Documenting Lovely Moments
10-Day Colorado Holiday Season Trip Itinerary
When we planned our Colorado itinerary, we wanted a vacation that gave us the right balance of activities and relaxation. It had been a busy year for us and while we usually love a trip full of adventures, we wanted to make sure we would have some downtime to unwind and relax before starting the New Year.
DAY 1
Denver, Colorado
- Arrive in Denver
► Arrive at Denver International Airport (DEN)
Our flight arrived late around 9 pm. We took an Uber ride to our hotel.
► Check into hotel
We stayed at Grand Hyatt Denver in Downtown Denver, Colorado.
DAY 2
Denver, Colorado
- Breakfast in Downtown Denver
- 16th Street Mall
- Christmas Christkindl Market
- Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens
- Dinner in Downtown Denver
► Breakfast in Downtown Denver
Our day started with delicious breakfast at Delectable Eggs. The Portabella Road and Green Chili & Chorizo Benedict were delicious!
► 16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall is an over a mile long pedestrian-friendly mall with lots of restaurants, shops and attractions. See the post on 16th Street Mall.
► Denver Christkindl Market
We walked to Denver Civic Center Park to check out Denver’s Christmas Christkindl Market. Tried some yummy snacks such as roasted pecans and cashews and took some photos at the cute “I ♥ DEN” sign. In the evening, the nearby Denver City and County Building lit up for the holidays.
► Blossoms of Light Holiday Displays
A short Uber ride to Denver Botanic Gardens took us to see the festive Blossoms of Light holiday displays. See detailed post on Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens.
► Dinner
After the light show, we grabbed a quick dinner at Kyoto Ramen. Try the Black Garlic Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen!
DAY 3
Breckenridge, Colorado
- Breakfast in Downtown Denver
- Driving to Breckenridge, CO
- Exploring Breckenridge
- Check into hotel in Keystone, CO
► Breakfast in Downtown Denver
We had a delicious breakfast at Syrup Downtown. The Nutella-stuffed french toast, Crack Bacon, and The Kitchen Sink were delicious, as well as the Vail Mountain Steamer espresso drink. After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and we were ready to move to the mountain.
► Driving to Breckenridge, CO
Picking up our rental car at AVIS was quick and easy as it was only a 2-minute walk from our hotel. It took about one and half hour driving to Breckenridge via I-70. Traffic was not bad at all and we enjoyed the scenery during the drive to the mountain.
► Exploring Breckenrige
We spent the day exploring this charming town, and did some shopping in Main Street. Afterwards, we had delicious brisket phos for lunch at Pho Real and fresh gelato at I Scream Gelato.
► Check into hotel in Keystone, CO
The drive to Keystone was shorter than we expected. In less than 30 minutes, we arrived at our hotel Hyatt Place Keystone and fortunately we were able to check in early. The hotel is located close to River Run Base and our room came with a gorgeous mountain view. We took the hotel shuttle to River Run Base to familiarize ourselves with the resort. Then we all were too tired for dining out so we just ordered pizza from Pizza 101 and ate in our room.
DAY 4
Keystone, Colorado
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Skiing and Snowboarding at Keystone Resort
- Gondola Ride and Sunset at Summit House
► Breakfast at the hotel
We had a light grab-and-go breakfast at our hotel.
► Skiing and Snowboarding at Keystone Resort
After picking up our equipment rentals at Snowdance Sports, we were ready for the slopes. We spent the day skiing and snowboarding. See the post on our experience at Keystone Ski Resort.
► Gondola ride to Summit House
We took the gondola ride going up to Summit House restaurant on the mountain. The view from the mountaintop was beautiful, especially at sunset.
DAY 5
Keystone, Colorado
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Skiing and Snowboarding at Keystone Resort
- Skating at Keystone Lake Ice Rink
- Dinner in River Run
► Breakfast at the hotel
We had a light grab-and-go breakfast at our hotel.
► Skiing and Snowboarding at Keystone Resort
On the second day at Keystone Resort, we checked out The Crepe Stand in River Run Village. The crepes were delicious and worth waiting in line for.
► Skating at Keystone Lake Ice Rink
After returning our skis and snowboard, we took the resort shuttle to Keystone Lake Ice Rink, the world’s largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor ice rink in North America. See the post on Keystone Lake Ice Rink.
► Dinner in River Run
To end the day, we had dinner at Montezuma Roadhouse and did a little shopping in River Run Village.
DAY 6
Vail, Colorado
- Breakfast in Dillon, CO
- Exploring Vail Resort, CO
- Driving to Glenwood Springs, CO
- Check into hotel
► Brunch
We went to Haywood Cafe in Dillon, CO for brunch.
► Exploring Vail, CO
After checking out of our hotel, we drove to Vail, which took about one hour. The village was charming, with lots of restaurants, shops, and an outdoor ice rink. We had planned to do the Scenic Gondola Ride, but we decided to leave early because the storm was coming in, and we still had to drive to Glenwood Springs, CO.
► Driving to Glenwood Springs, CO
The roads were a little icy on our way to Glenwood Springs, but the scenery was so beautiful the entire way. See photos we took on the road in this post.
► Check into hotel in Glenwood Springs
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, there was a winter squall warning. We were so glad that we decided to leave Vail earlier than planned. We checked into Residence Inn by Marriott Glenwood Springs, then ordered food to eat at the hotel for dinner and spent the rest of the night relaxing and playing card games.
DAY 7
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
- Dinner in Downtown Glenwood Springs
- More swimming and Laundry
► Breakfast at the hotel
The hotel served hot breakfast buffet, which was pretty good.
► Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
With only a short drive from our hotel, we arrived at Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, the world’s largest mineral hot springs pool. The pools were spacious and relaxing, surrounded by an amazing mountain view. See the post on Glenwood Hot Springs Pool.
► Dinner in Downtown Glenwood Springs
We had an early dinner at Kedai Restaurant in Downtown Glenwood Springs and went back to our hotel.
► Swimming and Laundry
We chose this hotel because it has a laundry facility. It was conveniently located next to the pool and hot tub, which was a great way to fill the time while waiting for the laundry.
DAY 8
Denver, Colorado
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Skating in Keystone, CO
- Driving to Denver, CO and check into hotel
- Luminova Holidays at Elitch Garden
- Dinner in Downtown Denver
► Breakfast at the hotel
We had breakfast at the hotel before checking out.
► Driving to Keystone, CO
The kids wanted to skate one more time at Keystone Lake since it was on the way to Denver anyway.
► Check into hotel in Denver, CO
After skating and a quick lunch, we drove back to Denver and check into the same hotel we stayed at before, Grand Hyatt Denver.
► Luminova Holiday Lights
We spent the night at Luminova Holidays hosted at Elitch Garden and enjoyed the stunning lights, fun rides, and delicious hot chocolate. See the post on Luminova at Elitch Garden.
DAY 9
Denver, Colorado
- Breakfast in Downtown Denver
- 16th Street Mall to Union Station
- Mile High Tree
- Dinner in Downtown Denver
- NYE Fireworks
► Breakfast
We grabbed coffee and light pastries at Starbucks.
► 16th Street Mall to Union Station
After breakfast, we took a morning walk to check out the iconic Union Station. We had lunch at Mono Mono Korean Fried Chicken. The chicken wings and the kimchi fries were yummy!
► Mile High Tree
The Mile High Tree is the world’s largest digital tree. It was a beautiful tree and you can walk inside the tree to see the lights from underneath.
► Dinner in Downtown Denver
For our last meal of the year, we made a last-minute reservation at Appaloosa Grill, just across the street from the Mile High Tree. We tried the Wagyu Carpaccio, the bison ribeye, and the wagyu beef fillet, and enjoyed them.
► NYE Fireworks
The hotel receptionist informed us about the NYE Fireworks at 16th St Mall. They had two showtimes, one at 9 pm and another at midnight. We decided to check out the 9pm fireworks after dinner, and it was a great way to say goodbye to the old year and hello to a fresh, new year.
DAY 10
Denver, Colorado
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Transfer to Denver International Airport
► Breakfast at the hotel
The hotel offered hot breakfast buffet with pretty good selections and a made-to-order omelet station. The breakfast was delicious and the service was very friendly.
► Transfer to Denver International Airport (DEN)
After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and ordered a car ride to the airport. We were having trouble finding a car because it was New Year Day and the weather was not the best. We almost considered taking the train from Union Station, but we were finally able to locate a driver.
It was hard to believe the vacation was coming to an end. Overall, we thought this vacation gave us the right amount activities and relaxation, which was just what we needed.
About Us
We are a family of four with an active lifestyle. We love creating memories through travel, learning about different cultures around the world, and spending quality time together.
