Arrival · The First Evening
Your first evening in Aspen
The night the trip either settles in or starts in a rush. How to plan it around altitude, flight timing and a house that's ready when you walk in.
The night the trip either settles in or starts in a rush. How to plan it around altitude, flight timing and a house that's ready when you walk in.
Most Aspen itineraries start with the best restaurant in town on night one. In practice the first evening is shaped by three things you don't control: the altitude, the flight and how long it takes to get settled. Plan around those and the rest of the week goes better.
This is how we think about arrival night for the people we look after, and what's worth arranging before you land.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated September 2026
Aspen sits at nearly 8,000 feet. Most people arriving from sea level feel it the first evening: more tired, thirstier, affected more by a drink than usual. Water, an easy meal and an early night are the right start, not a late tasting menu.
Winter flights into ASE are sensitive to weather and can be delayed or land in Eagle or Rifle instead, one to two and a half hours away by road. A plan that only works if you land on time isn't a plan for arrival night.
Bags, ski gear, a house you haven't seen before, children who need dinner now. The first hour at the residence goes very differently when the fridge is full and the heating has been on since the afternoon.
Landing. The airport is three miles from downtown. A car arranged to track your flight means the timing moves with you; RFTA buses run free into Aspen and Snowmass Village if you're travelling light. See Aspen airport transportation for how pickup actually works.
Arriving at the house. Groceries stocked to your list, drinks and breakfast for the morning, rentals already delivered and fitted so nobody spends the first morning in a ski shop. Grocery stocking and ski rental delivery exist for exactly this.
Dinner. Either close to where you're staying, with a reservation that can move if the flight does, or at the house. A private chef on the first night is less about luxury than about not having to go anywhere.
Afterwards. A short walk if you're downtown; the free on-demand Downtowner covers short trips in town. An early night. The mountain is better on day one when the evening before was easy. Some guests book an in-home massage for arrival night; others keep oxygen on hand for the first nights at altitude.
Send us the flight, the residence and the people coming. We handle Aspen on the ground; you keep the relationship with your client. Send the details.
If the trip has a big dinner, a birthday or a table that's hard to get, put it later in the week. By then everyone is rested, used to the altitude and on local time, and a delayed flight can't take it away.
Less than you think. Aspen sits at nearly 8,000 feet, travel days run long and flights into ASE are sensitive to weather. A relaxed dinner close to where you're staying, or dinner at the residence, almost always beats an ambitious reservation across town.
Winter flights into Aspen can be delayed or land at another airport such as Eagle or Rifle, one to two and a half hours' drive away. Plan the first evening so it still works if you arrive three hours late: a flexible reservation, or food already at the house.
Yes. The airport is three miles from downtown, and RFTA buses run free into Aspen and Snowmass Village. Downtown, the free on-demand Downtowner covers short hops. Taxis and pre-arranged cars meet arrivals outside baggage claim.
Yes. Groceries stocked to your list, the house warm, rentals delivered and fitted, and dinner either booked nearby or cooked in: that's the part Aspen Privé arranges before you land.
What happens between the jet bridge and the car, and what changes if you land elsewhere.
Arrive to a fridge that's already full, and what to send ahead.
What's included, how far ahead to book, and what it costs.
Send your flight, where you're staying and who's coming. We'll track the timing, have the house ready and take care of the first evening, so the trip starts the way it should.
Plan Your Arrival