Broadmoor Hotel

 On Monday JJ and I had the privilege to tag along with Jeff to the Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs while he attended a work conference. It is a 5 diamond hotel and absolutely beautiful! As we pulled up to the hotel I began to rethink the jeans and t-shirt shirt I'd been wearing. I also began to rethink the infant I brought along. Rich people don't bring their kids to hotels, that would be so un-cool. Or maybe there is a secret nanny entrance that they sneak them in through that I didn't know about? The valet men were so polite and helped unload the car of its pack n' play, numerous 31 bags, car seat and other baby paraphernalia. All joking aside I bonded with the common folk, they were all super nice. Gary (our valet) had 5 kids; 3 boys and 2 girls. He was in the service for 20 years. George (our bellboy) was from Bermuda and just arrived 9 weeks prior to attend school here in the states.

 Wanting to avoid looking like a complete tourist snapping photos with my canon I secretly took some with my iPhone instead then instagrammed them. These are some photos I took from outside our hotel on my morning walk.  The main building (which you see across the lake) was built in 1918 by Spencer Penrose.  Jeff always makes fun of me for the shows I watch on tv. Ghost hunters...fact or faked...destination truth...celebrity ghost stories. Yeah, I'm a nerd. Which also means I am afraid of staying in old buildings by myself. We were staying in the West building which was built in the late 1970's so I was secretly a little relieved we wouldn't be visited by Mr. Penrose ghost or anyone else for that matter.

I really was just teasing about JJ, he is such an easy baby I knew he'd be no problem at all. In the morning I bundled him up into his stroller and headed out the door to explore the grounds. There was a little cafe where I picked up a warm, flaky feta and spinach croissant and latte along with an issue of Woman's Day (Fall issue, yay!). JJ instantly fell asleep by a babbling fountain while I was able to spend an hour -gasp- on breakfast. I think it was the first time in six months that I've gotten to drink my entire coffee without having to microwave it three times.

 This is a picture of the hotel we were staying in. It reminds me of a picture from somewhere in Scotland which is funny since that is one of my dream vacations. I guess this can hold me over while I wait the ten years till I can go. The mountain in the background is the home of the Cheyenne Mountain zoo. Remember our race to the shrine? The tower that we ran to was built by Mr. Penrose. The bells would chime hourly and we could hear it from the hotel, it was beautiful!

There was a gorgeous pool connected to the lake. It was a little too cold for me to test it out, but it looked very refreshing.

 Look, a  child! They do exist here. And he wasn't afraid of the cold water. 

The fountains and exotic flowers reminded me a little of our honeymoon to Punta Cana.

Another shot of our hotel.

 The hotel also has three 18-hole golf courses; the East Course has hosted numerous USGA championships, most recently the 2008 U.S. Senior Open. Jeff was more than a little dissapointed he didn't have any time to sneak away from work to try the course out.

The room was gorgeous complete with the most comfortable bed in the world. I don't know what it was about the bed that made it so comfortable, but man I want one! Doesn't little man look so tiny?

It's the little things in life that I enjoy the most like this comfy plush robe for instance. I've got my good ol' Target robes but something fancy like this is amazing in the morning after a hot shower. It would make a great birthday present...hint hint hubby :)

Or if you can't get me a robe how about a bathroom that looks like this? This picture doesn't do much justice. The floors were a beautiful white marble, huge mirrors stretched to the extra high ceilings and tvs adorned the walls (as if you really needed that, although I'm sure Jeff would argue he DOES need to watch ESPN while using the restroom.)

 The mini fridge reminded me of the movie Home Alone II. I joked with Jeff that I wanted to see if they had room service ice cream bars like in the movie too. While Jeff attended a meet and greet Monday evening I stayed behind to put JJ to bed. He helped me choose something from the mini bar to enjoy for after he went bed and I enjoyed my current nook novel, Firfely Lane. I may have helped him a little with his choice of red wine ;) Oh and I also ate some 7 dollar cashews.

After spending the day exploring the hotel and visiting with Daddy we came back to our freshly cleaned room for a little nap time.

Isn't he such a little old man!

After naps Johanna and Grandma joined us. Johanna had spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa so she wouldn't miss school the next day. Grandma dropped her off and picked her up from class then headed down our way. Johanna was full of beans from the car ride and spent the first ten minutes jumping on the bed. I think even she could tell it was a super comfy bed.

 

After all that jumping she realized she was very hungry and wanted some more lunch. We took her down to the cafe to pick something from behind the glass. She chose banana nut bread.

Of course then she decided she didn't want any of the banana nut bread but wanted to throw a fit and jump up and down on the chairs instead. Oh boy... We rushed out of the cafe and headed to some shops instead, surely some shopping would spark some distraction? Kicking and screaming Jeff carried her out of the hotel to head down to the hotel mall. A few minutes later, still kicking and screaming, we left the hotel mall and headed to the pro golf shop. Luckily there was a giant fireplace and big comy couches to please her. I knew she was hungry and grouchy from a shortened nap but was hoping she would calm down for our planned date night for the evening. She seemed to be doing great with Grandma's phone.

 But when we walked back to our room she wasn't having it anymore. Don't you love our family photos lately? As you can see we've reached the terrible two's stage. Sadly, after spending an hour trying to calm Johanna down with movies, toys and snuggles I made the decision to call it an early trip and head home. We knew that there were people there spending lots of their own money (not just their employers) on a nice stay and I didn't want to be the one to ruin it for them with an ornery toddler. Instead of a fancy steak and lobster dinner date with the Husband, Lori and I enjoyed some McDonalds on the drive back. As soon as Johanna had some milk and was comfortable in her seat she perked right up, little stinker. It ended up being for the best my trip was cut short, there was a cold front coming through and the next morning was gloomy with rain. I still really enjoyed my one night getaway to a beautiful hotel, thanks for taking me Jeff!

Lori was so nice and offered to watch the kids the following night so Jeff and I could still get away for a nice dinner. Jeff took me downtown to the same restaurant where we celebrated our first anniversary, Fogo de Chao. It's funny looking back at the blog because we had that exact same Brazilian Chef come to our table!

 

The hotel was beautiful and I'm so glad I was able to experience a night there. Maybe some time in the future Jeff and I can make it back on our own. Oh and in the Summer too so I can swim in that pool. Actually, next time Jeff and I are able to leave the kids long enough to stay somewhere on our own why don't we just make it somewhere nice and tropical with fancy pina colada drinks instead :)