traceyt

we are trying to decide on a cabin near breckenridge or one in woodland park/pike's peak? which area is better or prettier and more available for us to do - although we do not mind the drive to places if roads/weather permits? we are going the day after christmas for our honeymoon, so obviously we have to book this TODAY! yes, we waited until the last minute, but please help!!

wtm003

Breckenridge.

Catbert

There MUCH more to do in Breckenridge. But if you want a remote, quite honeymoon, you'll like Woodland Park.

jd_denver

Another vote for Breckenridge!!!

baylady

...another vote for Breck!

Kepen

I'm pretty biased (I live 5 minutes away) but I will say Breckenridge. there is so much do do compared to Woodland Park. Plus I the drive would be shorter, but it all depends on what you are interested in doing. let me know if you have any other questions, I'll be more than happy to help. Enjoy your holiday!

virginia

woodland park is ok but really pretty boring. breckenridge has tons going on, and they decorate beautifully at christmas.
in breck i bet you can find a lovely sleigh ride (oh so romantic). if you have time drive over to leadville and eat at the grill - best mexican food in the state!!

traceyt

okay, everyone- thanks so much for your help! we have never been there before and therefore we obviously arent skiers, so my question is- can we drive to breckenridge from woodland park to enjoy some amenities there or is it really too far ( as we will probably eat out alot)- but we have no idea what to expect so i need as much help as i can get! so would we rather stay out and drive to hustle and bustle or stay there in it- and of course one big factor is that we can get just about the same accomodations but in breckenridge for only 3 nights at 1440 (total for all 3 nights) and in woodland for 3+ nights at 225 a night. so please please help quickly as i am sure one of these or both will be unavailable soon. we would like to decide today if possible. also please tell me everything we could drive and do or see or eats or ANYTHING , ANYWHERE that would be worth the drive! any advice is so appreciated! thanks again for all you have given .

Catbert

It's an awfully long drive for one day. And I absolutely wouldn't recommend it for dinner. If you choose Woodland Park (and right after Christmas, Breckenridge will be a zoo), Manatou Springs is a charming little town nearby with some interesting restaurants. You can visit the Indian Cliff Dwellings and Garden of the Gods (in Colorado Springs). For that price difference, and because you'll be enjoying eachother as honeymooners, I'd pick Woodland Park. Good luck!

wtm003

Tracey, It is not practical to drive between Woodland Park and Breckenridge.

First, take a deep breath, relax and pull out a map. Where are you coming from? What are you interested in? You said that you don't ski. Are you interested in lessons? How many days total are you looking at? Why is your decision between Breckenridge and Woodland Park?

Obviously, the choice of the board is Breckenridge. What are your concerns?

traceyt

okay, i know it sounds crazy when one place has more things to offer, but that is why i was asking about us staying in woodland but driving to other places- because i am not familiar with colorado at all or driving times and the road/weather conditions. because i did look at yahoo directions to see how long the drive is time frame wise , but still wasnt sure what to do because one is so much less expensive than the other but on the internet look approx. the same in quality ( one is a little nicer from what i can tell on internet pictures but not much). so my major dilema was i could stay at one for 3 nights for 1,440.00 and the other for 6 nights for 1,350.00, so i thought if we could stay longer in one spot but drive to other places to see etc. for less and longer , then should i do that or was breckenridge so much better that it was worth it to just stay there for those 3 nights? and i know i am lucky to even be able to find anything at this point because i have waited until the last minute, but just not sure what to do. or do you all recommend any other place to try to stay- we were looking for something with a private hot tub? alot of the resorts everywhere are available but just thought we would enjoy something more private for our honeymoon. so that was my main concern. ok ,once again, i love getting all of your feedback and advice- tell me everything you can suggest or know! thank you!

Catbert

Tracey, I think everyone is saying Breck because there is so much to do there. It's a ski town. You said you aren't skiers. You're going the week between Christmas and New Years. It will be crowded and pretty much a zoo; both with people staying there and people driving up from Denver.

Woodland Park will be lovely and quiet. There aren't so many things to do, but like I said, Manatou Springs is a nice little town with several attractions, and Colorado Springs is right next door.

Given the price differential and the fact that you aren't skiers, there would be no question for me. I live in Summit County and love it. So I'm not an unbiased voter, here. (Breckenridge is in Summit County).

Whichever you choose, have a wonderful time and a nice honeymoon.

jd_denver

Have you checked into the area around Winter Park? I think Lake Grandby area would be a nice private option and a short drive from lots of activity near winter park ski area. Another option would be Glenwood Springs - nice mountain atmosphere, but not in the heart of skiing. For some reason, I'm not a big fan of CO Springs.

Just my two cents.

Have fun!

wtm003

Have you thought about a few nights in downtown Denver? The ski train runs up to Winter Park from Union Station. Even if you don't ski, the ride is enjoyable and scenic. Amtrak also runs to Glenwood Springs and the mountain scenery is beautiful. By car, Breckenridge is about 1 1/2 hours away depending on weather. Vail is a little further.

The trees and buildings are lit up downtown so it has a special holiday feeling. You can take a carriage ride and you will have the choice of many fantastic restaurants.

Sorry that this deviates from your original question, but I thought I would throw it out there. Like JD, I'm not a big fan of Colorado Springs.

Let us know what you choose and best wishes.

traceyt

okay, here i go throwing another decision in this. it is so hard when you have no idea what your destination is like. i have traveled many other places and am comfortable planning those trips but have no idea about this one. and really we dont even HAVE to go to this area, we could really choose anything whether it be in this area, or telluride, or even wyoming or montana at this point. but i have found another house available in carbondale ( on the river) but the flight to fly to aspen is double what it is to fly to colorado springs, which once again makes the woodland park stay more appealing. what do you all think? I just want romantic, pretty scenery, private hot tub ( which that is another thing i have noticed- many being indoors there , so is it so cold that it would be better if it were indoors?), and as far as activities- maybe a sleigh ride with dinner, good restaraunts, snow mobiling, driving to look at sites/scenery, snow tubing/sledding, etc. - please help, it is so hard to make a decision when you have no clue about any of the west. we are from atlanta so that is the only thing that was steering me away from denver is because that is what i was expecting denver to be like, just real hustle bustle city life. we would love to see beautiful scenery- and we love to go out to eat and really wont be too active since this is our honeymoon.thanks again for so many of you with your wonderful responses! your help has already helped me a great deal!

Catbert

Tracey, you can do everything you described in Breckenridge. You can also do it in Aspen but at a much higher price.

Have you looked to see what you can find accommodation-wise in Keystone? All those activites and dining experiences are available in Keystone as well. Are you looking at www.vrbo.com?

wtm003

Tracey,

Catbert is correct. Breckenridge or Keystone meet ALL of your criteria. I don't think you are going to find all those activities and dining options in Woodland Park.

virginia

i think 6 days in woodland would be too long. i also still think (after reading the whole thead) breck or anywhere in summit county will be the most fun for you.
considering all your criteria i think jd's idea of glenwood springs is a good one but it will take 4-5 hours driving from the denver airport.
if you want to try wyoming - you can fly right in to jackson hole. stunning scenery. you could rent snowmobiles or go on a tour. there is a huge buffalo herd there. you could drive into yellowstone for a day.

traceyt

oh my goodness everyone- i am so embarrassed to even tell you all that i STILL cannot decide on what to do! i found out that the drive to the carbondale house is quite a few hours ( if we decide on that one) and the flights into aspen were double what they are into denver so we were wondering if we should stay in denver the first night and then drive or shuttle to the other place the next day? we looked at the castle marne for that night- the first night we fly in will be our wedding night. but again , we are still confused on which place we should go. so should we stay in denver that night( any suggestions on best romantic things there if we do that) and then on to another place? or should we just find something closer to one of the major airports and go straight there for our whole trip? and then on that second place to stay- which should it be- breckenridge, winter park, glenwood springs, lake granby,manatou springs, telluride, keystone, etc etc etc? again we have never skied but probably like the sights and atmosphere of the ski towns but would also like romantic quiet stay with beautiful views scenery, site seeing, eating, etc. and also as you know would like to do some of the things i mentioned in the other posts. we have seen bed and breakfast that we liked as well as homes/cabins. i just dont know what is the best decison for us. i have seen things in so many places in colorado that i would love to see and do but am so overwhelmed with making the right decision of where to stay. these are things that are of interest to us- great food, seeing wildlife, romantic, private, sleigh ride, maybe snow tubing-dog sledding-snow mobiling ( has anyone done these things?), beautiful scenery and sites/places, and at least seeing some of the ski town lights atmosphere, a little shopping, and i even saw like the denver botanical gardens light thing, zoo light thing and downtown( any of you done these things?). i know we have too many broad interests but now you see why i need help. and of course we keep going back to wanting to have a private hot tub? goodness please help me- i guess my ADHD keeps kicking in (ha ha ha) and keeping me confused or making a decision on what to do. i just love to hear from others that have actually been to these places or seen/done certain things or know people that have ,to give me great advice and an educated opinion on these things. there is no better advice than from someone that has personally experienced or at least knows about the places/areas/things to do. i know i am getting frustrating to all of you but i do truly appreciate all your help/time on making this a great trip for us. and yes i am/have looked on vrbo.com for those of you that have asked. and i know i am already lucky to even still find anything available, right? but hopefully after posting this message and all your help, i can write my next one saying THAT I HAVE MADE A RESERVATION AND QUIT DRIVING YOU ALL CRAZY! oh and the reason i even mentioned wyoming- is because when you research it- WOW! is some of that scenery amazing or what?!?! but i think we will enjoy colorado just as much for we both have always wanted to go there but never have. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

Catbert

Tracey the problem you're going to have is that these places are all very popular over Christmas.

Here's my advice. See if you can find a place in Dillon. You can have great views, overlooking frozen Lake Dillon and the mountains. Truly gorgeous. You can drive to Breck and Keystone for dinner or other activites. I live in Keystone. It's snowing right now and is going to snow through Tuesday. YOu can come here to ice skate, go tubing, take a sleigh ride dinner. You can find lots of restaurants and bars in both Keystone and Breckenridge. You can snowmobile just outside of Breckenridge.

If I were you I would go to www.vrbo.com and see if there's anything available. Get a condo. Worst case, try the Keystone website but I have to warn you; prices are way inflated over the Christmas week. If you're still around over New Years, come to Keystone for the torchlight parade and fireworks. Just beautiful!

Good luck!