Last Updated on December 15, 2022 by Leslie Stroud
Gaylord of the Rockies offers endless fun and Christmas magic for families and individuals of all ages. Engage in a wide range of activities like saving Christmas with Buddy the Elf, snow tubing, water slides, gingerbread decorating and more. With so much to offer, everyone is sure to find an activity that ignites their Christmas spirit!
Maybe you are looking for a staycation in Colorado or an amazing destination in the US for the holiday season. Whatever your goal, let me highly recommend the Gaylord of the Rockies for an amazing holiday escape!
While we were gifted our stay, the opinions in this post represent our honest review. This was our second year enjoying this amazing resort during the Christmas holiday and it was well worth the long trip across the ocean!
Table of Contents
- 1 How To Get To The Gaylord Of The Rockies
- 2 Why Should Your Family Visit The Gaylord of The Rockies?
- 3 Christmas Activities at the Gaylord of The Rockies
- 4 Year-Round Activities At The Gaylord of the Rockies
- 5 How Long Should You Stay at the Gaylord of the Rockies?
- 6 How to Book Your Stay At The Gaylord of The Rockies
How To Get To The Gaylord Of The Rockies
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Located conveniently close to the Denver International Airport, this grand resort allows easy access to those living in Colorado and those visiting from out of town.
Once in Denver, driving to the resort or taking an Uber are both great options. The resort sits just 10 miles from the airport and offers plenty of on-site parking, as well as valet parking options.
If you opt to Uber, be assured that the resort itself offers more than enough entertainment to keep all guests entertained for your stay and you wouldn’t need to leave!
Why Should Your Family Visit The Gaylord of The Rockies?
When I say the Gaylord has it all, I mean they have it ALL.
Within the resort you’ll find a world-class spa, a pool area that resembles a waterpark in itself, stunning mountain views across the Denver area, comfortable rooms, and activities galore. Need I say more?
With all that in mind, why not spend your family holiday at this resort?
All of that is outside of the incredible Christmas display they set up each year! No corners are cut in this truly immersive experience!
The offerings this Christmas season exceeded all our expectations. “So. Much. Christmas.” is the tagline and it represents well the magic of the resort at Christmas-time!
Christmas Activities at the Gaylord of The Rockies
Outdoor Holiday Activities
Similar to our experience last year, the outdoor Christmas activities kept us entertained for hours! Enjoy millions of gorgeous Christmas lights as you stroll through the outdoor light walk, which is self-guided for convenience.
The weather in Colorado in December can vary greatly, but most of the time will be sunny. (Colorado is a hidden gem when it comes to sunny days per year.) However, the snow and ice activities found at the Gaylord will fulfill all your Colorado winter dreams, even in sunny weather!
Our favorite outdoor activities at Christmas-time include:
- Snow Tubing. This fun activity is best for older kids. Grab a snow tube and haul it up a short, but steep ramp to tube down a fun hill. We loved the addition of mechanical starts this year; no more sliding around while you get on your tube! The platform holds your tube in place and allows you to go down when it’s safe.
- Snow Merry- Go-Round. A fun, easy ride in a tube around a “merry-go-round” style circle. This is best for the littles and trust me, they love it.
- Snow Area. This year we were grateful for the snow area to simply play in the snow! I don’t know what magic they are working to have this patch of snow in gorgeous 70-degree weather, but my kids were so glad to play with some snow this year. White Christmas wishes came true!
- Ice Bumper Cars. This is a family favorite! The name sums it up perfectly; imagine bumper cars on ice! They don’t move very quickly, so don’t worry about it getting too intense. Kids are required to be 48 inches tall to participate.
- Ice Skating. A Christmas activity staple! Gliding under the beautiful lights with the kids makes for perfect memories! Skates and trainers are included, as is certain family fun for all.
Indoor Holiday Activities
The Gaylord of the Rockies houses a convention hall that magically converts to a Winter Wonderland during the holidays! They fill this area with endless games and holiday activities.
Our favorite indoor activities at Christmas-time include:
- Snoopy Scavenger Hunt. Grab your booklet and follow clues to lead you to big snoopy stickers placed around the hotel. Once you’ve spotted them all, you can return your completed booklet for a small prize.
- Mistletoe Village. Step into a Christmas town right inside the hotel!
- Pictures with Santa. Photos do cost extra, but Santa brought lots of extra magic to my kids this year. He opened their letters and talked to them individually! The pictures are adorable and well worth it in my opinion.
- Save Christmas with Buddy the Elf. This walk-through, interactive tour of the Elf movie brings lots of laughs and fun. It took us about an hour to complete all of the activities inside. Our favorite was the digital snowball fight straight out of the movie!
- Christmas ornaments and snacks. Shop for some fun new ornaments and decorations, or enjoy a pretzel and hot chocolate while enjoying the other activities.
- Build-A-Bear. We loved grabbing a souvenir bear to remember our magical visit!
- Gingerbread Decorating. Bypass the mess of decorating at home and dress up your gingerbread men or homes in the Christmas spirit at the Gaylord of the Rockies. Stay long enough, and you’ll likely get a visit from Nutmeg, our new favorite gingerbread friend.
- Cirque Holiday Dreams Show. Enjoy your own cirque-du-Soleil show right in the hotel! I was blown away by this show’s talent, set, and costumes. The stage is set in the center of the room and offers a great view of any seat in the house. This is a must-see! Be sure to book your reservation in advance, as it does sell out.
A few things to note:- Pictures and video are not allowed (thus, none shown here)
- The show lasts around 75 minutes
- The show includes incredible talent sets intermixed with singing and dancing. It kept my five jet-lagged kids totally enthralled for all 75 minutes!
Year-Round Activities At The Gaylord of the Rockies
If all the Christmas magic talk wasn’t enough to lure you to the Gaylord of the Rockies, consider some of these amazing parts of the resort that you can enjoy year-round:
World-Class Spa
The Relâche Spa at the Gaylord truly pampers you with beautiful settings and fabulous services.
I enjoyed the Signature HydraFacial and can’t say it good enough; this facial was amazing! It removes impurities from your skin through suction in the hydra machine while infusing your face with amazing treatments. Afterward, my face was hydrated, refreshing, and clean.
In addition to the many nutrients and serums they infuse, I also opted for an additional anti-aging boost!
You’ll want to leave plenty of time to enjoy the relaxing waiting room, locker rooms, and many amenities the spa offers you. I loved the magazines to browse while relaxing after my treatment.
Pool Area
Do your kids have some extra energy to burn off? Head to the pool! Complete with several waterslides, a lazy river, a splash pad, indoor/outdoor hot tubs, the pool area offers hours of fun!
You can enjoy lunch at Arapahoe Springs and swim while the food is being made. Our lunches were delicious!
Sports Courts and Putting Course
You can grab some balls or golf clubs in the pool area and head outside to stay active in the Colorado sun!
Dining at Gaylord of the Rockies
Gaylord of the Rockies offers many dining options. You can stay casual with a Starbucks coffee or go fancy with Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord. With nine restaurants to choose from, as well as room service, I promise you’ll never go hungry!
How Long Should You Stay at the Gaylord of the Rockies?
Due to tight travel schedules, we attempted to fit everything into two days with our family of seven. It was a bit intense but doable! Three days or more would be much more relaxing and allow you more time to enjoy the offerings.
With so many activities and restaurants to choose from, you don’t need to worry about getting bored any time soon. If you need a change of scenery, a short drive into downtown Denver opens a new world of activities.
How to Book Your Stay At The Gaylord of The Rockies
Use this link to book your own Christmas package this season! I promise you’ll have a great time and enjoy this wonderful resort. We hope to make it part of our Christmas traditions every year!
Drop a comment below with your favorite activity after you’ve visited Gaylord of the Rockies!
Xoxo,
Leslie
RESOURCES-
FLIGHTS:
- We always begin our flight search with Google Flights.
- Booking.com. You can accrue points and rewards when booking through them. They offer accommodation and flight bundles as well.
- Skyscanner. We love the “anywhere” feature to see where it is cheap to fly to.
- Kiwi.com. They will arrange the cheapest connection, which may mean a few different airlines. However, if flights change, they will find you a solution!
- Expedia. Since we fly so many different airlines, we love the Expedia points we can earn. We also get better deals the more we book through them.
- Other platforms we like: Priceline, Aviasales, Hopper, and Travelocity.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
- Airbnb. Our most common go-to, especially internationally. Book over a month and save a ton!
- VRBO and HomeAway. Similar to Airbnb and great for a short-term rental.
- For hotels, we love Expedia and Booking.com. Booking.com offers a combo of hotels and Airbnb to find what fits your family best.
- We also like: TripAdvisor or Hotels.com
ACTIVITIES:
- Airbnb Experiences
- Viator
- Get Your Guide
- These platforms allow you to put in the dates and location and will give you the option to book top activities in the area, straight from the site.
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
As a large, full-time traveling family, travel insurance is a must for us. It’s always a good idea to have travel insurance in case something goes wrong. With the unpredictable state of the world, it is more important now than ever.
We love World Nomads for our travel insurance. They provide travel insurance to travelers from over 130 countries and have many policy options to fit your needs. (Coverage may not be available for residents of all countries, states, or provinces. Be sure to carefully read your policy wording for a full description of coverage)
TRAVEL NECESSITIES:
For a comprehensive list of all the 7 Wayfinders Travel Must-Haves, Click Here.
Tip: If you are making an online purchase (airline tickets, hotels, clothing…basically anything you can imagine) be sure you are using Rakuten! You can either download the app if you are shopping on mobile, or open a browser on a desktop. You then type in the store you are looking to shop at (ie: hotels.com, amazon.com) and shop like normal. The only catch…you get money back! Each store is different, but you can get anywhere from 2%-35% cashback on every purchase! For us, it’s a no-brainer. We are shopping anyways, might as well get some money back!
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