XP:Denver/Colorado questions

[RoxMonster]

This summer we plan to visit RMNP but fly into Denver and spend one night/day in Denver first. We have never been to CO. We love hiking, sightseeing, nature, and my DH loves beer (I am not a beer drinker, but I will go to breweries with him because he loves it so. Bonus points if they serve liquor or cider or wine I can drink).

My first question is: What is your favorite Denver hotel? I can Google and Trip Advisor but I like hearing from people I "know" who live there/have been there. Or at least, what area of Denver should I look into? I don't want super expensive/high end but we prefer boutique hotels or local places to chains when we travel.

For our 5 nights in Estes Park, I was leaning towards the Taharaa Mountain Lodge. It gets good reviews on TA and is affordable; any personal experience with it OR recommendations for a different place to stay near RMNP?

Would you do one night in Denver, 5 nights in the NP? Or 2 nights Denver, 4 nights in the NP? The main "attraction" for us is hiking in the mountains, so I was leaning toward the first option. But Denver also looks awesome and 24 hours is not much time there.

[isabel]

Hotel Teatro is one of the nicer boutiques downtown. I'm not sure what price range you're looking for, but it is a great hotel.

[RoxMonster]

Nov 13, 2016 12:03:33 GMT -5 isabel said:

Hotel Teatro is one of the nicer boutiques downtown. I'm not sure what price range you're looking for, but it is a great hotel.

If we do just one night, probably 250 and under for Denver. If we do two nights in Denver, probably closer to 215-220.

[fuckyourcouch]

I like the Curtis. It's a boutique doubletree basically.

Personally I'd do 2 nights in Denver and 4 in Estes park. I like Estes but there's just not THAT much to do there.

[RoxMonster]

Follow up question: Would we be insane to attempt a 14-er coming from basically sea level, even with a few days to acclimatize? If so, are there any awesome hikes that get you up to maybe 12000 ft or so? (I do not do well with exposure so keep that in mind).

[winecat]

Nov 13, 2016 13:45:54 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

I like the Curtis. It's a boutique doubletree basically.

Personally I'd do 2 nights in Denver and 4 in Estes park. I like Estes but there's just not THAT much to do there.

Even 4 nights in Estes would be pushing it for me.  

[fuckyourcouch]

Nov 13, 2016 13:48:38 GMT -5 RoxMonster said:

Follow up question: Would we be insane to attempt a 14-er coming from basically sea level, even with a few days to acclimatize? If so, are there any awesome hikes that get you up to maybe 12000 ft or so? (I do not do well with exposure so keep that in mind).

No, not insane.  Most of the trails around here you drive to a certain point and walk the rest. You're not hiking the whole 14000 ft. 

[winecat]

For cider, there's Stem Ciders and C-Squared.

There are so many breweries near central Denver. Downtown would be my pick too. The hotels pp's mentioned are all good.

[lavender444]

If hiking is your main attraction while visiting, I would consider staying outside of Denver. The city of Golden is nice. There are a couple hotels along the main street. those would be nice to stay in because the shopping, dining, and bars all within walking distance. You will also be close to Red Rocks, so you can catch a concert, or Film at the Rocks (depending on what days you're here) in the evening and I-70 is right there for easy mountain access. Plus, there are tons of hiking trails right there.

I also would avoid the 14ers, unless you can go up on a week day. Some of the easier ones have so many people on them, it takes away from the experience. If you do decide to go, be mindful of the weather. You want to get a very early start, so you're off the mountain by the time the afternoon storms roll in.

[Deleted]

The Marigold is my favorite downtown hotel, but we live here so I don't stay in Denver hotels a lot. Another option that hasn't been mentioned above would be the Brown Palace Hotel. It's in the high price range, but very historic.

One of my favorite hikes in Rocky Mount National Park is Chasm Lake. It's on the way to Longs Peak. Elevation is about 12,000, I think. It's a beautiful lake with a gorgeous view of the face of Longs Peak. The only drawback when you get that elevated is the lack of oxygen.

[winecat]

@courtneyl- do you mean the Magnolia hotel?

[heywhat]

I recommend doing 1 night in Denver, then driving to Grand Lake (far side of RMNP) 1 night there, then drive through the park (amazing!) to get to Estes. Plan a large portion of the day to drive and you can stop and take lots of short hikes along the way.

[sharknado]

Nov 13, 2016 17:29:24 GMT -5 luckydog said:

The Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver is what I always recommend.

A 14er is going to depend on the individual. Go slow and drink a ton of water. Be ready to turn back. Or you might not have hardly any trouble. Go during the week and go very early.

link

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2016 1:23:43 GMT -5 winecat said:

@courtneyl- do you mean the Magnolia hotel?

Why yes I do! Don't know if that was my brain short circuiting or autocorrect. LOL thank you for noticing that. The MAGNOLIA hotel is lovely.

[ijack]

The crawford hotel in union station is really nice.
I can't remember where you're from, but I would probably only do 1 night in Denver. It's a great city, but there isn't that much in the city itself that is so much more unique than a lot of cities - it's really the areas outside denver that are amazing. If you don't want to do 5 nights in the park then I would possibly do a day in Boulder.