Colorado Travel Blog
Food
Tacos, Tequila, and Whiskey (Denver): From the outside, it looks extremely small and kind of like a '“hole in the wall”. I also recommend making a reservation and you can easily do that through Open Table. The aesthetic of the place was amazing, very chill vibes, and they played amazing Spanish music at a decent volume where it was loud enough for you to hear, but quiet enough to hear people speaking to you. Vibes 10/10, food 10/10, and drinks 10/10.
Stay
Denver (Airbnb): This Airbnb was perfect for two (even though it gave us major creepy vibes and looked like a house straight out of American Horror Story). It was located 20-30 minutes from the airport and was located near a few bars and other entertainment options. Check out this Airbnb here!
Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge (Glenwood Springs): About a 3 hours drive from Denver. We stood here for two nights and purchased the “Ski, Swim, and Stay” package. This package came with a lift ticket for each guest at the Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort and for each day stayed. It also came with unlimited access to the hot springs pool, which is the largest in the world. The place was extremely clean and they also served a “grab and go” breakfast of sandwiches, pastries, and other items, which was perfect because we were able to grab breakfast before we went snowboarding and before our flight home. The lodge also had a 100% pure mineral drinking hot spring where you can fill up a water bottle and take it with you (the smell was questionable, but I’m all about a little wellness).
Fairplay (Airbnb): About two hours ouside of Denver and one hour from Breckenridge. We stood in a beautiful 4-story cabin that was the highlight of our trip (second time in Colorado). The house featured all the amentities you could need including a hot tub, steam shower, and not to mention the awesome backyard equipped for sledding and snowboarding. To checkout this Airbnb, click here!
Entertainment
Herbs & Arts (Denver): This place is beautifully set up and had an abundance of items, from crystals, to wind chimes, to candles, to oils, to jewelry, to books, to statues, literally everything you could ever need for your spiritual journey. They also had very knowledgeable workers who gave advice to help you find exactly what you are looking for. A nice little touch was that they put your crystals in bags of salt after purchase. 10/10 recommend stopping by.
Denver Recreational Dispensary (Denver): located near downtown Denver. It has the highest ratings out of all the other local dispensaries. I only was able to take a picture of the outside and right before we walked in because phones/cameras were not allowed. They had a wide range of cannabis products and CBD including edibles, oils, flower, and so much more and their prices were affordable.
Holey Moley (Denver): A fun experience for all ages! Holey Moley is an indoor “glow-in-the-dark” miniature golf course with a full bar and restaurant. The food, drinks, atmosphere, and vibes all get a solid 10/10. The prices for golfing were also extremely affordable and each hole has a fun theme as well as fun photo ops. My favorite part was the announcement about offering $5 shots for parents because schools announced next day closures. Perfect for a date night or to go out with a group of friends.
Royal Gorge Railroad (Cañon City): This is by far one of my favorite things I’ve ever done! The drive was easy and there was amazing scenic views along the way. Also, one thing to note is the phone reception. We did not have ANY phone reception for almost our whole drive and the whole entire train ride, so make sure you don’t have anything important going on (like me who had a business meeting at 2 p.m that I missed….oops).
We had booked our tickets almost two months in advance because they sell out fast, especially for weekend days! We purchased the “Vista Dome” seating, which offers dome-shaped window seating. It is the most expensive, however, walking through the other train cars, in comparison, the price is definitely worth it! We also purchased a $25 meal voucher in advance, so we were able to order food and drinks and we received a complimentary glass cup.
This is one of those things where you can say it was “a once in a lifetime experience”. Not to mention the train goes by the maximum security prison El Chapo is locked up in. I mean, how many people can say they were that close to El Chapo. 11/10 experience, it is truly one of the most amazing things I’ve done.
Sunlight Mountian Ski Resort (Glenwood Springs): A short 25 minutes away from Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge. They did offer rentals on site, but we ordered in town near the lodge at Blue Sky Ski Rentals. We rented boots, a helmet, and our snowboards for $45 for the day. The ski resort has a very small lodge, so make sure to bring your own food and drinks. The hours of the ski resort are also short and are only opened from 9 A.M - 4 P.M, so no night skiing. This ski resort has one of the steepest slopes in Colorado at 58º and the longest green trail at 2 miles! Here are some photos of us on the mountain:
Ski Cooper @ Cooper Mountain (Leadville): This was about a 2 hour drive from our Airbnb in FairPlay. We chose this ski resort due to its day pass prices / rentals and because it is a smaller mountain and beginner friendly (we had a few newbies in our group). Unfortunately, the weather during our snowboarding game was in the negatives and there were extremely high winds, causing the ski lift to be not functional. This is a VERY small mountain and I wouldn’t recommend for anyone who is not a beginner.
