area. During the late fall and winter months, however, it hosts a variety of indoor activities in addition to nordic skiing, cross country skiing and other outdoor offerings.

During January and February, Yosenite's luxury hotel, the Ahwahnee is hosting a series of three-day long programs featuring nationally renowned guest chefs. Called "Chef's Holidays", each program features culinary demonstrations and behind-the-scenes kitchen tours hosted by the guest chefs. Included in the package is a gala dinner in the Ahwahnee Dining Room, featuring a five-course gourmet meal highlighting each guest chef's unique specialties paired with complement of wines. Guest packages include lodging in addition to each of the events tied into the Chefs' Holidays. For example, on January 27th and 28th, competitors from Bravo TV's Top Chef will be featured, including Ryan Scott (of Ryan Scott 2 Go in San Francisco), Ariane Duarte (of CulinAriane in Montclaire, N.J.) and Carla Hall (of Alchemy Caterers in Wheaton, Md.).

Between early November and early December each year, the Ahwahnee Hotel hosts Vintners' Holidays which showcase California winemakers. Guests enjoy expert-led tasting seminars and a gala dinner in the Ahwahnee DiningRoom featuring an elegant five-course gourmet meal specially prepared to complement the wines made by the guest vintners. Two and three night lodging packages are offered to guests wanting to participate.

If outdoor adventure is more to your liking, Yosemite is home to Badger Pass, the very first ski resort built in the Sierra Nevada range. Open since 1935, the ski resort is geared toward families who want to learn how to ski or hone their skills. Indeed, Badger Pass offers one of the best ski schools in the country with a wide selection of beginner and intermediate slopes to choose from (there's also one expert run).

Built in 1927, the Ahwahnee Hotel is known for its magnificent façade, and architecture. It offers 123 handsomely appointed guest rooms, including 99 hotel rooms, parlors and suites and 24 cottages. The lodge has bell service, a full-time concierge, daily maid service with evening turndowns, room service, afternoon tea service.

Ahwahnee Hotel amenities include a year-round outdoor heated swimming pool and seasonal tennis courts. Rates for 2010 range from $424 to $1,134 per night.

The easiest way to get to Yosemite by air is to fly into Fresno Yosemite National Airport, which is a two hour drive from the park.

Gallery: More from Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel

Badrutt's Palace, the landmark hotel in the center of legendary ski paradise St. Moritz, is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel. Situated amidst breathtakingly beautiful and unspoiled scenery, Badrutt's Palace has long been hailed as a favorite of celebrities and royalty alike since its opening in 1896.

One of the top lifestyle addresses in the world, the family-owned hotel is known for its unrivaled luxury, immaculate service and extravagant and exclusive Après Ski experience.

Located in one of the most challenging ski areas in the world, Badrutt's is renowned as a world class ski resort with extensive and immaculately kept slopes. Guests enjoy moonlit ski runs, skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, vertical ice-wall climbing, torch-light skiing, among many other activities.

Over the past 10 years, the entire hotel was refurbished and modernized, including its guest rooms, suites, spa and wellness areas. There are 159 guestrooms and 38 suites with stunning views of the Swiss Alps and Lake St. Moritz. Luxurious suites include the two-bedroom Hans Badrutt Suite with a surface area of 280 square meters, wood-paneled library. The two-bedroom Helen Badrutt Suite is 250 square meters in size.

The renovated "Palace Wellness" spa offers therapeutic luxury treatments along with the latest in fitness equipment in addition to indoor and outdoor pools with breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps. The exclusive treatment menu offers carefully selected product lines such as Anika Organic Luxury, Intraceuticals, Shodeea and La Biosthetique. Specialized treatments use mainly natural and predominantly organic ingredients to achieve maximum results.

Gourmet dining includes such well-known favorites as Nobu, which offers unique fusion cuisine combining traditional Japanese ingredients with Peruvian influences. The restaurant is only open during the winter months. Another fine dining experience will be had at Le Restaurant, the Grand Dame of the Palace restaurants. Here, guests enjoy glamorous nights in a unique, but classic setting. The venue features international and French cuisine. During the winter months, a harpist entertains guests for breakfast while there is a musical ensemble during the dinner service. The hotel's Chesa Veglia, one of the oldest farmhouses in St. Moritz, features three restaurants and two bars.

The hotel also offers an exciting nightlife at the King's Club and exclusive shopping including Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Loro Piana, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard and De Grisogono boutiques among others. The Kid's Club features such activities as cooking classes, baking classes, horse carriage excursions, husky sledge excursions, dancing lessons, ice skating lessons and much more.

Daily rates at Badrutt's Palace for 2010 start at 465 Swiss francs for a standard room during the peak and high seasons during the winter months and 4,185 euros per night for a superior suite. Rates include buffet breakfast, internet access, service, tax and VAT.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Badrutt's Palace