Broadmoor Resort: Queen of Colorado

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When business-tycoon Spencer Penrose built The Broadmoor Resort in 1918, his intention was to create the finest resort in Colorado. He probably never envisioned that, nearly a century later, many people would consider it the finest resort in the West.

In the city of Colorado Springs, Penrose - a lover of the Italian Renaissance - built himself an Italian palace, with peach-colored Mediterranean towers and turrets and red-tile roofs, and interior spaces lined with dark woods, brass, marble, and extraordinary artworks. And he built it amidst one of Earth's most spectacular settings, back-dropped by 10,000-foot Cheyenne Mountain and 14,110-foot Pike's Peak.

After 94 years of hosting princes and potentates, kings and queens, movie stars and presidents, The Broadmoor is one of the Grande Dames of American hotels.

Here, the Rocky Mountain air is not the only thing that's rarefied. The Broadmoor is a one-of-a-kind fusion of Italian Renaissance and American West, with quiet sophistication and natural beauty, a lake with swans and boats, and deer roaming freely on the grounds.

A walk around the grounds is a feast for the eyes, as the grand buildings of the resort reflect the changing colors of the mountains as the day progresses. The "West" half of this resort is now more in evidence than ever, with an outstanding collection of art from the American Museum of Western Art in Denver, featuring legendary Western painters from the 1750's to the 1950's.   

When you come, pack some clothing that fits a bit loosely; it'll be tighter when you leave. The Broadmoor boasts Colorado's only Five-Star restaurant, The Penrose Room. It's an ode to Old-Time elegance on the rooftop, with a Rocky Mountain sunset, a smooth combo playing classics from the 30's and 40's, and food that's almost too beautiful to eat. (But do eat it, especially the Colorado lamb, elk, and trout.) In addition, there are a dozen other restaurants scattered around the property, from elegant Italian to Oriental fusion, along with stylish bars both inside and out.

There are three championship golf courses, and The Broadmoor Tennis Club is consistently rated in the Top Ten among American resorts by Tennis magzine. There's a state-of-the-art fitness center. A huge infinity pool by the lake (and two other pools). A spa emphasizing natural, local products and Native American/Western influences. Suites, guestrooms, and cottages with plush Victorian-style furniture and views to die for. And 23 shops, where you can find distinctive clothing (from formal to Western), jewelry, gifts, and museum-quality art. 

The Broadmoor's an ideal base from which to explore the attractions and natural wonders of the Pike's Peak region. There's Pike's Peak itself, of course, where you can ride an open-air cog train up to the summit, through a variety of ecosystems and abandoned mines...and be rewarded by the famous hot doughnuts on top. The area's also dotted with historic Western towns such as Cripple Creek, Manitou Springs, and Old Colorado City, some of which look much as they did in the 1880's. And Colorado Springs is also blessed with natural wonders like the Garden of the Gods...red-sandstone massifs shooting out of the ground some 300 feet in all sorts of angles and shapes; and the Seven Falls, with a stunning light show at night...and worth every one of the 250 steps you'll have to climb to get up to the top.

The Broadmoor is unlike any other resort. And when you stand at the lake at sunset, with the setting sun bathing the summit of Cheyenne Mountain with yellows, oranges, reds, and then flaming purples...you'll know why.