The Arrabelle at Vail Square makes the most of design details for an old-world feel.

No matter where you look in the Arrabelle at Vail Square, another fine detail, painting or hand-carved object grabs your eye. Scuttlebutt suggests the project's budget was exceeded "” dramatically. Whether true or not, details such as hand-blown Italian glass chandeliers in the spa, intricate mosaic tile floors in public areas and guestroom bathrooms and carved limestone columns in the Centre V brasserie blend to create an exquisite anchor for Lionshead's renaissance.

When Vail Resorts Development Company began collaborating with 4240 Architecture, the architect of record for Arrabelle at Vail Square, to remake Lionshead, those involved "” including architect Robert Fitzgerald, the principal in charge of design, and Christian Barlock, the project designer "” decided to revisit Vail's roots. The tiny resort that opened in the early "˜60s was designed to resemble a Bavarian alpine village, but that vision was a distant memory when the town's Lionshead area was developed in a mishmash of "˜70s styles. So when deciding how to link the two disparate sections together, the premise was "one town, one village," says Fitzgerald.

"We didn't want to put Vail Village on steroids," he says. "Knowing we were going to do taller, denser buildings rather than just blowing up the scale, we went to Bavaria to discover a more urban scale of Bavarian architecture and found it in places like Kitzbühel, Innsbruck and Salzburg. We brought the best parts of the mixed-use development in that old Bavarian style back to Lionshead."

The result is that Arrabelle at Vail Square has been designed to look as if it is a Bavarian village built over time with courtyards and walkways leading to the hotel, restaurants, shops and condominiums. Technically, Arrabelle is only two large buildings sitting on a single, below-grade parking structure. They are separated by an ice rink and a courtyard and connected by a third-floor pedestrian bridge. Standing in the courtyard, however, it appears as if you are surrounded by colorful buildings that have hand-stenciled Bavarian designs (by an artisan brought in from Europe) and wrought-iron or wooden balconies. The illusion is created by 32 different facades, some crimson, others buttercup yellow and yet others sky blue, that look as if they're side-by-side buildings similar to those you see in Salzburg and Old Prague. In the winter, skaters twirl on the ice rink while skiers are lining up at the Eagle Bahn gondola, which is a 35-second walk from the hotel patio.

The posh Arrabelle at Vail Square hotel is a RockResort property with just 36 rooms tucked into one part of the "village." However, some owners of the 66 private residences in Arrabelle have put lock-off bedrooms or full condos into a rental pool on a limited basis. Inside the hotel, the alpine European theme has been continued by Slifer Design, the Colorado-based, internationally known interior design and interior architecture firm. Walking through the lobby, with its vaulted ceilings, you're stepping on 500- to 1,000-year-old stones reclaimed from ancient streets and buildings in Israel. In Centre V, designed in the style of a Parisian brasserie, you set your drink glass on a zinc bar top reminiscent of authentic French bistros. The great room, a popular gathering spot for guests, has a timber-truss vaulted ceiling and carved wooden columns inspired by the grand interiors of Bavarian castles, plus floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the slopes.

The decor in the guest rooms is based on the Biedermeier style that emphasizes clean lines, elegance and functionality and was fashionable in Germany in the early 19th century. The beds are set under built-in drapery canopies. Original acrylic-on-canvas paintings of Colorado's outdoors by plein-air artist Michael Gault hang on the walls. The marble bathrooms, with a deep tub, separate shower and water closet, have heated floors. Contemporary amenities and luxe aspects permeate the guest rooms, from the cashmere throw on each bed to the flat-screen TVs in the rooms and bathrooms to the leather wastebaskets and magazine holders and the solid wood"“core doors that keep the rooms quiet. A bottle of Voss water shows up bedside at turndown next to delectable, handmade chocolates. A guest can relax in a comfortable stuffed chair by the corner fireplace, sipping complimentary coffee or tea available by pressing the personal butler button on the phone and making a request.

Centre V, presided over by chef Thomas Salamunovich of Vail's popular Larkspur restaurant, is laid out so hotel guests and anyone on the pedestrian-only walkways outside will feel welcome. People congregate at the bar, which is backed by reclaimed brick from France, or enjoy traditional French fare at tables and banquettes in the dining area with its vaulted ceilings. The custom marble mosaic tile floor is just one of the many stone floors and plaster walls throughout Arrabelle that were designed and installed by Gallegos Corporation.

The subtly luxurious spa, in soft terra-cotta, green, blue and taupe tones, has stunning custom-designed furnishings. A sculptural water feature is lined with ash wood abstract skis, hand-colored prints hang on the walls and there are curved leather lounge settees in the pool area. The 11 treatment rooms include a Vichy room with a table made of antique latte Travertine.

Now that Arrabelle is complete, a remake of several surrounding structures is underway. The Montaneros has been reclad in a style that blends with the Arrabelle, and work on the Landmark is underway. Local businesses that suffered while vacationers focused on Vail Village are starting to thrive again. A Vail Resorts' tag line through those hard years was "Vail's new dawn is rising." Well, the sun has crested the horizon.