Summer Staycation at Gaylord Rockies

Summer break has come to an end for us here in Colorado, but before we got back into the swing of the new school year we took one last vacation. Well, a staycation to be precise!

You may remember that we took a Staycation at the Gaylord Rockies resort in Aurora last Winter. You can see it here. It was such a great little getaway that we decided to do it again, this time visiting in Summer and making full use of the amazing outdoor pool facilities. 

Gaylord Rockies is the perfect location for a Colorado staycation, or getaway if you're not local. It's located close to Denver International Airport making it a great place to spend the night before a flight, or a first destination after flying in to Denver. The resort is huge and has something on offer for everyone. The rooms are lovely, there is a wealth of cuisine on offer in the onsite restaurants (and room service), there are fun family friendly activities for the kids, there's a spa and fitness center for those wanting a little self care, the landscaping is stunning, and last but not least, there are indoor and outdoor pool areas. You know those were the biggest hit with my kids, right?

Having previously only ever visited in Winter we had only been able to admire the outdoor pool facilities from the sidelines (apart from a brief late night snowy dip), but this time the pools were our main destination, and you can be sure we made a beeline there right after checking in - after a quick jump on the beds! Jumping on the beds is always a hotel favorite with my kids. Anyone else find the same?

Gaylord Rockies features an indoor pool area with splashpads, lazy river, lap pool and slides, but my kids were keen to spend their time in the sun, so we made our way through the indoor pool area and out to the main pool. The outdoor pool area features a large heated pool with a slide, two hot tubs, plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas for relaxing, pool cabanas to rent, and my favorite, a heated lazy river. The kids spent hours playing in the big pool, only taking breaks for food and drinks from Arapahoe Springs Bar & Grill. This is THE place to hang out by the pool with a cocktail - or a mocktail for the kids! 

After quite some time in the big pool we made our way to the lazy river where we stayed until after the sun set. The kids had a blast floating around in the clear tubes and the water was pleasantly warm - well, apart from the waterfall that the lazy river took us under! 

In the evening we roasted s'mores over a campfire, took in the sights of the resorts all lit up at night and played lawn games before ordering room service pizza for dinner. That was some seriously delicious pizza. I'd share a picture, but it was so good it was gone in no time!

The following morning we grabbed breakfast from the resort's Rockies Marketplace which offers a large range of ready to eat meals, snacks, treats and a full service coffee bar. We then took part in a treasure hunt to find pirate treasure hidden around the resort. The kids had fun following the clues and it was a great way to explore parts of the resort we may not have otherwise visited. Once the kids had completed all the pages in the treasure hunt booklet they were awarded with a fun prize.

 

We finished up our stay at Gaylord with a walk around the outside of the resort, some snacks in the sun, and some more lawn games. We could've happily stayed all day, but we had back to school chores to attend to at home. Boo to chores! 

Our little staycation was a wonderful getaway and the perfect end to our Summer break. If you're in Colorado and wanting to take a little break away from it all you really can't go past Gaylord Rockies. It's such a convenient location and they really do have something for everyone.  

To make a booking or to learn more about Gaylord Rockies click here.