1. Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Location: Beaver Creek
Rates: From $725 Highlights: Spa, luxurious dining and amenities, ski-in privileges at Beaver Creek
Contact: www.RitzCarlton.com/en/properties/bachelorgulch/default.htm or 970.748.6200

WHY: Luring prosperous guests with a virtual red carpet of ultra-deluxe amenities and fabulous guest quarters, this palatial, altitude-high resort resting on a tranquil mountainside between Beaver Creek and Arrowhead is so impossibly perfect that you may never want to leave. Bachelor, the friendly resident Labrador retriever, greets visitors with a wag and a lick (he's also available for walks), a welcoming gesture that clearly rubs off on the at-your-beck-and-call staff. The elaborate spa, with its rock-lined, underground grotto, elevates pampering to a whole new level, but the wonderful food served at Spago, most notably the corned beef hash eggs Benedict, may be the resort's crowning glory.

STAY: The 180-room property doesn't miss a beat when it comes to style, design and enviable extras. All rooms feature feather beds, down comforters with duvets, Frette linens, Bulgari bath essentials, soaking tubs and balconies or fireplaces. The residential suites, touting 900-square-feet of living space, peddle panoramic views of Beaver Creek Mountain of the Eagle River valley, leather sofas and chairs, full kitchens, I-Pod docking stations and two flat screen panel televisions.

PLAY: The fact that Beaver Creek Mountain is literally at your doorstep means you can slip on your skis and hit the slopes within five minutes of rolling out of bed. If you want to take a break from the moguls and bumps, don a pair of snowshoes or cross country skies and embark on the Village-to-Village hike, a 6-mile, round-trip mountainous trek that begins at the resort and meanders through the woods of Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead and Beaver Creek. Just make sure you get back in time for après ski drinks at the convivial outdoor fire pit. After dusk, the fire pit becomes prime real estate for marshmallow-roasting. Visits from foxes forging for a late-night snack are common occurrences.

2. Chautauqua Park
Location: Boulder
Rates: From $99
Highlights: Romantic, historic, expansive grounds, 6-mile Mesa Trail
Contact: www.Chautauqua.com or 303.442.3282

WHY: Because Chautauqua – with its lovely location at the base of Boulder's craggy Flatirons, inspirational and intelligent community culture, old-fashioned dining hall, and recently restored cottages – is a winter romp of unrivaled recreation and romantic revelry. Whether you're a hippie or a hipster, the sweeping beauty that rims this rewarding hallmark of history leaves you contemplating a return visit – long before you've even left.

STAY: With 66 rentable cottages scattered across the expansive grounds, the choices are vast, but the spacious Heritage cottages, bedecked with hardwood floors, antique furnishings, full kitchens and screened-in front porches, perfect for moon and star-gazing, capture the essence of a bygone era steeped in stories from the past.

PLAY: Strap on your snowshoes, cross country skis or simply meander along the snow-dusted, forested trails, most notably the Mesa Trail, a moderate, 6-mile journey that traverses through sweeping meadows and quiet woods thicketed with pines.

3. Gold Lake Resort
Location: Ward
Rates: From $200
Highlights: Steamy lakeside hot tubs (clothing optional), postcard views
Contact: www.GoldLake.com or 303.459.3544

WHY: If soaking in the steamy hot pools on the banks of Gold Lake doesn't lure you to this remote winter wonderland, the 18 charming cabins, earth-conscious spa, yoga classes and excellent on-site restaurant undoubtedly will. With the Rocky Mountains rising behind the lake, hovering stars illuminating the sky and postcard-perfect views, this oasis of escapism is all about tranquility.

STAY: Devoid of phones and televisions, the cabins are amply furnished with down comforters, period antiques, local art and front porches. Russell's Ranch, a one-bedroom cabin, includes a log queen-sized bed and an oversized slate bathtub accented in copper. The Birdland Cabin, with a music motif, has two bedrooms, mission-style antiques, a fireplace and a spacious bathroom with a marble bathtub.

PLAY: Just outside your front door lies a monumental sanctum of activities: Glide across Gold Lake on ice skates, frolic in the sunken lakeside hot tubs (clothing optional), snowshoe or cross country along the myriad trails, or sneak silently through the forested hinterlands, abundant with foxes, deer and hawks.

4. Highland Haven Creekside Inn
Location: Evergreen
Rates: From $100
Highlights: Easy walk to downtown Evergreen, gourmet breakfasts, honeymoon retreat for some
Contact: www.HighlandHaven.com or 303.674.3577

WHY: Within walking distance of Evergreen's vibrant downtown area, these elegant cottages, bordering the banks of murmuring Bear Creek, resonate with refined mountain charm. Trapped by frost-limbed conifers and pines, this serene and sleepy hideaway is best experienced over a long weekend when you've got time to reflect on the natural beauty that greets you at every turn. Bountiful gourmet breakfasts, served in a log cabin dating to 1887, are excellent, especially the fluffy frittatas.

STAY: The exceptionally anointed rooms, all with goose-down duvets, live up to the surrounding scenery, but the cozy stand-along cottages, most notably the Hillside, embellished with a blazing gas fireplace, bubbling hot tub, wet bar, DVD and CD player and log-beamed ceilings, feels like a faraway honeymoon retreat.

PLAY: Amble along Evergreen's main drag, stopping to window shop in the eclectic galleries and shops and then make your way toward Evergreen Lake, framed by frosted fir trees and snow-mantled hillsides, for an afternoon of ice skating. Kick up your heels at the Little Bear saloon, an iconic locals' joint lively with dance-worthy live bands belting out the blues.

5. Las Manos Bed and Breakfast
Location: Evergreen
Rates: From $120
Highlights: Conservation-minded, peaceful, cozy respite with just two suites
Contact: www.LasManosBandB.com or 719.395.4567

WHY: Framed by 14,000-foot mountain crests and acres of pinon-thicketed forest land, this countrified inn has earned a reputation as one of Colorado's greenest getaways. The walls are constructed from strawbale, a local renewable resource and earth-culled adobe, ceilings are insulated with cellulose from discarded newspapers, the wooden floors, cabinets and doors are made from dead, beetle-infested pine trees. Electricity is generated by wind and solar power. Hot water is demand only.

STAY: There are just two suites so reservations are a must, but you'll be rewarded with naturally sunlit rooms, plush cotton linens, spacious baths with soaking tubs, all-natural handmade soaps, wireless computer access and DVD players, and extra woolly blankets, perfect for snuggling on the large wooden decks affording expansive views of Colorado's skyscraping mountain peaks.

PLAY: Commanding 2 miles of Arkansas River access, much of it private, there's no better place to deepen your alliance with nature. The area is swathed in snow this time of year, even into March, which means that ice skating, snowshoeing and cross country skiing are the winter sports de jour, but take solace in the fact that your aching muscles will be soothed by the owners, both certified massage therapists.

6. Lodge & Spa at Cordillera
Location: Edwards
Rates: From $209
Highlights: Stunning 56-room chateau, body treatments, close to Vail and Beaver Creek resorts
Contact: www.Cordillera.RockResorts.com or 970.926.2200

WHY: blazing fireplace, a ski valet, and a full Nordic center championing miles and miles of hiking trials. And that's just the beginning of a fairy tale stay at this stunning 56-room Belgium-styled chateau suspended high atop a private mountain overlooking the Vail Valley. Nourish your weathered skin with a High Altitude Rescue body treatment in the intimate spa, soak away post-holiday stress in the outdoor Jacuzzi, and then settle in for an early dinner at Mirador, where the spectacular sunsets from the wall of window seats, is a long-lasting souvenir to be savored.

STAY: Hued in muted earth tones, the sizeable, breezy and stylishly elegant rooms adorned with pine furnishings, gas or wood-burning fireplaces and balconies or private patios yielding mesmerizing views of the surrounding mountainscape, are comfortable, cozy and ideal for canoodling. If you want to splurge, ante up for a loft suite, bolstered by a Jacuzzi tub, cathedral ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows parading heart-palpitating panoramas.

PLAY: While there's no ski mountain at Cordillera, the slopes of Vail and Beaver Creek are just a short jaunt from the resort. You can frolic in the new fallen powder or hang closer to home, embarking on an exhilarating dog sledding romp through the forests, stomping through snowy meadows on snowshoes, touring the back country by snowmobile or enjoying a horse-drawn sleigh ride around the village.

7. Devil's Thumb Ranch
Location: Tabernash
Rates: From $195
Highlights: Organic, Colorado-grown dinners, gorgeous cabins, great vistas
Contact: www.DevilsThumbRanch.com or 800.933.4339

WHY: Wilderness-rich, eco-friendly retreat and spa. A peaceful haven for solitary travelers, honeymooning couples, serious culinary fiends and earth preservationists. Spend mornings soaking in the outdoor hot tub, framed by jagged, snow-carpeted peaks and afternoons lulled to sleep by a soothing massage. Rustic, yet romantic Ranch House Restaurant serves natural, mostly organic foodstuffs culled from Colorado farmers. The venison stew is magnificent.

STAY: Dense forest overlooks the ranch grounds and 16 cabins, ranging from 675 square feet to 2,200 square feet and featuring EPA-approved wood-burning fireplaces encased in stone, geothermally heated wood floors and full kitchens in many of the units. We love the willow cabin and its Scandinavian antique pine furniture, old-fashioned slipper foot tub and meadow views from the front porch.

PLAY: Recreational utopia, from fly fishing, horseback riding, sledding and hiking. If you book a room on Feb. 22 or March 21, you can take advantage of "Full Moon Ski & Skate" nights: Ski across the meadow, ice skate under moonlight and toast your limbs by the bonfire while roasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate.

8. The Residence Hotel
Location: Aspen
Rates: From $599
Highlights: Historic retreat, snuggle under woolen blankets, rock at Belly Up
Contact: www.AspenResidence.com or 970.920.6532

WHY: Built in 1886, painstakingly refurbished and in the center of downtown Aspen, this lavish seven-room boutique hotel is perhaps the best place to stay in this glitzy ski gulch. Not cheap, but for a romantic retreat steeped in Victorian charm, it doesn't get any better than this. As a bonus, the inn is pet-friendly. If you reluctantly leave yours behind, Max, the owners' lively, tongue-wagging Chinese Crested, is always there to welcome you with open paws.

STAY: Every suite and apartment is exquisite. Luxe comforts – Ralph Lauren linens, goose down duvets, Persian rugs, glittering crystal chandeliers, Jacuzzi tubs, steam showers and hand-painted sinks – abound. Our favorite room is the Explorer's Suite, replete with ornate leopard carpets, a canopied bed trussed in silk trimmings and kaleidoscopic oil paintings from India.

PLAY: The lure of Aspen's fabled powdered slopes are just a shortdistance from the hotel, but if long lift lines and bowls of lukewarm chile don't tip your skis, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy the resort's playground: fly high in the sky over the sunrise in a hot air balloon, snuggle under woolen blankets during a horse-drawn carriage ride through Aspen's historic downtown or rock the town at Belly Up, Aspen's venerable hot spot for live music.