The New Sheridan

American history buffs and anyone eager to soak up Telluride’s small-town spirit will love staying on Main Street’s most important intersection in a storied Gold Rush-era hotel whose saloon once played host to frontier-settlers, fortune-seekers and infamous bandits.

• Sleeping in the historic mining town’s architectural centerpiece
• Stepping outside to sweeping views of Bridal Veil Falls and double-black-diamond chutes
• The property's location in the heart of downtown Telluride, surrounded by shops, galleries and cafés

Having made its debut in 1895, the New Sheridan is in fact Telluride’s oldest hotel, and it is long on historic charm. It reopened in December 2008 after a complete renovation and now boasts twenty-six rooms and suites, rooftop hot tubs, ski storage, a buzzy restaurant, a café and a bar. Thoughtful design touches abound: Old black-and-white photographs line the stairways, an age-worn abacus sits on the landing, the walls are hung with huge tapestries, and the bathrooms are clad in interior designer favorite square white tiles. The dark-wood king-sized beds and patchwork quilts give the bedrooms an air of romance, although many of them now connect to accommodate families with young children.

Traditionalists and history buffs.