Tag Archives: Lodging

Hotel Monaco – Denver, Colorado

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“Travel + Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels List”

Denver’s Hotel Monaco

hotel-monaco-lobby2One of eight Colorado hotels named to Travel + Leisure magazine’s “Top 500 Hotels.” This is the fourth award Denver’s Hotel Monaco has received in the magazine in six years. “This honor speaks to Hotel Monaco Denver’s ability to create a stylish and sophisticated hotel stay, brimming with warmth and uniqueness,” said Von de Luna, general manager at Hotel Monaco Denver.

Inclusion on the Top 500 hotel list is determined by reporters, editors, readers and survey results from around the country conducted by Travel + Leisure magazine.  The hotels included have been evaluated based on criteria such as differentiating characteristics, the best rooms to book and specialty services, amenities and perks offered.

Ten reasons to stay at Hotel Monaco Denver, a Kimpton boutique hotel:

  • Hosted evening wine reception, a chance to relax and unwind after a busy day with complimentary chair massages by the Renaissance Aveda Spa & Salon and appetizers by Panzano
  • Panzano Restaurant, featuring contemporary Northern Italian Cuisine
  • Full-service on-site Renaissance Aveda Spa and Salon
  • Unique bath menu, to personalize your bath experience.
  • “Mind, Body, Spa” in-room wellness program, with the Yoga Channel on every TV and complimentary yoga accessories to use during your stay
  • hotel-monaco-suite4Bring your pet with you –  a pet friendly hotel
  • Complimentary pet goldfish delivered to your guestroom upon request
  • “Tall rooms” available, featuring extra-long beds and heightened showerheads
  • Themed Suites: “Imagine” – the John Lennon Suite,  “Seven Steps to Heaven” – the Miles Davis Suite, “Rock” – the 60’s Classic Artists Suite, “Step into Wonderland” – the Grace slick Suite
  • Outstanding, personalized service

When You Go: Hotel Monaco, 1717 Champa Street, Denver.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument – Arizona

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Magical History Tour

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

canyon-de-chelly-2The Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly National Monument announces  the “Magical History Tour” available March 1 through October 31, 2009. The two-night package offers a way for visitors to learn about this magical canyon’s 2,000 years of human existence and to take in the canyon’s incredible landscape.

The “Magical History Tour” two nights lodging at the historic Thunderbird Lodge, continental breakfast for two each morning, a canyon tour for two, a copy of a DVD called “Canyon de Chelly: American History, Heritage and Tradition” and a 10 percent discount in the gift shop. Choose either a full-day or half-day tour. The package cost including the full-day tour is $415, cost with the half-day tour is $363. Rates are for two people based on double occupancy.

thunderbird-truckTours are led by knowledgeable Navajo guides driving six-wheel drive vehicles. Half-day tours take visitors into the lower halves of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto, the two canyons which comprise Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

The full-day tour travels a 60-mile route through Canyon del Muerto to Mummy Cave and through Canyon de Chelly to Spider Rock. The tours stop frequently so guides can provide details of the canyon’s fascinating history and point out prehistoric dwelling sites as well as petroglyphs and pictographs etched and painted onto rocks throughout the park.

One of the most sobering stops on the full-day tour is at the Massacre Cave Overlook. The cave received its name after more than 105 Navajos were killed at the site in an all-day battle to defend their land from encroaching Spanish settlers.

Located on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly is jointly operated by the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service. The monument is home to about 80 Navajo families who continue to live and farm in the canyon.  With the exception of only one hiking trail, Visitors to the monument are permitted into the canyon only in the company of an authorized Navajo guide with the exception of one hiking trail. 

thunderbird-lodge-sign1Thunderbird Lodge provides group tours and is the only lodging facility within Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The lodge is located on the site of a trading post built around the turn of the 20th century. 

When You Go: Thunderbird Lodge is open year-round. The “Magical History Tour” is available March 1 through October 31, 2009.

2008 Travel Favorites, Picks, Best of… Part 1

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Wrapping Up 2008

Everyone seems to be making lists this week. I’ve looked back over this year’s travel experiences and put together highlights and favorites. We didn’t travel as much as usual in 2008 but many fine memories were made along the way.

  • elk-mountain-inn3Best Historic Inn – Elk Mountain Hotel in Elk Mountain, Wyoming — A superbly restored 1905 historic hotel combining the elegance of a by-gone era with the comforts and amenities of the 21st century. Three miles from Interstate 80 but a world away, surrounded by ranchland, this was the best escape we could have imagined. A graduate of  l’Ecole de Cordon Bleu in Paris, Owner/Chef Susan Prescott-Havers, presents an incredible fine dining experience. Susan and husband Arthur are congenial hosts with fascinating backgrounds. An amazing retreat we plan to repeat.

  • water-street-inn2Dream Room – Water Street Inn, Santa Fe, New Mexico – Room 4—We’ve slept around at this Inn for years, staying in many different rooms. This year we found the one I’ll want on every future visit. All the best features we’ve come to expect at our favorite Santa Fe lodging  plus spacious room, kiva fireplace, king four-poster bed, sleeping banco, and chaise lounge create my idea of perfection.

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