This past weekend I had the pleasure of staying at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club and all I can say is WOW. From the moment you walk in, the view of the Garden of the Gods park greets you and I felt all the stress slip away.
I decided it’d be fun to invite my mom to tag along for a girls getaway weekend and the entire stay exceeded our expectations. The drive from Denver was so easy, it only took us an hour to get to the resort and had beautiful scenery along the way. I was blown away by the service at the resort! The staff was so friendly and made us feel at home the entire time. The landscape and mountain views from the resort are truly remarkable! Pictures do not do it justice, but as your trusted blogger, I did my best to capture it!
Here’s a little snapshot of our itinerary:
Arrival (cue jaws hitting the floor when we took in the view for the first time)
Lunch with a view at The Rocks Lounge (try the lobster roll - it did not disappoint)
Checked into our Casita (again, more jaws on the ground over how nice the Casita was)
Pampering at Strata Wellness
A really rough transition from the spa to the infinity pool (isn’t life hard?!)
Cocktails!
Room service for dinner because the outdoor fire place at our Casita had our name all over it
Time to catch some ZZZs
Morning coffee at Beach and Cable Barista (they have their own pastry chef, swoon!)
Lunch by the pool
My mom dragging me out of the resort because leaving really was that hard
Now that you’ve gotten the high level synopsis of the trip… let’s really dive in! Where do I even begin?! The resort itself is extremely nice! Think mountain getaway mixed with modern updates and breathtaking views all around. There are just over 100 rooms, including the Casitas where we stayed. The resort went under new ownership seven years ago and what was once an invite only, private club, became a luxurious resort open to all! They host weddings, retreats, and visitors alike. They were actually setting up a wedding on the lawn while we were there and what a backdrop that view would be for a ceremony! Talk about some epic wedding photos! I actually think the resort would be really fun for a Bachelorette party too! You could get a Casita with multiple bedrooms and have the perfect mix of spa, pool and relaxation while also being able to hike in the Garden of Gods Park and do fun, outdoor activities like golf or horse back riding! Perfect for us Colorado gals!
Our Casita was just a short walk to the main resort and it almost felt like being in Palm Springs. The landscaping around the Casitas area is filled with beautiful streams, flowers, walking and golf cart paths, glimpses of Pikes Peak and, of course, our beloved Rocky Mountains. All of the Casitas are brand new and have one to three bedrooms, beautiful furnishings, kitchen and dining room, fireplaces, and feel oh so luxurious. Move over Kardashians, this girl is living the high life! My mom and I had a two bedroom, three bathroom Casita and were so impressed at how well it was done and how nice each of our rooms were. You could spend all day at the Casita and be perfectly happy.
But, at last, the spa beckoned and I headed to the Strata Wellness Center for my Aypa Energy Body Treatment. Don’t know what that means? Hey, neither did I! But friends, trust me, this is a spa treatment that you are going to want to remember and try when you go to the resort yourself. Here’s how the website describes the treatment: “Aypa is a mystical Andean Incan treatment using natural, organic indigenous plants and fruits from Peru. A purple corn exfoliant, lucuma warming body mask, sacha inchi oil, and an exquisite crème made from organic quinoa complete a treatment that awakens all the senses with these native earth, wind, and fire elements.” Here’s how I describe this hour of pure goodness. First, a body scrub is massaged all over you that smells simply divine! You then rinse off and return to the warmness that we all love of a massage table. For the rest of the treatment, the warming mask, which feels like a warm oil, is massaged all over and OH EM GEE, this was seriously one of the best massages I’ve gotten. It felt so nice and I melted into that table. I’m honestly getting sleepy and relaxed all over again just typing this… Side note on the spa, they also have a Himalayan salt room which was so impressive and has healing affects for both health and mood!
OK, back from my cat nap after re-living that spa treatment. My mom and I then went to the Infinity Pool, which is restricted to those 21+. There is also a family pool area with a hot tub, as well as a recreation pool and splash zone across the street at their Kissing Camels Golf Club. But we decided to be all about that infinity pool life because who doesn’t want a front row seat to the Garden of the Gods view with bar service! The view from this pool is easily top five I have seen. I couldn’t even concentrate on my book, which got tossed to the side because the view was the true star of the show! It was fun to do happy hour drinks and soak in some sun before dinner. Highly recommend their aperol spritz!
For dinner, we opted to retreat back to our gorgeous Casita and throw on some comfy clothes and lounge by our outdoor fireplace because #vacation - am I right?! The food was amazing and I felt like we were living in the lapse of luxury! It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the sunset over the red rock formations and catch up and laugh the night away. Good wine, good times, and great accommodations!
The rooms were so comfortable and it was so nice to snuggle up in my huge king bed! The next morning we walked to the resort coffee shop, Beach & Cable Barista, which offers Starbucks coffee, smoothies, grab and go bites, and, best of all, homemade pastries! I am gluten free and was amazed how many gluten free options they had! I had a lemon scone day one and a pumpkin muffin day two because… treat yo self!
Before check out, we managed to get some more pool time in and continue our ultimate relaxation with poolside lunch. I honestly cannot recommend Garden of the Gods Resort and Club enough, especially to all of my Denver and Colorado followers! It is so easy to get to and you truly feel like you have left and gone on vacation! This resort offers so much and is great for so many different types of trips. Think family vacay, couples retreat, spa weekend, golf trip, hiking adventure, it has it all! Next time I go back, here are just a few of things I have on my list already to do!
Golf at Kissing Camels Golf Club, which has challenging 27 holes
Play pickleball - those who know me know I am OBSESSED with Pickleball so you can imagine my excitement when I found out they have courts!
Yoga on the lawn - who wouldn’t want to do Warrior One with that view!
Hike in Garden of the Gods Park
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - named one of the best in the country!
Seven Falls - a series of seven waterfalls that you do want to go chasing
Thank you so much for the amazing team at Garden of the Gods Resort and Club for hosting us. This weekend getaway exceeded all expectations and was such a dream. Until next time… I’ll be back!
