Indulgent Getaway near Denver in May
March 11, 2015 3:33 PM Subscribe
A girlfriend and I are meeting up with our awesome friend in Denver the first weekend in May (1-4). She's recently moved there so isn't super familiar with the area, and only has one bedroom-so we'd love to find someplace relatively close where we can relax and indulge-hotel or VRBO or ? Oh, and must allow her small, well-behaved dog.
Our preference is either a nice hotel/lodge with good food onsite or within walking distance or a VRBO/private residence with a nice kitchen, three bedrooms, and great views. Hot tub is a must either way. Spa nearby, anything else indulgent is a plus. The two of us coming from out of state don't know the area at all so just assume we are completely clueless.
We'll have a car.
Our preference is either a nice hotel/lodge with good food onsite or within walking distance or a VRBO/private residence with a nice kitchen, three bedrooms, and great views. Hot tub is a must either way. Spa nearby, anything else indulgent is a plus. The two of us coming from out of state don't know the area at all so just assume we are completely clueless.
We'll have a car.
Glenwood Hot Springs is 160 miles away and over the entire Rockies. Unless you feel comfortable driving over the mountains, I don't know if I'd classify that as "close by." If Glenwood Springs seems fine, check out Aspen. There's definitely indulgence there.
May is mud season or shoulder season in the mountains, so you might get some good deals in Estes Park or Breckenridge - any of the ski areas, for that matter. Personally I like Breck - there's a nice walkable Main Street with lots of dining around which all the lodging is clustered and it's a cute little town. Some of the ski areas are just that, ski areas, and except for the main resort area you have to drive everywhere to get food. The main lodge there will have a spa if you want to get a place elsewhere. It's about an hour away from Denver depending on traffic.
posted by barchan at 4:11 PM on March 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
May is mud season or shoulder season in the mountains, so you might get some good deals in Estes Park or Breckenridge - any of the ski areas, for that matter. Personally I like Breck - there's a nice walkable Main Street with lots of dining around which all the lodging is clustered and it's a cute little town. Some of the ski areas are just that, ski areas, and except for the main resort area you have to drive everywhere to get food. The main lodge there will have a spa if you want to get a place elsewhere. It's about an hour away from Denver depending on traffic.
posted by barchan at 4:11 PM on March 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you want to stay downtown, I really liked the Hotel Monaco. And they are super dog friendly (but it's a couple block walk to the nearest grass).
posted by cecic at 4:46 PM on March 11, 2015
posted by cecic at 4:46 PM on March 11, 2015
Seconding Hotel Monaco if you want to do a downtown staycation. Dog friendly, lots of things within walking distance, including plenty of good food.
We love Estes & RMNP and have always had good luck renting cabins through VRBO, but the food in town (beyond the Notch Top for breakfast and Kind Coffee) leaves a lot (a lot) to be desired. I'd specifically rec our favorite rental house near the main drag, but they are no pets allowed. We usually bring a Blue Apron box with us and just cook & eat from that.
A cabin in Breck or Vail may very well be your best bet.
posted by ThatSomething at 5:37 PM on March 11, 2015
We love Estes & RMNP and have always had good luck renting cabins through VRBO, but the food in town (beyond the Notch Top for breakfast and Kind Coffee) leaves a lot (a lot) to be desired. I'd specifically rec our favorite rental house near the main drag, but they are no pets allowed. We usually bring a Blue Apron box with us and just cook & eat from that.
A cabin in Breck or Vail may very well be your best bet.
posted by ThatSomething at 5:37 PM on March 11, 2015
If you'd like to stay in town, I'd suggest AirBnB, I've a friend that runs several places that are too small for your needs but very nice and inexpensive. When my friend Alex's brother visited, he stayed in a very nice home on cap hill. In fact that home sounded very much like what you asked about. He came to buy a dog, so it of course was dog friendly.
There are also some very nice bed & breakfasts in town, Castle Marne, Capitol Hill Mansion, The Queen Anne are all very nice and there are of course more. If your taste runs to something more, umm green, theres a place, The Adagio, that bills itself as a bud and breakfast.
And just to round out the list, there are some very nice hotels, as mentioned before, Hotel Monaco, but there are some other very nice ones, The Oxford, Hotel Teatro, and The Magnolia spring to mind. You should check them out as well. I'm not sure how I forgot but no discussion of Denver hotels is complete without mentioning The Brown Palace, beautiful, exclusive, and historic, you should at least visit, even if you don't stay.
I love my little city. Enjoy your stay.
posted by evilDoug at 6:00 AM on March 12, 2015
There are also some very nice bed & breakfasts in town, Castle Marne, Capitol Hill Mansion, The Queen Anne are all very nice and there are of course more. If your taste runs to something more, umm green, theres a place, The Adagio, that bills itself as a bud and breakfast.
And just to round out the list, there are some very nice hotels, as mentioned before, Hotel Monaco, but there are some other very nice ones, The Oxford, Hotel Teatro, and The Magnolia spring to mind. You should check them out as well. I'm not sure how I forgot but no discussion of Denver hotels is complete without mentioning The Brown Palace, beautiful, exclusive, and historic, you should at least visit, even if you don't stay.
I love my little city. Enjoy your stay.
posted by evilDoug at 6:00 AM on March 12, 2015
If you decide to stay in the mountains rather than the city, keep in mind that "ski season" can last into July at some resorts, and the weather doesn't really warm up until late June. In early May, the weather will be much better down here on the plains, unless we get one of our May snowstorms. Even then, it will melt fast.
In Denver itself, it's kind of hard to find a hotel or even a neighborhood that isn't at least somewhat adjacent to great food, especially if you have a car. All you need is a West-facing window on or above the second floor for a great view. If you stay downtown, there are several hotels with spas. See this thread for some suggestions.
You will also find lots of good info at http://www.colorado.com/
Welcome to Denver!
posted by caryatid at 1:59 PM on March 12, 2015
In Denver itself, it's kind of hard to find a hotel or even a neighborhood that isn't at least somewhat adjacent to great food, especially if you have a car. All you need is a West-facing window on or above the second floor for a great view. If you stay downtown, there are several hotels with spas. See this thread for some suggestions.
You will also find lots of good info at http://www.colorado.com/
Welcome to Denver!
posted by caryatid at 1:59 PM on March 12, 2015
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posted by trbrts at 3:55 PM on March 11, 2015