Denver Bed & Breakfasts
 

At the end of August my wife and I are traveling to Colorado, our first visit. We are 60 years old and plan on starting our vacation in Denver for the first five days. My research has identified two bed and breakfasts that we are considering. One is the Gregory Inn and the other is the Queen Anne. They both seem very nice. On one blog I read that the Gregory Inn is not in a good neighborhood. We'll be walking a lot while we are there. We are from Boston so we are not uncomfortable in urban settings though we obviously prefer a safe environment. Any thoughts on which B&B we should choose? Thank you.

I live in the Denver area so I have not stayed at either of the B&Bs that you are asking about. I love walking so if it was my vacation I would not like the location of either B&B - especially the Gregory Inn. Both are outside of the main downtown area and are really beyond walking distance for most people. I looked at the Gregory Inn reviews on Trip Advisor and was a little surprised by the condescending management response to the negative reviews.

For location I like the historic Oxford Hotel. It is close to restaurants, entertainment, Coors Field and light rail. Again, since I live in the area I haven't stayed there but you may want to check it out.

www.theoxfordhotel.com

Also, I don't know what you have planned, but five days seems like a lot of time to spend in Denver. It has been a cool summer so far, but August is usually hot and a good time to head to the mountains.

Hope you have a great trip.

Not knowing what you're hoping for in a B&B or your budget, I'm going to recommend the Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens. http://www.denver.com/lumber-baron-inn/ It isn't for everyone, but the rooms are beautiful and it's near the Highlands area, which you may also like.

wtm003's recommendation for the Oxford Hotel is also a good one if you're wanting to stay close to the downtown area.

If I had a better idea of what you plan to do, I might give a better response. I will try to response closer to your question. Of the two the better location is Queen Anne. The Gregory Inn is more marginal. First the lay of the land. The core of downtown Denver is the 16th Mall (N/S) and to a lesser degree Larimer,Market, Wazee Sts (E/W) towards the north end of 16th. This area is commonly called LoDo for lower downtown -- meaning closer to the Platte River. The Gregory Inn at 2500 is 9 blocks to the east and just north of the middle of the Mall. Queen Anne at 2300 is closer but further south near the south end of the Mall. There is a free bus the runs the length of the Mall so location on the Mall is not terribly important. 17th is somewhat equal to your financial district. 15th/ is the theater district. The Highlands across the pedestrian bridge from the north end of the 16th street mall would be faint echo of your North end -- much smaller and no Italians but it is up hill and on the other side of I-25. Fortunately we didn't have to bury it so you just walk over it. A most unusual piece of public art is on display at the north of the bridge.

The closest you could get to a Back Bay would be the Cherry Creek Mall and especially North Cherry Creek. That is about 20 blocks east of the downtown area but serviced easily by bus.

But, please let me what what you want to see and do.

Thank you all for your great responses. In answer to the question of what we want to do... we'd like to see all of Colorado in 9 days. Seriously, as we planned our first trip to Colorado we realized that we had to be selective in what we saw. There will certainly be another trip in another year.

We both like cities and thought there seemed to be a number of interesting things to do in Denver (museuems, the Mint, etc.) and we could rent a car so we could explore areas just outside (Boulder, Red Rocks, etc.) while staying in the central location of the city.

We had planned to then travel to the mountains, RMNP, Breckinridge, Vail and Aspen and then conclude our trip in Colorado Springs. After setting all this down on paper, we eliminated RMNP, Vail and Aspen. Breckinridge is a maybe. Colorado Springs is still a definite. Time is the issue. I don't want the vacation to turn into a marathon.

We thought that a bed & breakfast in Denver would be more comfortable than a hotel and we like them but we are not opposed to a hotel as we stay in them frequently. I would prefer a well located hotel to a bed & breakfast if the B&B was in a undesirable or inconvient location.

Other than booking flights and making a reservation to see the Mint, we have not made any other firm plans.

I really appreciate your advice since we are relying on travel books to chart our trip. Your personal perspective helps a great deal.

Iguazu, I work in downtown Denver and would select Queen Anne over Gregory Inn just for location and safety. However, I would agree with wtm003 that The Oxford is a great choice. My company had their holiday party there and its is lovely, historic, and well located to restaurants, Coors Field and the light rail, and has a great spa. www.rtd-denver.com for light rail schedule. All three are good choices, but I'd pick The Oxford. Happy Travels.

Five days in Denver would be leisurely. There is good bus service to Boulder. Personally I am not a big fan of Colorado Springs although the cog railroad up Pike's Peak is worth the ride. To make efficient use of a car, you might drop a day from Denver. After Denver, I recommend that you plant yourself in Breckenridge. You will need a car but from there are a number of days trips -- Leadville, Glenwood Springs and canyon. On the way to Breck you could visit Red Rocks -- it is quick visit, stop at Georgetown and the Georgetown Railroad loop is short but interesting. I think the Mineral Trail Loop (12 miles) in Leadville is a hidden gem that few people have seen or down. It is walkable, works better on a bike, and relatively flat for that area.

I would keep Vail and Glenwood Spring on your list and drop Colorado Springs.

For a unique B&B on the east side of downtown Denver, there's the Castle Marne. I haven't stayed there, but a friend of mine travels to business in Denver regularly, and she always stays there.

http://www.castlemarne.com/