There are few moments in this life where we can find a truly perfect experience. Destinations we travel to on vacation typically make us choose between rest and relaxation or exploration. Finding the perfect mix of the lap of luxury and the thirst for adventure is the ultimate goal of any outdoors person looking to retreat from the daily grind. Attempting to provide that mix is Jackson Hole's own Caldera House.
Blending European design with the spirit of the American West, you can certainly find reasons never to leave the Caldera House, but if you're inclined to, you can also find every excuse to stay outside. Set in an idyllic location near Wyoming's renowned Grand Teton National Park, the Caldera House hotel celebrates the area's remarkable natural beauty and provides guests with a spectacular hospitality experience. If you have ever wondered why James Bond frequents ski resorts, it is because ski resorts are especially good at finding that balance. Caldera House excels above even some of the most prolific.
Created by owner Wesley Edens, with the help of friends and co-owners Michael Novagratz, David Barry, and Randal Nardone, Caldera House uses its unique stylistic blend to create a posh, modern ski lodge. The impressive property, which includes four 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom suites, along with four 1,500-square-foot, two-bedroom suites, is not only a place to stay, but a complete experience of high-end restaurants, bars, and even a locker room and ski shop for the outdoor enthusiasts. It is simply a casino and deadly villainous ski chases short of James Bond's mecca.
Inspired by the golden era of ski hotels and the craftsmanship of mid-century Americana, Caldera House is born of the same pioneering spirit as the resort of Jackson Hole itself. The often blundered task of creating the hotel's alluring look and creating the balance of relaxing adventure fell to LA-based design collective Commune. They succeeded by looking back to the archives for inspiration, channeling the glamour of Sixties and Seventies ski hotels as they honed their perfect interiors.
The owner's group brought a team of designers and architectural studios to work on each suite, which featured furniture from across the Americas and works from creative heavyweights like John Pawson and Patricia Urquiola. This approach brought with it the added perk of making every room its own little world. As soon as you believe you have discovered all of the hotel's secrets, another room captures your attention in a completely new way.
But as any resident of Wyoming would tell you, good looks can only get you so far in these mountains. This is why the owners partnered with one of Jackson's best-loved restaurants and snagged an expert concierge team, ensuring Caldera House is so much more than a pretty face.
The Old Yellowstone Garage was a Jackson mainstay before the days of Caldera House, but the hotel's arrival marked an opportunity for it to ascend to new heights. Like the rest of the hotel, the 'OYG' will delight design devotees but still manages to exude coziness, helped on its way by warm-toned wood, henna-red half-moon booths, and a shimmering bar front. Executive chef Paulie O'Conner describes the cuisine as 'new world Italian,' focusing on comfort food underpinned by quality ingredients and time-honored cooking methods. The salads are juicy, the meat succulent, and the pasta fresh but not over-sauced, proving that even the basic elements get their due.
Not only do you have the siren call of your suite and the elite restaurant experience to contend with, but there's also the lure of the lobby, with its supple leather lounge chairs, sculptural lighting, and wooden ceiling that's such a rich auburn it seems to smolder in the firelight.
Pull up a stool at the copper-clad bar in the member's lounge, and you may find that time skips forward a few hours, a common occurrence as you tell stories of your skiing glory days through the glow of a whiskey fog. Add to that a seductive spa and the lure of the Old Yellowstone Garage, and you've got an iron-clad case for staying home.
Then again, outside your perfect suite is Wyoming, home to some of the most stirring landscapes in the West. When you are ready to tear yourself away, the hotel's location right next door to Jackson Hole's iconic 'Big Red' cable car couldn't be better placed for exploring the mountains on its doorstep.
In winter, the expert concierge team will help you get the best of the snow, whether that means organizing lessons in the resort, guides for a backcountry expedition, or a chopper for a day's heliskiing. If you're after something a little different, give yourself over to the unknown with dog-sledding or fat biking (mountain bikes with thick, studded tires for tackling winter conditions).
Once the snow melts, there's even more on offer as the landscape opens up; white water rafting, hiking, rock climbing, and horse riding with cowboys are just a few of the options. It's not all strenuous, either: those looking for a more leisurely pace will find it bathing in hot springs, going stargazing, or taking a photography class. And if Teton national park isn't enough to contend with, Yellowstone, with its steaming geysers and vivid hot springs, it's just up the valley.
It has been a long two years, and everyone deserves to get away for a holiday. Whether you are in need of rest, relaxation, and the unfaltering lap of luxury, or you need to feed the hunger inside of you to take on every corner the Earth has to offer, Caldera House has everything you need. It is the James Bond experience, without the bullets.