Everyone has heard of the Broadmoor resort, but have you heard of Garden of the Gods Resort & Club? This property offers some unique features that set it apart from the Broadmoor. It is smaller, so it provides a more intimate feel. The location is spectacular with some pretty incredible views of the Garden of the Gods. If you are spending time in Colorado, it could be a great addition to your trip. Here are some important pointers to keep in mind.
When you book your reservation at Garden of the Gods, I highly recommend staying in their main building on property. Their casitas look amazing, but they do not have a view at all. One of the best parts of staying here was our view from Room 215. We were on the second floor with a fantastic viewpoint over Garden of the Gods. All of the rooms in their main lodge face Garden of the Gods, so most all of them have a view. I think the second floor (there are only two floors) is preferable. They have a table and chairs on the balcony perfect for enjoying a good book or drinking a cocktail/bottle of wine.
The room decor does differ slightly between the main building and their casitas. In the main building, the decor was simple. The room had a couch with coffee table, desk, and fireplace. The bathroom was surprisingly spacious with plenty of room to get ready. Our room seemed very up to date, and they were in the middle of some renovations during our stay.
There are two main options available for dinner. One is the Grand View Dining Room and Patio, which is the resorts more formal dining room with white table clothes and more proper décor. The second is the Rocks Lounge and Patio. This was where we had our dinner. I really enjoyed this less formal dining option. If you are staying at the hotel, the concierge will call to assist you with any and all reservations in advance of your stay. You might want to specify that you would like a table by the window if the view interests you. There are floor to ceiling windows, so all of the tables have some degree of a view.
I hate to compare, but I want to distinguish how I felt about the food at Garden of the Gods versus the Broadmoor. I was rather surprised that the food at Garden of the Gods was much more suited to my taste. They do have a focus on wellness, and I loved their menus. Their restaurants left me impressed. For dinner, I tried the seared ahi tuna appetizer, boquerones, shrimp and grits, and their pappardelle pasta. All of the dishes were incredibly tasty. The following morning for lunch at their bar, I tried the delicata squash salad and curried chicken salad sandwich with homemade potato chips. Both were fantastic.
The gym is very well equipped. It has two rooms. One side primarily has cardio equipment and weight machines. The other side has free weights and some additional weight machines. In general, I thought this was a great hotel gym. It is smaller than the Broadmoor gym, and it was rather busy. With that in mind, I did not have any trouble with equipment availability. Their gym looks out at their pool and Garden of the Gods. This particular pool is not terribly grand in size and seemed overcrowded the afternoon we arrived. They do have additional pools, tennis courts, pickleball, and a spa. Wildlife often wanders onto the lawn. While I was in the gym, there were deer having their breakfast just outside.
If you want to explore Garden of the Gods, you have a couple of options available to you. First, you can take an approximately 2 mile walking trail over to the entrance. The second option is to drive around to the entrance. When I booked our reservation, I mistakenly thought that the Garden of the Gods was literally outside the back door of the resort. This was not actually the case. We opted to drive to the park. Due to our short stay, we spent a generous half day driving through the park and stopping at various parking lots to walk around and take photos.
Dependent upon your goals, one or two nights at Garden of the Gods is likely more than adequate. If you are planning to spend more time in the park, this might necessitate a longer stay. After staying at the Broadmoor, Cloud Camp, and now Garden of the Gods, I feel this resort is definitely worthy of a visit. It was certainly unique and not as much of an institution as the Broadmoor. I thought their restaurants had innovative menus and served a really high quality product. Their gym also exceeded my expectations. Garden of the Gods Resort is a lovely addition to any Colorado Springs trip.
