Getting to know the Vail Valley: Cordillera

What makes Cordillera so special? To start with, the resort, which stretches of 13 miles, is almost entirely restricted to single-family dwellings. No condo living here. The closest you?ll get to your neighbors here is when a herd of elk bed down in your trees. Cordillera consists of four gated communities, each with their own distinctive style: The Divide, The Ranch, The Summit and the Valley Club. For golfers, the big draw is 3 championship golf courses and one 10 hole executive par 3 course. Through out the resort there are 4 club houses and restaurants, the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, athletic clubs, tennis, outdoor pool, kid?s summer camp, a winter Nordic center and an equestrian center.

Sitting on a mountain ridge, The Divide takes advantage of spectacular views to create an entrancing setting for a world-class lodge, spa, tennis courts, the Dave Petz Short Course and 2 restaurants. I?m only slightly biased in my love for Mirador as it?s where my husband proposed to me. Beneath the restaurant there?s a private dining room, The Wine Room, where up to 12 people can dine in a cozy setting amidst bottles of wine with private servers. Grouse on the Green is an Irish pub specializing in shepherds? pie, fish and chips and microbrews.

The Ranch at Cordillera has less than one home site to every three acres, making it one of the lowest density communities in the Vail Valley. Over 1,540 acres of gentle ridges, mountain meadows and mature forests host the Cordillera Clubhouse which sits on the Hale Irwin designed Mountain Golf Course. With a three-story river rock fireplace and picture windows overlooking the golf course, the Timber Hearth provides and unforgettable evening of dining. You can even get a horse drawn sleigh ride during the winter.

The Summit sits above The Ranch to the west. When you catch the 360 degree views from what feels like the top of the world when you feel what 3 million acres of National Forest feels like in your back yard, you won?t mind that it?s a bit further drive. The Summit Clubhouse hosts a full fitness center and a restaurant with views so spectacular you?ll never want to leave. One of the things I like best about the Summit ? it?s so quiet you can hear the leaves falling. The Jack Nicklaus Summit Course sits on 190 acres at over 9200 feet and, like the rest of the Summit, has stunning views of the mountains.

Cordillera Valley Club, also known as CVC, is Cordillera?s only neighborhood on the north side of the valley floor. Like Singletree, CVC sits on the high mountain desert side of the valley and has evolved into and intimate golf community based around the Tom Fazio Valley Course. It?s location down lower gives the Cordillera neighborhood easy, quick access to town and open, beautiful sunsets. Residents enjoy the Clubhouse pool, tennis and Chapparal, which some say has the best steak in the valley.

Each community of Cordillera enjoys its own atmosphere and architectural style, a club house and golf course. For more information on Cordillera or other Vail Valley real estate contact Karen Gilbert at karen@gatewayland.com, 970-331-1482, or visit my website at karensellsvail.com