TRAVEL

By Erin Rottman

REDISCOVERING GOLD IN DENVER

Miners started flocking to Denver after gold was discovered there in 1858, and gamblers, prostitutes, and saloonkeepers soon followed. By the late 1800s, the stretch of Market Street on which women called out, “Come on in, Dearie,” became known as The Row, Denver’s red-light district. Despite its sketchy reputation, the area boasts one of the best collections of late 19th and early 20th century architecture in the West, and in 1988, the Denver City Council named it the Lower Downtown Historic District.

Today, LoDo is a happening urban neighborhood, anchored by three key venues: Union Station, which is as much a trendy shopping destination as it is a train depot; baseball’s Coors Field; and Ball Arena, a concert venue and home of the Denver Nuggets basketball and Colorado Avalanche ice hockey teams. One of the latest developments in LoDo’s revitalization is the completion of the Thompson Denver (hyatt.com, from $309) boutique hotel, which opened last month.

The hotel is a microcosm of LoDo itself. Accommodations like the signature Thompson suite, with more than 1,000 square feet of living space, a private 400-square-foot deck, an indooroutdoor fireplace, and expansive views of the Rocky Mountains, recall the nearby warehouses that have been transformed into residential lofts. Reynard Social, a bar on the sixth floor, offers local beers and alpine-inspired small bites, like mushroom fondue and charcuterie boards, and features a listening lounge furnished with Victrola record players, camel-colored leather couches, and a billiards table. Guests may also check out portable record players from the lobby to use in their rooms or for a tailgate party.

At street level sits Chez Maggy, Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre’s first restaurant outside of Southern California. The brasserie-style space, named after Lefebvre’s late mother-in-law, has a subtle art deco design with banquettes covered in rich, blue-velvet and floral-printed fabrics. Lefebvre, known for his Los Angeles restaurants, Petit Trois and the former Trois Mec, keeps the menu French with classics like bison tartar, chicken paillard, and steak frites, which his own mother used to make when he was growing up. “I’m not trying to do a revolution in Denver,” he says with a laugh.

What may be revolutionary is Lefebvre’s take on a Denver omelet. Seeking to give it some French flair, Lefebvre tops it with a cream, Gruyère, and Parmesan sauce, that is much like a cheese fondue. “The texture of the eggs with the creamy cheese sauce is just heaven in the mouth,” he says. Fortunately for Thompson guests, Lefebvre is in charge of the room service menu, too. >

The newest addition to Denver’s Downtown Historic District (renderings from top): The Thompson Hotel Denver; interiors allude to the American West; and Chez Maggy, a new restaurant by chef Ludo Lefebvre (inset), brings a taste of France.

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1920S PARIS IN L.A.

Los Angeles chef Ramon Bojorquez fancies Beurre de Baratte, a churned butter from Normandy that food critic Jonathan Gold once called a “cult item.” “You just can’t say no to French butter,” Bojorquez says. “That’s just wrong.” As executive chef of Lumière Brasserie at the recently renovated Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City (fairmontcenturyplaza.com, from $700), Bojorquez brings Parisianstyle classics to Los Angeles in dishes like steak frites, duck confit, and a French onion soup with seven thin layers of three Three kinds of cheese top French kinds of cheese. Other items, such Onion Soup at Lumière Brasserie at Century City’s Fairmont Century Plaza. as the pear and pistachio salad, lean toward California’s lighter style. The restaurant is a highlight of the hotel’s newly completed $2.5 billion renovation. For something extra special, book a room in Fairmont Gold, an experience that provides private check-in, access to the Gold Lounge, dedicated personal assistants, and an on-demand martini cart.

SLEEP IN THE VINEYARD IN NAPA

Some 250 wines from across California light up the menu at Truss Restaurant + Bar at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley (fourseasons.com/napavalley, from $1,200). The focus on wine is fitting, given that the resort sits in a working vineyard where cabernet sauvignon grapes grow. The restaurant’s wine list also dedicates a page to wines from Calistoga, says general manager Mehdi Eftekari. “We wanted to make sure to promote the Calistoga AVA,” he says.

The resort encompasses 85 rooms; adult-only and family pools, both heated to 86°F year-round; and Spa Talisa, whose mineral-rich mud treatments are inspired by the area’s hot springs. Guests have priority access to the on-site Elusa tasting room, allowing for lots of sipping without any driving.

Views of picturesque pools (top) at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley give way to a sea of grapevine green. The on-site Truss Restaurant + Bar (above) boasts a wine list befitting its location in an operating vineyard.

Experience the wide open expanse of the desert landscape during a stay at AutoCamp’s fourth and newest location just outside of Joshua Tree National Park.

BOOK AN RV IN JOSHUA TREE

AutoCamp, which offers shiny Airstream trailers stocked with linens and cookware, has opened a location at Joshua Tree (autocamp.com/joshua-tree, from $129), just a 10-minute drive from the national park. “Our goal has always been about connecting people to the outdoors, and Joshua Tree is such an otherworldly, once-in-a-lifetime location,” says AutoCamp spokesperson Taylor Micaela Davis.

While the 25-acre property has a camping-like feel with its outdoor fire pits and grills, it offers the amenities of a hotel. An outdoor bar features beer, wine, and cocktails; a year-round pool is heated in the cooler months; a general store sells snacks and campfire supplies; and staff members contact guests prior to arrival to assist in setting up activities, like rock climbing. Plans are in the works for local experts to lead stargazing and fireside chats on medicinal native plants. 