Bitter

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in G-springs. Nothing too exciting, but you can walk to the gondola to the adventure park.

We popped into the Denver, and I might take a closer look at that, next time (more central and great brewpub in/nearby).

The Hotel Colorado is historic and worth a visit, but has mixed reviews.

In Breck, what fmpden said. We personally like being within easy walking distance of the main downtown area for shopping and food.

spirobulldog

since you mentioned Zipline. The best zipline on the planet with one of the best train rides is the combo @ www.soaringcolorado.com Expensive, but worth every cent.

Mesa Verde is nearby and is very neat to see.

sl68

Thanks for all of the great information. We have narrowed down our plans a little. We will spend our first night in Denver and do a day trip to Estes Park ending the second day in Boulder. Then we will travel to Breckenridge for 5 days. We are open to taking day trips from Breckenridge--maybe to Buena Vista? Any suggestions on must-do activities based on this general itinerary? Where is the best place we might be able to do white water rafting (mid August)? How about a river float--I am a bit less adventurous than my crew! Soaring Colorado looked amazing, but at $500/person, is out of our budget range, and not really close to where we'll be. Any other zip line suggestions? How about horse back riding for absolute beginners?