Gore Creek bends and burbles around a veritable roster of Vail Village real estate royalty: One Willow Bridge Road, the Sonnenalp, the Arrabelle, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, the Four Seasons. These name-brand properties with terrific amenities (think grocery store gofers, concierge and spa services galore, and, most important, parking—a deeded space here sells for what a starter home might fetch in most markets) are what give both Vail Village and Lionshead their well-earned superiority complex.

Hotelier Sheika Gramshammer, who says her age, like her telephone number, “is unlisted,” first came to Vail in 1962. She and her husband, Austrian ski-racing legend Pepi Gramshammer, have lived above their namesake Hotel Gasthof Gramshammer and Pepi’s restaurant since the landmark opened in ’64. A half-century later, Sheika says, “the heart of Vail is still the same. It’s the people that make it special.”

Brokers who specialize in this area say they've been fielding inquiries from more and more residents of Latin American nations like Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina. A favorite among the increasing number of Latin buyers is Solaris, where prices range from the extreme—a $20 million penthouse—to a three-bedroom, four-bath condo listed at $5.85 million.

Also attractive to these buyers are the 65 high-end, pet-friendly residences under construction at The Lion Vail Residences, the toniest new address in Lionshead. The language spoken here may be Spanish, but Italian accents complement two- and four-bedroom units built with generous windows and larger-than-average common areas designed for family-style dining and gathering. And there’s lots of extra parking for any number of guests, which, notes Lion sales director Julie Weihaupt, “is a luxury in and of itself in Vail.”

Private hot tubs for penthouse buyers? Of course, plus a 1,600-square-foot deck. The price tag on that four-bedroom unit?

“$12 million.”

Stats:
Number of active listings (at press time): 78/48
Active median home price: $4.3 million/$2.4 million
Number of homes sold in 2016: 18/8
Median price of homes sold here in 2016: $1.8 million/
$3 million
Average number of days on the market: 552/261