Do you have a place that you promise yourself you’re going to visit year after year but never seem to get there? That was Denver for me. Every year I would make mental plans to take the family to Denver. Every year those plans were never executed, until this year! The only thing is the kids didn’t make the trip.:( Greg and I went on this getaway with friends. The trip was short but just enough for what we wanted to do. We went on a Saturday and came back on a Tuesday.
Once we arrived to the Denver airport we opted to catch the train down to Union Station. This was a much cheaper option to get into town. $20 and 45 minutes later we found ourselves in the coolest train station that I’ve personally ever been to. There are restaurants, stores, bars, shopping and seating inside and out of the station and plenty more to do in walking distance. We had a few hours until check in so we checked our bags in with a mobile bag holder. It was $3-$5 to check your bag. This is a great option if you want to explore the city while you wait for your hotel/airbnb to be ready.
We had lunch at Hopdoddy Burger Bar. It is right outside of the station so we didn’t have to go far. The food was good and the drinks were even better. Greg had a burger and I had ther tenders. We shared a bowl of parmesan fries as well. The service and prices were great here.
Once our friends arrived, we took a short uber ride to our airbnb. It was in a very walkable neighborhood. It was so convenient to be able to walk to dinner, the grocery store and get coffee. We didn’t want to rent a car so we made sure to pick an area that had everything we needed close by. The airbnb itself was cute, comfy and clean! There was 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. We had a large private balcony, a generous size living room and kitchen. Also, there is a rooftop with fire pits, a grill, seating and a beautiful view. It made for the best turn downs in the evening and a place to have coffee in the morning. The host were extremely helpful and responsive. I highly recommend this spot. Link available upon request. We ended up having dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood the first night which did not impress the foodie in me. But we did luck up and find a cute coffee shop on the corner! Huckleberry Roasters and their apple pie latte are still on my mind.
Day 2 we took the greyhound to Vail for a day trip. It is as beautiful as you see in pictures. We went snowmobiling which was AWESOME. Going through those mountains with snow falling was unreal. Legit picture perfect views. We stopped mid way through our excursion to have hot cocoa in a yurt. Unfortunately, the company was the worst I’ve ever dealt with and I can’t recommend them. 🙁 We spent the rest of our day exploring Vail’s resort. It was like I was in my own personal Hallmark movie. We stopped into a pretty cool art gallery and had lunch at a pizzeria. FYI: The greyhound was seriously Hell! The trip was supposed to be 2 hours and it took us 5 to get back. Like Greg said, I would rather walk than get on another greyhound bus. So if you want to experience Vail, check different options to get there from Denver. You can also look into Winter Park as they have trains that go directly into their resort. They also have a snow mobiling. 🙂
Until Day 3 we really didn’t think Denver was made for foodies. lol We had some pretty lacking food and we were desperate to find a good brunch spot. And we did at Mimosas. I was also able to meet up with a blogger friend and her husband there so that made it even better. The food was a 10 out of 10. The table had mimosa french toast, shrimp and grits, crab cakes, eggs, and chicken and waffles. 0 complaints! They also have some fun drinks and mimosa flights. This is one spot you cannot skip on your trip to Denver!
After brunch we picked got scooters and rode through the city. We went to HopDoddy’s again for drinks before heading back to the airbnb. We thought about going out but ordered dinner in, played games and put the rooftop fire pits to use again.
Before we departed, Greg and I had brunch at Snooze A.M. This is located inside of Union Station. Another must! The food was amazing. I had their pancake flight and Greg had the fried eggs and french toast. Their strawberry mimosa martini was good too.
Overall Denver was a cool place to visit. There is plenty to do if you are looking for adventure. We wanted to have some fun but really wanted to relax this vacay.
Xo,
Chelle B.
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