During the peak of summer heat in 2021, Eric and I got to the point where we just needed to be in a body of water. We had been trying to think of places we could go for a quick weekend break, and realized that we had great options right here in Denver. We booked two nights at The Gaylord, which is a huge resort out by the airport in Denver. About a 30 minute drive from our house near downtown, it was just far enough to feel like we were really getting away, while still being in Denver.
The whole hotel is beautiful, and gives me very Disney resort vibes in the sense that the whole hotel is part of the experience. The lobby is MASSIVE, and has these huge 4-5 story windows looking out on the city. There’s a large bar with a train car and a small river running through it, and you really immediately feel like you’re on a true vacation.
We decided to take a Friday off so that we could get to the hotel right away in the morning. We checked in and got a great upgrade to a suite, which had a small living room, plus spacious room and beautiful bathroom. The hotel is fairly new, so everything is very up to date and modern. We also had a beautiful view of the city in the distance.
After getting settled in, we put on bathing suits and made our way down to check out the pool situation. When you enter the pool area, the first portion is all indoors, with multiple hot tubs, a huge indoor pool, and a few waterslides. When you walk outside, there are a few bars, a pool, and then a large lazy river. Full transparency, the hotel does cater heavily towards families and kids, and since this was a kidless double date weekend, we picked some chairs in the far back away from the kiddie pools and water slides.
We spent the whole day lounging in the sun and floating around the lazy river. They have a pretty standard poolside food menu, plus some great cocktails.
For dinner, we made reservations at the Old Hickory Steakhouse, which is the one spot in the hotel that you do want to make reservations at ahead of time. I’d been here once before for a client dinner, and it doesn’t disappoint. The four of us shared a steak and a bunch of sides, plus a bottle of wine and a few too many espresso martinis. Afterwards, we posted up at the Pinyons bar, for more cocktails than we needed.
We woke up the next morning a smidge hungover, and walked down to the Marketplace/Coffee shop in the lobby. They have a mini Starbucks with a lot of great food options as well. We brought our coffees down and posted right back up at the pool for another day of drinking, lounging, and floating.
That night, we opted to have dinner and drinks at the Mountain Pass Sports Bar. We grabbed a great table with a view of the MASSIVE 75 foot TV for some basketball, beers, and food. The menu is very bar food forward, but all delicious.
The next day we had to head out fairly early for lunch plans in the city, but definitely could have spent the whole third day laying in the sun again. Overall, we loved our weekend at The Gaylord, and we will definitely make this at least a once a year occasion. Any other staycations we should consider within driving distance of Denver for the weekend or questions about your upcoming staycation? Let us know in the comments!
