The Broadmoor Offers a Fairytale Family Escape in Colorado Springs

“My favorite thing is taking a walk around the water first thing in the morning. It looks like you’re in a Disney movie. Then, I sit in one of the rocking chairs with my coffee. It’s heaven.”

I felt like the only person in Dallas who had never visited The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and I recently set out to right this wrong! I asked one of my best friends, who visits the property every summer with her husband and two young children, for her “can’t miss” experiences. She painted this Disney portrait, and I imagined a bluebird perched on my finger as I flung open the balcony doors of my room to welcome a new day. In a particularly chaotic season, I hoped that The Broadmoor would provide a sense of calm and restoration. (Spoiler alert: it did!)

As a foodie, I smartly timed my trip with the much-anticipated reopening of The Penrose Room, The Broadmoor’s fine dining restaurant that first opened on New Year’s Eve in 1961. The 2025 version serves as an elegant love letter to its founders and captures its original spirit of elegance for a new generation.

The Penrose Room

In almost every nook and cranny of The Broadmoor’s sprawling grounds, references to its founders, Spencer and Julie Penrose, abound. Their life together, their travels, their interests, their art. The Penrose’s history informs The Broadmoor’s present and its future. As a first-time guest, I began to paint my own mental portrait of these tycoons, relishing in the tidbits I picked up here and there.

For example, Julie loved collecting fine China, so as a nod to her, The Broadmoor collaborated with renowned Italian porcelain house Ginori 1735 (*as if* I need to explain Ginori to you, dear PaperCity reader!) to create a custom collection of China exclusively for guests dining at reimagined The Penrose Room. The pitch-perfect partnership showcases the restaurant’s chic aesthetic while paying homage to its storied history through the world-renowned craftsmanship of Ginori and the house’s iconic Oriente Italiano pattern.

Let your coveted dinner reservation at The Penrose Room serve as the prompt you needed to dress up *for the occasion.* Whether you’re celebrating something special or not, The Penrose Room *is* the occasion. Show up and show out! A spectacular dining experience awaits you. (I, for one, am thrilled to see a restaurant with a dress code requiring jackets and slacks for the men and cocktail attire for the ladies. The website says that “well-mannered children” are invited to dine at The Penrose Room, too.)

We started our night in the speakeasy, The Polo Club at The Penrose Room, where a knowledgeable server held court at the martini cart and whipped up (with elegant showmanship) The Perfect Dirty Martini. The gin cascaded down my throat as I admired the golden hour panoramic view of Cheyenne Mountain. Divine.

Executive Chef Justin Miller, who has worked at The Broadmoor for more than 25 years, orchestrated the menu, which is a celebration of the Penroses’ extensive world travels. On that note, it’s also the only restaurant at The Broadmoor that serves sushi!

If you can’t tell, I love a little pomp and circumstance when it comes to dinner on the town. In that spirit, allow me to recommend four dishes served tableside with the (refined) razzle dazzle of The Broadmoor:

• Pio Tosini Prosciutto di Parma (I don’t need to explain myself when it comes to cheese.)
• The Penrose Caesar Salad (A Caesar done right? Nothing better.)
• Beef Wellington (There is a deep-rooted, nostalgic sense of comfort and continuity that The Broadmoor provides, which is certainly manifested in this exquisite Beef Wellington.)
• Flambeed Baked Alaska (Prior to my visit, I wouldn’t have considered myself a Baked Alaska enthusiast. But now I am!)

Lastly, in addition to the sensational meal, I would be remiss if I did not applaud the gorgeous interior design of The Penrose Room by Tihany Design, who masterfully captured the Penrose’s history while propelling the restaurant forward into its new era of elegance.

A ‘Broad’ Offering Means Something For Everyone

An expansive property like The Broadmoor can be quite challenging to write about. There’s simply so much to do, see, and eat! The Broadmoor truly offers something for everyone. A few highlights:

• The Spa at The Broadmoor— I consider myself expert-level when it comes to spas, and The 43,000-square-foot Spa at The Broadmoor stands out as one of my all-time favorites. It happens to be Colorado’s only Forbes Five-star rated spa and features an indoor pool, as well as an outdoor two-lane pool. Admittedly, I am particularly charmed by the retro, nostalgic interior design of the spa. I hope it never changes! You should absolutely schedule a leisurely afternoon in the spa for a treatment or two.
• Falconry— Experience “the sport of kings” with a falconry lesson in The Broadmoor’s mews, where their fleet of birds of prey is housed. Seeing the birds up close is truly extraordinary.
• Exploring on property— When I stay at a fabulous resort, I don’t want to leave. At The Broadmoor, you really don’t need to leave for anything. Afford plenty of time in your schedule to simply explore the property. Perhaps you want to have lunch at The Grille while overlooking the championship golf course? In the mood to hit the bowling alley? And yes, spend your mornings with a walk around the lake, as the swans glide across the water. It’s as majestic as promised.

Cloud Camp

In addition to the main campus, The Broadmoor offers three all-inclusive “Wilderness Experience” properties. For my first night in Colorado Springs, I headed to one of them— Cloud Camp— for a little glamping adventure at the mountaintop hideaway.

Perched 3,000 feet above The Broadmoor atop Cheyenne Mountain, Cloud Camp sits on the foundation of the Penroses’ original 1927 Cheyenne Lodge. After the serpentining path “up,” which provided optimal leaf peeping, we arrived to the denim-on-denim-clad staff waving alongside Moose, the Bernese mountain retriever who lives at Cloud Camp during its season.

The 15 guest cabins are tucked amid pines and aspen trees and are a short distance from the 8,000-square-foot Main Lodge that serves as Cloud Camp’s HQ. As promised, it’s quite campy, in all the right ways. A dinner bell. A raising of the United States flag. A Harry Potter-esque dining table set for 32. Two rock fireplaces. Heck, it’s even decorated with Kevin Costner’s costume from Dances With Wolves. It will have you thinking, “Yes, I do need a fringed suede jacket.”

Sure, there are trails to hike, but there are also hot tubs to sit in. At Cloud Camp, the views from said hot tubs really beckon you, and admiring the singular views really is time well spent. (I also recommend sitting on Cloud Camp’s expansive wraparound porch with a cocktail to soak up the majesty of Colorado Springs.)

Cloud Camp’s season runs from May through October. As you begin planning your summer travels, consider starting your adventure at Cloud Camp before spending the rest of your time at The Broadmoor’s main property. The duality encapsulated by both properties makes for a truly fairytale family escape.

Just be prepared to see a lot of fellow Texans. When Texas gets hot, Texans escape to The Broadmoor. Count me among them now!

Editor’s Note: Speaking of Texans, I just noticed that The Broadmoor is offering a “Texas Appreciation Package” with some of their lowest rates of the season if you want to indulge in a winter getaway in January or February!