Four-Star Resort Close to Denver and Ski Slopes

Fifteen miles from downtown Denver, the AAA Four Diamond–rated Inverness Hotel and Conference Center spreads out against a mountain backdrop, the jagged horizon line demarcating the Colorado Rockies. Some of America's best skiing opportunities are less than an hour away from the Inverness. A relatively short drive will bring you to Boulder and historic Georgetown, as well as Rocky Mountain National Park and the Echo Mountain, Eldora, and Loveland ski resorts.

During the warmer months, guests at the Inverness can take advantage of the expertly manicured 18-hole championship golf course. But the hotel's award-winning onsite spa stays open year-round. You can use your included $25 resort credit toward a hot-stone massage or a deep-cleansing seaweed body wrap before stepping into the hotel's indoor hot tub or steamy sauna; your resort credit cannot be used towards room rate and will only be applied to charges on guestroom folio. At night, you'll retire to a deluxe room with sweeping views of either the Rocky Mountains or the golf course.

There are five restaurants at the resort, with options ranging from pub fare and billiards at the Spotted Dog to Colorado fusion cuisine at Baca. The resort's complimentary shuttle will take guests to attractions within a 5-mile radius. You can hit the shops at the upscale Park Meadows retail resort or catch a movie at one of several theaters in the area.

Denver: Mile High City in the Rocky Mountains

Modern urban life meets the Old West in the Mile High City. Founded as a mining town in the 1850s, Colorado's capital has never quite lost its rugged frontier spirit. The proximity of the Rocky Mountains probably has a lot to do with it. The great outdoors are bound to stay near the forefront of your mind with such a spectacular reminder crowding the horizon.

If you can tear your eyes away from the scenery, though, there's a lot to see in the city. In the trendy Lower Downtown Historic District—LoDo to natives—you can take a stroll through the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver or mingle with the fashion-forward crowd filling the restaurants, boutiques, and nightclubs of Larimer Square. Downtown, the pedestrian-friendly 16th Street Mall cuts a swath through the heart of the city, past sidewalk cafés, skyscrapers, and plazas filled with street performers.

For an outdoor adventure inside city limits, make your way to City Park, which houses the Denver Zoo as well as the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The museum’s long-standing wildlife hall features more than 90 dioramas and taxidermied animals from around the world, including the Arctic walruses and the cheetahs that once guarded Nicolas Cage's mind.