siobhan

3 nights in Denver- are we crazy to stay at Englewood (S. Denver) if we are going to Rocky Mountain NP and downtown Denver?

Now I know that South Denver is the opposite direction to RMNP, but it is feasible to drive there for 1 or 2 of the days?

There are some Hilton properties in S. Denver that we would prefer to stay at because of frequent flyer points and excellent prices.

We don't mind not seeing RMNP in detail because:
1. we'll probably be tired after a 13 hr flight there
2. we are going to Yellowstone/ Tetons/ Badlands too, so don't want to tire ourselves out hiking excessively in our first days
3. altitude acclimatisation
4. it would be good to see some of Denver too

Thanks!

jp4ny

We stayed in Denver last summer. We stayed at a Hampton Inn south of Denver. The tax in Englewood was 10% or more so didn't consider that area. We paid $49 a night by booking over the internet on hotels.com. When I called the hotel direct they could not give me that price.

HowardR

I'd spend the three days in Boulder and the RMNP and skip Denver altogether!

Tess

There's a nice Embassy Suites in downtown Denver (Hilton property). That would put you closer to RMNP. Really, though, I wouldn't worry about staying in south Denver--at most, you'll add 1/2 hour each way to the trip.

Another option is to stay at the Hampton Inn in Boulder--you'd be in between RMNP and Denver that way and Boulder's a really fun place.

I will say that downtown Denver would be a fun place to stay!

nomopromos

I'm with Howard, I'd stay up in Boulder and skip Denver too.

There's a massive construction project on I-25 right now called T-Rex which causes more traffic bottlenecks and congestion than you can imagine.

Denver has a surprising lack of recreational and cultural opportunities -- most leisure time seems to be spent on outdoor sports such as mountain biking and skiing. The restaurant scene is blah unless you really enjoy red meat. Then there's the smoking issue -- Denver still allows it in bars and restaurants and Boulder doesn't.

Just IMO.

BoulderCO

I wouldn't stay in South Denver. Not at all convenient and the traffic in and out of the Denver Tech Center is terrible. It is now made even worse with the construction on I-25. If you really want to spend time in downtown Denver and use your points the Embassy Suites is a good choice. I would also agree with the posters who said to stay in Boulder rather than Denver. Much nicer, smaller town with easy access to RMNP. There is a Hampton Inn near Boulder but it is actually in Louisville - about 5 miles east of Boulder. There is a Homewood Suites right in Boulder. You should be able to use your Hilton points there. It is a very nice, newer property.

Gretchen

Oh, and the parking in Boulder is just so great too. You might want to try bidding on Priceline for a 4* hotel in downtown Denver. Staying at the Tech Center will save you a lot of money just in general and really is not that much further to RMNP--15 to 30 minutes. Our children live down that way as does a LOT of Denver. Boulder might be fun for an afternoon. There are excellent restaurants in Denver, a wonderful botanic garden, zoo, art museum with outstanding native American exhibits, science museum with IMAX, Rockies game at Coors Field. The drive to RMNP would be about 1 1/2 hours. You could drive up, then through the park and return to Denver from the other side of the park (can't remember the route #). It makes a nice day trip circle.

siobhan

Hmm, I guess it's a question of interpretation- my husband and I picked up different messages from the post. I felt from what you are all saying- the general consensus is that Boulder is a great place to stay and that Denver Tech South may suffer from traffic problems. But he felt the balance of opinion said Denver South was ok...

I do like Gretchen's idea of the 'loop'. One advantage of Denver Tech South is it seems a good location to visit Aspen and Vail from- just as a day trip. It's a cheaper too than Boulder.

Normally the advantage of staying in a smaller town is you can walk to places, but since it seems that wherever you are you need a car to get around, you might as well stay in a suburban location that is cheaper.

Though I'm open to contradictions...

HowardR

Considering the fact that you say you're only spending three days in Colorado, why are you planning so many things? And, considering the driving that's ahead of you as you make your way to Wyoming, do you really want to add the miles of day trips to Aspen and/Vail?
I'd skip Denver and lead towards RMNP, drive through the park and hit Vail on your way West, as it is right on I-70.