Sonnenalp Resort of Vail

I don’t usually give 5 stars, but when I do it’s for places like this. The place is very relaxing and the spa is the best. Staff is attentive but hands off which is the best mix. Cars for the guests to rent, the breakfast is amazing, and the Bully ranch is a good affordable option that’s a bit more casual. It is a pricy hotel, but you get what you pay for. I travel a lot and this is one of my favorite hotels. I skied everyday I was in Vail, in hindsight I wish I took one day to just hang at the hotel. Ps. «Note to mgmt: please give me free nights to stay ;) for a stellar review»

I discovered this hotel a few years ago. Its it one of my favorite places. I love the spa and the indoor/​outdoor pool. The rooms are cozy and a remind me of a European hideaway.

Went to the spa here several days ago for a mani pedi. The staff are very friendly, the facilities are lovely, and the food is amazing.
The manicurist did a great job (ask for Franki). She’s very good at what she does, also a very nice person; the experience left a good impression on me, especially this being the first time I got my nails professionally done.
After my service, I ordered a smoothie and a cheese plate. The food is very expensive, but you’re definitely paying for quality. The sandwiches are also spectacular.
The only thing that prevented me from rating this five stars was the considerable amount of noisy children, which ruined quite a bit of the experience for me. Moreover, there was a boy (who appeared to be at least eight years old) running back and forth from the women’s lockers to the women’s showers. But to give the staff the benefit of the doubt, the situation was handled professionally and properly once it was brought to their attention.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this place.

I will be back!!!
This hotel is amazing. The rooms are impressive, the staff is so friendly and accommodating, and you cannot beat the views or the location.
I spent Thanksgiving weekend at the Sonnenalp and am already plotting my return.

Wow! The Sonnenalp always delivers. They really take excellent service to the next level. Every person working here that you encounter is doing anything they can to make your stay exceptional. Cookies with turn down service, a tea bar over by the indoor pool and hot tub, delicious basil cucumber water. We had our service dog with us and within 5 minutes of arriving at our room, someone was hand delivering food and water bowls as well as a dog bed. My boyfriend casually mentioned that we were there for my birthday just tying to get some ideas of something special to do for me, and they sent up a sweet little platter of chocolates and dried apricots as well as a voucher for two mimosas at brunch or two glasses of wine from room service. The place is so adorable, modeled after a cute little European mountain town which is very fitting because Vail is an extremely European town. Everything about this hotel is spectacular. I honestly couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else. I can’t wait to come back!

Such luxury! We came here for our honeymoon in October. Even though Vail is somewhat dead during this time, the hotel treated us with the best care! We loved the heated floors of the bathroom and turndown service at night. Had delicious food at the Swiss chalet and good food at Bully ranch. Service was impeccable, from the bellhops to maids to front desk to concierge. Had a great relaxing Bavarian body scrub, and the staff were able to give me a discount due to some work being done on the hotel. All staff were very helpful and warm. We loved our stay and definitely will be making this a tradition!

Europe in Vail. Beautiful rooms and and an elegant and somewhat quirky atmosphere. For it’s character, comfort, and service — it gets 5 stars.

I really enjoyed our stay at the Sonnenalp. Going in my expectations were too high and that set the Sonnenalp up to fail. Basically I saw they had placed on a list of 5 star hotels along with my favorite hotel on Lake Como. I expected the same level of service but it was somewhere between 5 star and a Renaissance spa Marriott. We stayed during the off season so maybe you get more you get more when paying $ 700+ per night?
Pros
Fireplace in room
Location
Closet in room.
Complimentary Volvos
The breakfast room is really beautiful.
Cons
They denied a special request that wasn’t that terribly far fetched. Not the kind of service you would expect from a 5 star.
Parking and good Wi-​Fi are fee based.
Dated bathrooms
They «upgraded» us to a room with two double beds. I can’t wait to get home to my king.
Restaurant food was mehhh.
All in all this hotel did make me feel at home. I felt comfortable in our room and would definitely go back during peak season to see if the experience is different.

We stayed in Vail for a night while we hiked in October to view the colors of fall in the mountains. This is a beautiful hotel modeled after the original in Switzerland. Room décor is not modern but it’s classic Swiss. Ours had a very modern and luxurious 5 piece master bath with an oversized tub, dual sinks, and heated floors. Gas fireplace included with balconies that overlook either the courtyard, creek, or the village. An iPad is included in the room and the free internet is sufficient. Beds are amazingly comfortable and two kinds of pillows are included if you don’t like feather pillows. In the evening, maids will come in and tidy up and leave slippers at the foot of your bed. Fresh warm cookies were left behind as well as fresh water and ice in our ice bucket. This surprised me. If you don’t want this service you should place your privacy door hanger out. We did not use the spa but did use the pool and hot tub which were sparkling clean. Parking is valet only at $ 28 however there is a public garage a block away. Overall a quick trip but very nice hotel and would stay here again in a heartbeat.

Pro’s:
Friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating staff. The concierge in particular was awesome.
Location, location, location.
Bully Ranch (restaurant on premises) is superb bar food and Ludwig’s is superb continental cuisine.
Excellent updated spa like bathrooms in every room.
Pool is awesome.
Con’s:
Terrible Heating and Air Conditioning. The AC didn’t work in our room despite multiple attempts by the friendly staff to fix it.
Pay for Parking and it’s expensive.
Pay for internet. The basic «free» is unusable and high speed costs extra.
Elevator travel is very slow. Once on, they can take several minutes to go 4 floors.

Sonnenalp Hotel in a single word is Awesome. Beautiful rooms and fantastic restaurants. We’ve stayed at many hotels in Vail over the years. However, this is by far the best. If you’re thinking about visiting Vail, this is the place to stay!

Beautiful alpine retreat in the heart of Vail village. Convenient to everything, the Sonnenalp is like no other. It’s warm friendly service and spectacular amenities are only complimented by the facilities, Spa and amazing restaurants. I feel this is the only place to stay in Vail.

A true 5-​star resort. The rooms are spacious and luxurious, the facilities are immaculately maintained, the restaurants are excellent. Wow.

I highly highly highly recommend staying at the Sonnenalp Resort on your next visit to Vail! This hotel take a lot of pride in how customers are treated and it shows from the minute you pull in the lobby. The décor and style of the hotel has a very quaint feel and you don’t feel like you are in your average 4 star hotel. The rooms had all the little things to take care of the guests and they were constantly servicing them throughout the day and night. The bed was very comfortable and the bathrooms were clean and high end. Housekeeping would turn down our beds every night and leave cookies and fresh waters & ice in the room daily.
The location is perfect because it is a quick walk (less than 5 min) to all the Vail Village shops and it also is a quick in town bus ride (5 min) if you go over to Lionshead Village. The concierge was above and beyond in setting up activities for us and the Spa and Gym were extremely nice!
Overall, I just loved this hotel so much and it now sets the standard for all other hotels I will compare it against. Thank You Sonnenalp!

We have stayed at the Sonnenalp a couple of times for business. The service is always impeccable from the valets, the desk clerks, the meeting and sales staff and housekeeping. We love the large room, fireplace, and huge bathrooms with heated floors. The pool and spa is great. Sauna and steam room are no extra charge. Breakfast at Ludwigs is outstanding! The location is close to walking to everything in Vail. We look forward to future visits.

My best friend from NYC was visiting, so we went up and stayed here under the Fall Special in a Blue Suite.
Pros: The Spa was awesome. We both had the Mountain Glow Body Scrub treatment and loved it. The amenities in the spa including the indoor/​outdoor pool, fire pit, apples, tea, and lounge area/​sauna/​steam room are great. The staff is very nice and friendly throughout as well. The location is great, and they went all out for Oktoberfest, which was cool. The bathroom in the room was nice too, with a whirlpool tub that I might have loved if I had been on a romantic excursion.
Cons: The room was a bit outdated, though I know this was partially meant intentionally to keep the charm of the European Alps feel. However, this also meant that my friend and I suffered from some severe dust allergies because of old linens and carpeting in our room. Additionally, the hotel’s efforts for sustainability are a bit too far for my likes in the form of non-​personal sized toiletries in the room. I always find it a bit unsanitary to use shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. that another guest or guests before me has touched while showering — especially at a 4 star hotel. Finally, the Wi-​Fi wouldn’t seem to work for me.
That being said, our package included discounted valet parking, 25% off at the spa, a 5-​minute free coupon at the Oxygen bar (weird) and a good deal on the suite. I certainly think it was well worth it!

Best service in the hotel industry that we have yet to encounter.
They truly value your experience.
We were married here one year ago and thought their service was impeccable, our wedding was amazing!
We have returned one year later for our anniversary and the service was just as we remembered.
We absolutely love this place and highly recommend it.
We plan on visiting every year to celebrate our anniversary!

Such a beautiful resort! Where do I start? You feel like you went to Europe when you walk into this place. From the décor, to the staff with authentic German or Austrian (or wherever they are from) accents! The resort is amazing.
Our room was very cozy and had a fireplace (pretty sure all the rooms had a fireplace). It was spacious and again, had a very authentic European theme to it. The spa was gorgeous as well and had a big seating area with a fire and couches INSIDE where you can sit after being at the spa. There is also a tea bar and an oxygen bar!
My favorite part of being at Sonnenalp was hanging out at the Kings Lounge. There is a bartender there from Germany named Sascha and he is incredible! Such a hard worker, loves meeting people, is very attentive, and will give you the best service. We always looked forward to seeing him every night when we had drinks. Oh and the food in the lounge is great too! I highly suggest the tator tots with truffle oil! Addicting!
Will definitely come back when we are up in Vail. Soooo worth it.

Favorite place to stay in Vail! It never disappoints. From the charm to the amazing staff. Great location right on the Gore Creek. I feel like I am in the Austrian Alps. So cozy and comfortable.
The Spa is definitely my favorite part of the hotel. So relaxing and great place to unwind while sitting fire side on the chic yellow and white striped pillows. The indoor/​outdoor pool is beautiful. So pretty to be outside on the river. Spa services are excellent, the best facial I have ever had.
All the restaurants are great, some of my favorite in Vail when not even staying at the Sonenalp. The Bully Ranch has a great patio in the summer, and simple American food. Love the Swiss restaurant for a night of fondue. Have only had Mother’s Day brunch at Ludwigs, and is always good.
Have seen the owners onsite every stay. It makes a difference, the attention to detail and helpful staff.

This was my favorite go-​to place at Vail when my wife and I came here to go skiing.
An excellent, classy hotel, the staff is excellent and always available and willing to lend a hand.
Very good rooms and suites.
We’d always made a point of having their breakfast buffet here because we rarely stopped for food or drink when skiing. That’s what chairlifts are for: a high-​speed transit up the hill while you’re having a nosh or a drink. The breakfast is excellent.
But after skiing, the spa made it all worthwhile.
Visit the bar when you want to unwind and relax. Laugh about the day’s skiing.
Lots of amenities here.