Has anyone stayed or know anything about the Burnsley Hotel in Denver, CO? Also, how far is the drive from Denver to Breckenridge; Aspen; Colorado Springs? What are the best road trips to take from Denver? Thanks much.
Mag

MAG,

The Burnsley Hotel is a medium sized all-suite hotel located just east of downtown Denver. It used to be an apartment complex but was converted sometime in the sixties. They last renovated the rooms in 1999.

All of the rooms are spacious and include separate living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens. I believe that most of the rooms have good-sized balconies as well. If you stay there, make sure and request an upper floor room facing west (toward the mountains) as some of these have pretty darn good views; quiet neighborhood.

The good news: Bar and restaurant on premises; free parking; shuttle service into downtown (it's not that far but I wouldn't have to constantly walk into town and back) large rooms; balconies; kitchens; overall a pretty good value for the money (depending on what kind of deal you got, of course).

The bad news: Even though the rooms were renovated a few years ago, some of them still look a little "tired" (especially some of the beds, however, they often have several rooms available so you can always request a different room if you don’t like the one you’re in). If you don't have a car, getting into town and around can be a pain; not much to see or do in the immediate vicinity of the hotel (again, if you have a car this is not a problem).

The drive to Breckenridge from Denver takes about 1 & 1/2 hours. Aspen takes 31/2-4 and Colorado Springs about 75 minutes. Keep in mind that these times are based on good weather.

As far as good road trips, when are you planning to arrive? The time of year will dictate what trips people will recommend. Let us know when you’re coming and I’m sure people will chime in with suggestions.

Hope this helps,

Davidcs

David:

Thanks for all of the wonderful information. I arrive in late October. Is Steamboat Springs worth a road trip? Thanks.

Hi MAG.

Steamboat Springs is a great little town with a lot of die-hard fans. It is a lot different (less touristy and commercial) than other ski towns/resorts. Because of this, there is not quite as much to see/do in the off season there (during which time you would be arriving).

In late October, it will most likely be too cold to hike and stuff (plus the trees will already have changed) and yet too early to go skiing. IMHO I would probably save myself the 31/2 hour drive and opt for Aspen or Vail because there will be more to do at that time of year.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hope this helped.

Davidcs

Thanks, David. Yes, I have some other questions. What is there to do in Vail right now? It's too early to ski? too late to hike? Are there natural hot springs close to Vail? In Vail? How far are the mining towns from Vail? Georgetown? Is there anything worth seeing/stopping to do between Denver and Vail? Thanks much.
MAG

Mag,

Unfortunately, activities in many resort towns are going to be fairly limited during the time you're going to be here. The main reason I suggested Vail or Aspen over Steamboat is that the opportunities for eating and shopping (two of the activities that are always open!)will be much greater in those towns.

The Vail season doesn't officially begin until around November 22nd and I'm afraid there usually isn't much scheduled for October. Of course the positive side of that is that it won't be nearly as crowded then.

As for hot springs, the closest ones to Vail that I know of are in Glenwood Springs. GS is about sixty miles from Vail (between Vail and Aspen) and is known for its hot springs and vapor caves. Perhaps someone else knows of something closer to Vail.

Gotta go for now--I'll try to get back to this later.

Davidcs

Thanks, David. Maybe I ought to think about rescheduling my trip. Is there snow yet in Vail? I will call some resorts and other places in the area and find out what's going on. Thanks for all of your advice.