Where to Stay

The Crawford Hotel: We were madly in love with our hotel, located in lower downtown Denver. The lobby is designed like a train station terminal, but a super fancy one. The “terminal” includes an ice cream shop, a bar, shops, and a coffee shop. Guests at the hotel get a coupon book which includes free coffee, beer, and ice cream at the shops in the lobby, as well as discounts at local bars and restaurants. Sound amazing? It gets even better! The rooms are gorgeous, with a high ceiling and pristine glass-enclosed showers, and guests can reserve a complimentary tesla, complete with a driver, to visit local spots. The location and amenities served as the perfect backdrop for our weekend in Denver.

Where to Eat and Drink

Cholon: Dynamite South Asian fare is featured at this chic downtown venue. Don’t miss the scallion pancakes, the crystal dumplings, or the fried rice. The three of us ordered a handful of appetizers and entrees to share and it was the best way to sample a bunch of items. Be sure to compliment your meal with a cocktail!

Kachina Cantina: As you can probably tell, Denver offers a variety of cuisines. This Mexican spot is cute and charming, with a colorful décor and wall murals. The restaurant serves brunch, lunch, and dinner; we went for Sunday brunch and had a fantastic meal. There are many delicious options, from chilaquiles to cauliflower tacos to warm vegetarian pozole. A mimosa is definitely a good idea, or a bloody mary if you prefer!

The Bindery: Located in the trendy Lohi neighborhood of Denver, The Bindery serves up fresh Italian fare like burrata including seasonal vegetables, beet ravioli, oysters, and risotto. The restaurant is contemporary and sleek, and it provides a gorgeous spot for a luxurious meal.

Lady Jane: For bold, bright, delicious cocktails in a stylish bar, visit Lady Jane. It’s a great place for drinks with friends, with the added bonus of plenty of eye candy for people watching!

Pigtrain Coffee Co.: Hot coffee and breakfast pastries are available all day at this coffee shop in the lobby of the Crawford hotel.

The Terminal Bar: The Crawford Hotel’s bar serves up 20 local craft beers, and features plenty of seating where you can sip your beer while watching the bustling activity of the hotel. I highly recommend the tater tots or pretzel bites as a bar snack to accompany your beer!

What to Do

Visit the 16th Street Mall: Don’t panic, this is no ordinary mall. Denver’s 16th Street Mall is a mile-long promenade with shops, cafes, and restaurants. Free shuttles go up and down the promenade, but we preferred to just stroll along so that we could peruse the shops and stop for coffee.

Visit the Denver Milk Market: Located on the Milk Block, where the original Windsor Dairy Farm of Colorado was once situated, the Denver Milk Market is a super fun food hall with a cocktail bar, a pizzeria, an ice cream vendor, and more. This was one of our favorite spots to visit in Denver, it’s definitely an iconic local venue.

Visit the Union Station Farmer’s Market: Filled with vendors selling freshly squeezed juices, croissants, live music, and artisanal goods, this is a lovely local market to visit. We had a great morning appreciating the goods of the different stalls, stuffing our faces, and absorbing the scene.

Weekend in Denver: The Verdict

Rocky Mountain National Park is an epic, iconic place to visit in Colorado but don’t pass up the opportunity to have a whirlwind weekend in Denver where there is food and drinks galore.

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The Hotel: The Hotel Monaco Denver is located in the city center, which is great if you are doing business in the city or just want to walk to shops and restaurants. It also makes a good base if going on day trips as it has an easy access to the highway. The downside of having a car: the hotel only offers valet parking at $38, however, we found a self-park lot on the same block for $16 a day. If you want to explore the city, the hotel has bikes you can borrow for the day. The bikes are available first come, first serve. We took one for the day and explored museums, craft breweries, and rode along the Cherry Creek.

The Room: When we first arrived to our deluxe room, we noticed a strong smell of cigarettes. The hotel is a non-smoking hotel and we were surprised about the smell. We called the front desk and were immediately moved to another room, this one being a suite. Aside from the cigarette smell, the deluxe room was a comfortable size and beautifully decorated. It even came with a goldfish! Our suite was just as beautiful, it was quite roomy with a separate living room area and large bathroom. What impressed me the most was the service. It was already late (around 10:30pm) and the front desk had us in a new room in less than 10 minutes.

The Service: The service was friendly and professional. From the bellhop going out of his way to help size and air our bikes to the quick room change, the service was on point.  The lobby area was always stocked with infused water and coffee flowed freely in the morning.

The Food:  We had dinner at Panzano, the Italian restaurant at the hotel.  Panzano is quite popular with locals, constantly voted one of the top restaurants in Denver.  We had dinner there our last evening and enjoyed the lively atmosphere, the knowledgeable waiter, and the open kitchen of executive chef Elise Wiggins.  The cuisine is inspired by Northern Italy and you can see that in the hearty pastas such as the lamb ragu with homemade malfadine pasta and pastiche, a decadent dish with layers of cheese tortellini and spicy meatballs.  The waiter insisted we order the ceasar salad. When we bit into the grilled hearts of romaine with a rich ceasar dressing topped with salty anchovies, I almost shed a tear of happiness.  A simple salad was turned into an experience.  I also loved the iPad wine list.  You can tap on each wine to get detailed information about the wine and suggested pairings.

The Verdict:  Great hotel in a moderate price range (avg nightly rate $160), superb amenities (free wine and bicycles),  and comfortable rooms.  Although the Hotel Monaco Denver is part of the larger Kimpton brand, you can see the local touches throughout the property.  Another stay to reaffirm why Kimpton is one of my favorite hotel brands.

* Disclaimer: Part of my stay was sponsored by Hotel Monaco Denver. As always, opinions are my own.

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