A couple of weeks ago we led...

A couple of weeks ago we led off with an item on Telluride, Colo. Today we’re zeroing in on Aspen, the tony Rocky Mountain resort town with the celebrity crowd. Although prices are obscenely high, bargains do remain. Particularly the Little Red Ski Haus, an earthy, aging B&B; on Cooper Street where guests crash in a four-bed room for only $33 (per person) a night. Doubles run $70. Or you can book a private room with bath for $100. Prices include a huge breakfast, a complimentary wine party on Sunday night and a free lunch on Thursday at Aspen Highlands. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Manager Irene Zydek prepares all-you-can-eat dinners for $5/$8. Only don’t expect crystal and fine china. This is the sort of place that would have gladdened the heart of a flower child during the heyday of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. Laid-back, casual.

Skiers discovered the Little Red Ski Haus shortly after the doors opened in 1963. Zydek insists that you needn’t be rich and famous to enjoy Aspen. She sends her guests off to The Bakery on Main Street for inexpensive meals (soups, salads, pastries, sandwiches). Or to the Explore Book Sellers & Coffee House on Main Street for vegetarian meals, pastries, tea, coffee, spirits in a cozy upstairs dining room where visitors spend hours sipping coffee and tea and reading. But go see for yourself.

--The Little Red Ski Haus, 118 E. Cooper St., Aspen, Colo. 81611, (303) 925-3333.

--The Bakery, Main Street at Aspen Avenue.

--The Explore Book Sellers & Coffee House, 221 E. Main St.

--For all-you-can-eat country breakfasts ($6.95), try the Aspen Country Inn, 38996 Highway 82. Guest rooms available.

Other inexpensive accommodations in Aspen:

--St. Moritz Lodge, 334 W. Hyman Ave., Aspen, Colo. 81611, (303) 925-3220. Rates (including breakfast): $23 for a dormitory bunk, $79 for a private room.

--The Alpine Lodge, 1240 E. Cooper St., Aspen, Colo. 81611, (303) 925-7351. Rates: $48/$73 per room. Breakfast is an extra $4, dinner $12.

Additional information from Aspen Central Reservations: (800) 262-7736. Other details from the Aspen Skiing Co., P.O. Box 1248, Aspen, Colo. 81612, (303) 925-1220.

Cozumel: Ralph Simmons of Hemet asks about dive vacations in Cozumel. The oldest dive operator is the Barbachano group. Barbachano has programmed dive vacations on this island in Mexico for years. Besides dive information, Barbachano arranges hotel accommodations, airport transfers, sightseeing. The island itself remains generally unspoiled. Excellent beaches. Several better-than-average restaurants. Since its discovery by an adventurous American in the 1950s, Cozumel has changed. But not to the degree of so many other resorts in Mexico. It’s still low-key. Nearby Cancun is where the action is. Cozumel is for the vacationer searching for a skyful of stars, deserted beaches.

Details from Dive Cozumel central reservations at (800) 327-2254.

Sports Watch/Mexico: Times staffer Warren Girard sends along this note: “For Americans vacationing in Mazatlan who don’t want to miss their favorite TV sports, a sometime Chicagoan, Mickey Jacobsen, has installed satellite dishes and more than a dozen TV sets at the Sports Central Bar and No Name Cafe in the Mazatlan Arts and Crafts Center near the venerable Hotel Playa Mazatlan. On a recent Sunday, no fewer than eight National Football League clashes were shown, along with two NBA and two college basketball games while a group of Canadians focused on hockey. Meals at Jacobsen’s bar/cafe are reasonably priced. Daily happy hour, 5-6 p.m.”

Week’s Best Bet: Sunday through Thursday the Lake Arrowhead Hilton has a skier’s special for $118 (double occupancy) that includes boots/poles/skis for two guests, round-trip transportation to Snow Valley, lift tickets, free lessons. At the hotel, skiers steam away the chill in a sauna, work out in a health club. Driving time from downtown Los Angeles: about two hours. Whether you’re a skier or just seeking a quiet retreat, winter in Lake Arrowhead is a season of solitude. Call (800) 223-3307 for reservations. Other hotels/motels/inns at Lake Arrowhead:

--Saddleback Inn, P.O. Box 1890, Lake Arrowhead 92352, (714) 336-3571. Rates: $100/$155.

--Lake Arrowhead Chalet, P.O. Box 2293, (714) 337-0457. Rates: $140/$175.

--Treetop Lodge, P.O. Box 790, (714) 337-2311. Rates: $64.20/$112.35.

For a complete list of hotels, inns, B&Bs;, write to the Lake Arrowhead Community Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 155, Lake Arrowhead 92352, (714) 337-3715. For recorded information, call (800) 545-5784.

Summer/Winter Olympics: Replying to C.C. of Escondido: Despite rumors to the contrary, tickets/accommodations are still available for the 1992 Winter/Summer Olympics in France/Spain. Olson-Travelworld (ticket sales agent in the United States) has prepared a couple of 15-page brochures describing the two programs. Details on travel packages, pregame/postgame excursions. The winter games (Feb. 8-23) will be held in Albertville, France; summer games (July 25-Aug. 9) in Barcelona, Spain. Olson-Travelworld is preparing packages that include tickets, transportation, hotels, sightseeing.

Details from your travel agent or Olson-Travelworld, 100 N. Sepulveda Blvd., El Segundo, Calif. 90245, (800) 874-1992.

Taped Tours: If you’ve ever been the victim of one of those garrulous guides who describes every last detail of some obscure museum/monument, then you’ll appreciate “walking tour” tapes produced by a company in Carlsbad. A dozen selections in Italy (you follow a detailed map of the tour). Others in Paris/London. And if you feel a need for a breather, just flip the off button on your cassette and find a park bench. One particular tape on Paris covers the Marais district (home of the new Musee Picasso, Voges Palace, Musee Carnavalet, churches, historic mansions). In Italy: Rome, Venice, Pompeii, Florence, Pisa and a series of others. Walking Tape Guide Tours are on sale at B. Dalton Bookseller or contact Penton Overseas Inc., 2091 Las Palmas Drive, Suite A, Carlsbad, Calif. 92009-1519, (800) 748-5804.

Reader Recommendations

California--Faith Bloome-Krupnik, Israel: “The Village Inn, 407 El Camino Real, Arroyo Grande, is the greatest little secret in California! The feeling, somehow, of coming home. For the first time since we had arrived in America two weeks earlier, we felt we could really relax. Rates: $85/$125.”

Arizona--Eleanor Jordan, Arcadia: “Graham’s Bed & Breakfast, P.O. Box 912, Sedona, Ariz. 86336. Five spacious bedroom suites. Rates: $95/$140.”

Vermont--Quentin and Donna Quinn: “Old Mill Inn, Stone Mill Dam Road, No. 2, Box 2207, Brandon, Vt. 05733. Rates: $75/$85. Rooms with private baths.”

Canada--Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stone, Los Angeles: “Highfield House, 130 Linden Ave., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V 48E1. Spotless. Superior breakfasts. Approximately $55/$65 U.S.”

Canada--Sheila Larrial, Scottsdale, Ariz.: “An absolutely wonderful place near Victoria called the Tiffany Bay Oceanfront, 629 Senanus Drive, Saanichton, B.C. Rates start at $85.”

Switzerland--Ron A. Ovadia, Los Angeles: “A new four-star hotel, the Grand Hotel Schonegg. An unobstructed view of the Matterhorn. Rates for room, breakfast/dinner: approximately $160 per person, double occupancy, with service, taxes included.”

France--William and Gene Kaula, Los Angeles: “Chateau de la Jailliere, 44370 La Chapelle St., Sauveur. Hosted by Comtesse d’Anthenaise, a handsome white-haired widow. Rates for a double room with private bath plus breakfast: $130.

New Zealand--Bob and Margaret McKenzie, Newport Beach: “Stewart Island Lodge, P.O. Box 5, Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand. All-inclusive rates (approximately $75/$85 U.S. per person), including superb meals, local wines.”