Thanks for the suggestions on areas. I am actually stopping twice in Denver-- once on the way to Yellowstone (when we'll go to Lakeside) and once on the way home (WaterWorld.) So different hotels would be fine.

$200 per night is way too steep for us. $100 is more like it since this group is two generous ( )parents and four almost-adult children, and we'll need two rooms.

Jayne as I suggested earlier why don't you search for some hotels using hotels.com, expedia, travelocity, etc, in you price range and post the locations here for "expert" opinions on the neighborhoods. Denver can be a little quirky in my opinion on hotel locations. For example, there is a very nice La Quinta on I-70 west in Wheatridge, and there is a total rat hotel La Quinta near I-25 and Park Avenue (north of Coors Field) that I would only stay in if I had a death wish. Drug deals and shootings galore! If I were you I would drive 30 minutes for a better hotel than to pick a hotel just 'cuz it's close to Lakeside or Waterworld. Speaking of La Quinta I just check their website and there are 10 different locations around Denver, including the rat hole. Their published rates for June are around $70 - $85.00. There appears to be three in north Denver.

Thanks, jimcolorado, I will study the maps and check the websites and then post for ripoff as well as rathole alerts.

June can be cold too--50's and rainy. Even snow.

Sue

So, you think June may be out of the question for Waterworld? I read somewhere that the water is heated. Is that true?

Jayne-I noticed that people have been purchasing rooms at the Westin Westminster on Priceline for $67. You can look on biddingfortravel.com and see reviews, all of them seem to highly recommend this hotel.

Sounds like we are doing a similar trip this summer, we're going from Denver to Yellowstone and back again. We are also staying at the Westin, but using Starwood points for our two rooms. When I spoke with the reservation staff there, they did say there is a nice shopping area and restaurants nearby. For me, the Westin's "heavenly beds" are enough to convince us to stay there!!

The water is heated at Water World, I checked it out on their web site.

Thanks for the info on the Westin, Tasha. Guess I will have to do some bidding...

I have never used Priceline so I am a little nervous. I went to the biddingfortravel site and was a little overwhelemed with all the information. I still have a little time to research. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Jayne, the weather in June will be more like 70-80 degrees with the possibility of reaching higher. This week is slated for close to 80 degrees. Even though we just got snow, it would be pretty rare to see snow in June in the lower elevations. More than likely you will have good weather so I wouldn't count out Waterworld.

When bidding on PL you want to keep the "stars" high--don't bid on 2* or perhaps in this case, even a 3*. I don't know what the Westin is--probably 4*. So, if you bid on a 4* in Westminster it will pretty sure be the Westin--or at least its equivalent (but it is unlikely there is another 4* there--if you get my drift). So it is worth a try.

Spent many a fun Saturday night at Lakeside a few decades ago. Sorry to hear it's run down--though it was always somewhat edgy. Loved the Fun House--watching the girl's skirts fly into the air as they entered.

Rufus,

Although some posters don't like Lakeside these days, coaster and amusement park enthusiasts LOVE it. They go for the art deco style, the relaxed atmosphere, the vintage rides, inexpensive food and the nightime lights. Here are some of the comments I received from a member of a coaster newsgroup:
"Lakeside Amusement Park is loved dearly by the roller coaster and theme park enthusiast community because it's one of the very, very few "throwbacks" to a much earlier day. A day before the corporate parks with their 10$ parking, 40$ gate admission, 10$ burgers took over, basically....The park is famous worldwide for it's original art- deco neon architecture...

They strongly urged experiencing the park at night...
"there's really NO other park in the United States that looks and FEELS like Lakeside during this magic time. The rides are all safe, the roller coaster is a classic, offering a rough and tumble and exciting experience that the older rides had and a lot of the newer ones don't, along with THE most comfortable roller coaster trains (cars) ever made, the bumper cars are fun, they have old classic rides that are very, very rare like the "whip", and best of all, the prices are dirt cheap, even the food. But really, most of us who love the park go not for any single ride but for that experience that is lakeside at night... the calmness, the unhurried nature of a traditional theme park, the magnificent neon lighting, the cheap eats. It's a place you can take your kids (if you're a parent) and just wander around, without the constant pressure and marketing presence of the big theme parks. If you're going with friends, you just spend your time with your friends in a theme park, instead of going to a theme park and dealing with it with your friends (note the way I phrased that sentence...) It's a place where you don't have to rush. They don't have a million rides, they have atmosphere."

I am looking forward to it!

I used to work at waterworld as a kid. Just know that weather in CO is unpredictable. It could be anywhere between 50-100 degrees. There is usually breif afternoon thunderstorms in June, but with the drought of the last few years, they have been less frequent. You'll have to see what the weather is on the day you plan to go and decide if it is too cold for you. Water world is an incredible place though, and far outshines most other parks in the US.

koala,

I really, really want to do Waterworld, so I hope it's a HOT day when we are there... Should be around June 8. Do you remember the temperature they heated the water to?

Jayne-I never used Priceline until last year when I finally took the chance and got some fantastic rates for a resort in Maui. Since then, I have become much more comfortable and have used Priceline about 5 times. Biddingfortravel does seem overwhelming at first. It becomes more "required reading" for more difficult areas with lots of regions, like D.C. or NYC. Then you get into more tricky bidding.

However, for Westminster, just bid for a 4* in that region and try a bid of $67. It will tell you within a minute or so if you have won your bid. You can increase by a few dollars if your initial bid is not accepted. If you only want to go through the process once, just go with $70. That bid should work. I don't think there are any other 4* hotels in Westminster, but if there are I'm sure they are comparable to the Westin. Once you have won your bid, you can call the hotel directly to check on your reservation. That made me feel more comfortable, plus I added my room type request at that time.

As I recall, the pools at Waterworld were heated to around low to mid 80's. Their website has some informative info, check out the Q&A section for details.

Tasha,

Thanks so much for all the tips on Priceline. I will go looking around on the site to get a feel for it before I bid. I'd love to get such a good price for a nice hotel.

I think it will have to be pretty warm in Denver for me to enjoy Waterworld!

I think it was in the 80's today so your probably safe on that one.

Almost ready to go on my trip, and thanks to your suggestions, have checked areas and Priceline and decided Westminster would be a good area to spend the night. Biddingfortravel.com has lots of info on the Westin and also an Omni resort. But since there are six of us I'd like to go for something cheaper and get three rooms. Does anyone know anything about the LaQuinta at this address?
345 West 120th Avenue,Westminster
Any input would be very helpful!

Jayne
That La Quinta is very nice, probably one of the newer in Denver. Quite a ways from Lakeside however. Much closer to WaterWorld. Depending on time of day you will travel to Lakeside, you will be heading in to some real rush hour traffic, which in Denver seems to run from 6AM to 10 and 3PM til 6. Generally I think La Quinta is a much better bang for the buck. Westin is very nice, Omin also, but neither is good for average family on a budget, esp if you need three rooms.

Thanks, Jim. How far is this place from Lakeside? We might be able to avoid the rush hours. We would be coming into Denver from the east on 287 fairly early (probably by noon), checking into the hotel, etc. My plan was to head out to Lakeside for the evening (maybe 6 p.m.) and stay until about 10 p.m. It will be on a Monday. (Memorial Day)