Denver, Colorado
After two cancelled covid trips and three years of planning, postponing and crying, we finally boarded a plane and jetted off across the pond. Our first stop - Denver, Colorado - home to the Coors Field Stadium, the Red Rock Amphitheatre and breweries upon breweries upon breweries. As with any long haul flight, we stepped off the plane looking and smelling less than ideal with stomachs wanting more than just plane food, but bodies only wanting a ten hour sleep. With that, we opted for the more pricey option of a taxi to take us straight to the door of our hotel to save us the cheaper, but more effort, option of jumping on the train which takes you straight into Union Station in the centre of Denver (a handy note - Trains leave every 15 minutes between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. and every 30 minutes outside of those hours)
The Source Hotel
The Source was the perfect base for our short time in Denver. This place is a hub. Five restaurants, a coffee shop, an adorable florist and gift shop, a gym (for you exercise folk), its own built in brewery and a spot for hosting meetings, events and even wedding celebrations! There’s not much this place doesn’t offer. We checked in and headed straight for The Woods. Stepping out of the lift onto the top floor, we were met with a buzzing industrial style, much like the rest of the hotel, restaurant and bar surrounded by views of the city and mountains. Sat eating our first meal on American soil in the sunshine, looking out onto a new city, was a pinch me moment for sure. After having a nosey around the rest of the hotel and checking out the rooftop pool (eek) we retired to our room for a fifteen hour jet lagged snooze. We woke bright and early for a 4am Uber Eats McDonald's delivery to start our first full day in Denver.
What stood out
- Great service - upon arrival, reception accidentally took the room deposit three times over, which was all returned upon checkout. As an apology, they gave us a $40 voucher to use at the rooftop restaurant.
- The rooms were roomy, clean and provided great views of the Rocky Mountains. More importantly, the bed was super comfy and the decor industrial chic to suit the history of the hotel.
- Dog friendly! This sadly didn’t benefit us as Nelly was 4,683 miles away but a winning selling point for anyone travelling with their pets through Denver, in my opinion.
- I almost forgot to mention the Market Hall, once Colorados iron works plant, sat to the side of the hotel. In small space, you’ll be able to satisfy your shopping, eating and drinking needs.
- Options upon options when it comes to food and drink. - The location. Sat within the RiNo (River North) District, there’s an abundance of trendy bars, shops and restaurants a walk or a short Uber ride away.
What could of been better
- I can't complain too much as it did save me after a long day in the Colorado heat, but all I’m saying is, I timed it right in being the only person at the rooftop pool in that moment. I'd say it’s more of a large plunge pool and if anyone else had turned up for a dip at the same time, I would have felt aware of being in their comfort zone.
- Although The Source is sat within a great neighbourhood, the RiNo district, the walk to all the action is still a good 25 minutes down a busy main road and under a homeless heavy underpass. This was fine for us during the day with our exploring hats on, but it might be something to reconsider at night.
- There’s a $25 a night amenity fee but you do get $15 back to use at The Woods restaurant. - It may of been down to timing, but when visiting the Market Hall, most of the vendors were closed which was disappointing for me, as it was a big part of what attracted me to booking here.
View of downtown Denver from The Source Hotel
A Day Exploring Denver
We were sold on this city from the moment we arrived. It has a vibrant, young feel to it, it’s extremely walkable and has so much to offer that, with only one full day to explore, we were up against a losing battle. Here’s what we managed to cram in before ultimately being defeated by the Colorado heat at 2pm.
- Breakfast at Stowaway Kitchen. A scram brioche bun for Joey and rhubarb and meringue waffles for me. A lovely little, but busy, breakfast spot with the friendliest staff. Get there early to secure a table.
- Wandered around the RiNo District. Very much up our street - think Carhartt store with an independent coffee shop next door.The city seemed to be slow and quiet in the mornings so not much was open. We checked out Denver Central Market, an airy refurbished industrial building that houses 11 vendors from a bakery to a butchers. Lovely spot to have a coffee.
- Next up on our list was the Dairy Block, a micro district located in the historic LoDo neighbourhood. Again, Denver must favour lie ins as we hardly saw another soul whilst wandering around this hip little area of Lower Downtown. We mooched around various boutique shops, bakeries, squeezing in a little refresher at a cute brewery called Westbound and Down. The Dairy Block had more of an inner city feel to it as opposed to its arty hipster neighbour, RiNo.
- Train stations aren’t usually on the top of my travel list but Union Station isn’t your average. Here you can find bars, restaurants, a florist and even one of Denvers top rated hotels. Do not, I repeat, do not walk past ACME Deli without running in and ordering one of their sandwiches. I must also stress that you order the turkey & swiss. It’ll change your life.
- Larimer Square. I’m not sure if we were missing something but after seeing the name pop up on countless online recommendation lists, I had high hopes. Larimer is a small strip of shops, most of which were closed when we went. One pro - there’s a First We Feast section in Garage Sale Vintage with sauces for sale and Hot Ones episodes playing on a screen.
- In the evening, we got an uber to Barcelona Wine Bar in the RiNo District for dinner. I recommend booking ahead as it was packed. We were seated at the huge square bar and spent the night eating tapas, drinking sangria and chatting to the insanely friendly barman about how great Denver is. Amazing atmosphere and incredible food. 10/10.
If We’d of Had More Time
- Go and see a baseball game at Coors Field. I’d get a hot dog and foam finger too, in true American fashion.
- Book tickets to a gig at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Probably the most unique music venue I've seen (via google images).
- There is so much to see not just in Denver, but in Colorado. I’d of love to of diverted to Aspen, Colorado Springs and Rocky Mountains National Park, if we’d of had time to spare.
- Had a coffee at Crema - i’ve read amazing things.
- Explored the RiNo District some more! There are countless restaurants, bars and coffee shops which i’d take pleasure in eating and drinking my way through.
