Colorado...Canada...any Suggestions?

My husband and I went to Estes Park CO 4 years ago when we honeymooned. LOVED IT! We stayed in a wonderful cabin and truly enjoyed getting to go to the Rocky Mountain State Park for day trips. The link to the cabin we stayed in is www.anniesmountainretreat.com
We would go back there in a heartbeat! Good luck!

I went to school in Colorado and my mom is from Canada so those are both old stomping grounds for me! Both are great places to visit in the summer. Feel free to email me and I can give you more info. :)

Other parts of Colorado that are cool are the Great Sand Dunes, Crested Butte, and Lost Lake. There is a lot in Colorado and it is a great place to get away from the midwest heat. Although when we went in August a couple of years ago it seemed to be a rainy time of year.

Although reading another response makes me really want to visit Maine.

When I was planning my vacation last year I went to www.vrbo.com and found some really great deals. It is a Vaction Rental By Owner...you literally get to stay in these people's homes/condos etc. for your vacation. I LOVED it because (we had kids with us) it gave us more space...but some of the places are really upscale and smaller/intimate (so w/o kids you should be able to get a really nice swanky place). It's certainly a nice option to the four walls of a hotel and gives you the option to cook if you get tired of going out to eat all the time. The rentals are literally all over the world so you can pick wherever you want to go.

I vacationed about 11 years ago with my mom to Victoria BC and it was gorgeous! I had students that had visited Vancouver and it was equally as impressive. Sounds like a great trip to me...of course, any vacation without the kids is heaven!

I have been to both places. You didn't mention which Province of Canada you'll be visiting. All I can offer is my experience with Ontario, Vancouver and Quebec.
Here are the pros and cons:

Colorado
Pros:
It's in the states, no need for a passport
many places to visit outside of denver
breathtaking views of mountains if you drive

Cons:
altitude is high, if you are prone to nosebleeds might be something to consider

Canada:
Ontario
Pros:
1)Niagra Falls!! The Canadian side is far prettier than the States side, lots of museums to visit, beautiful parks
2)Gambling
3)You can catch a train from Windsor, Ontario and travel Ontario using that...i still have fond memories of visiting London, Ontario via train.

Cons:
1)Need a passport to travel
2)Parts of Niagra Falls is the typical tourist trap
Vancouver:
3)Gambling

Vancover
Pros:
1)Is on the Pacific
2)Wonderful restaurants
3)breathtaking views

Cons:
1)Need a passport
2)Cool and always overcast

Quebec
Pros:
1)Montreal! Always a treat to visit..the underground mall is nice and the variety of restaurants from German, Creole, French - mmmmm
2)This is where i get my electronics...lots of bargains
3)Scenic parks

Cons:
1)Need passport
2)Not everybody speaks English in Quebec..hope your French is good enough or that their English is good enough

another point about Canada...they do not use miles, they use kilometers...so if you see a sign that says 85 kilometers...that does not mean 85 miles!

Hi M.,

I have been to Colorado a few times and I would go back in a minute.

The last time we were there, we stayed in Avon, Co. It is by all of the big name ski resorts - maybe two hours west of Denver (I don't remember for sure though). It was great, we were close to many things. We went to Glenwood Springs, which has the largest hot springs pool in the world and was built in the early 1900's (I think). It's a sight to behold, let me tell you! We also went to Bever Creek, which was actually right at Avon, just up the mountain. It was a really cool little "village" like place with an outdoor ice rink in the summer!

A different time we were there, we went to Winter Park - again in the summer. We stayed with a huge group of our family. We went white water rafting, up to the Great Divide, over to the YMCA ranch for horse back riding. Another awesome area.

Good luck! I think I'd pick Colorado!
Have a great time.

Loved CO...never been to Canada. Our economy needs your money...stay in the USA!

I was only in Canada for 1 night, and that was enough for me. Maybe I went to the wrong part of Canada, I don't know, but it was enough. My dad took me to Montreal and it was a vacation from, well, you can guess. We didn't really plan it out very well and we drove up there and we were going to just stop in at the first hotel that we came to. We stopped in at a McDonald's and asked where a nice hotel would be. The manager got out food together, personally walked it over to our table, sat down and drew us a map and gave us step by step directions on how to get to this hotel. What a nice guy , right? We get to this hotel, there are police cars all over the place, it was a "rent by the hour" joint! My dad asked a police officer where a nicer hotel would be, which was about an hour further out of the city. He was soooo mad. My dad also turned the manager of the McDonald's in to the police officer for giving us the directions. Now, I have also been to Colorado, mainly the Colorado Springs area and I didn't get to spend enough time there. I would go back there in a heart beat. It is so beautiful, we went to Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, Helen Hunt Falls (no, they are not named for the actress), there is a gold mine there, there is so much to do there. We actually st

HI,

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I also encourage you to go to Colorado!! We enjoy going to Estes Park, Colorado. I have been going there since I was a child and now enjoy taking my kids there. It is located in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are plenty of activities to do there. You can go hiking, fishing, horse back riding, plenty of places to do picnics, camping, go-carts, slides, and even a tram you can take. Several good places to stay there. You can find a cabin for every budget several of them come with there own hot tub. They have a quaint little downtown with tourist stores. I know you can go to vrbo and check out houses that you can rent there too! Hope you have a fabulous time wherever you go!!

What one person likes doesn't mean you would like it too. Go to www.ytbtravel.com/gdwtravel(my travel website) and choose for yourselves.Right now we have GREAT packages.Have fun looking because there is soooooo much to see!!!!!If you book or buy anything while you are there, I will get a commission from it. I would appreciate your help.You get what you want around your budget and I get paid for helping you find it. We both win. Good luck and God bless you and your family. Ginny

Colorado..me and dd are going there middle of July. We love the mountains. Grandma used to live at an apartment with view of mtn when you get up..beautiful. We have hiked up Devils Head Mtn..awesome views there, then climbed the 400? steps to the highest manned fire station. Trail rides are great, especially that time of the year when the trails are shaded by the trees. Amazing how those trees grow when they have had all that sun on them! This year we are going on another trail ride, going to the to of Pike's Peak, and whatever else spur of the moment that comes up. Last time we went, I could find out if you want, we passed a hotel that had individual cabins with personal "hot tubs" outside each room. It looked like they were pretty private too. Indian dwellings were great also.

What ever you choose, look at what kind of activities you want and like to do and go where you will get the most out of your time alone.

I know in CO that Winter Park used to have activities and walking trails and such open on their mountain and at the base....

Not sure about Canada.

My DH and I went to Colorado for our ten year anniversary last year sans kids. We took our fifth wheel and camped by a river and it was amazing! Estes Park was our destination of choice and Rocky Mountain National Forest is right there! There is sooooo much to do! They have lots of nice cabins you can rent and even with a river view! I say support our economy and spend your money in the states! You won't be disappointed with Estes Park, CO!

Ps...we loved it so much that we're taking our daughters, our best friends & their children and heading back the 1st week of August. The temperature is wonderful in the summer...70's/80's.

Let me add another little suggestion. I LOVED Estes Park, Colorado. We stayed in a cabin there and it was great there. But.. Maine is wonderful. My husband and I went there for our 30th anniversary. It's beautiful there! Acadia National Park has wagon rides to the top of the mountain at sunset.. .gorgeous! It was so cool in the evenings, we had to buy sweatshirts (last week in July). We ate lobster at picnic tables by the water! If I had to choose somewhere to go on another vacation.. it would be Maine. In fact I would love to live there! We stayed in Bar Harbor. Not to make your decision making harder but... I just had to mention it.

M.,
First of all I just wanted to say congrats on taking a vacation with your husband!!

I vote for Colorado as well. We lived there before kids and absolutely fell in love with it. As many of the other posts have mentioned there are numerous things to do and see. When we had family come visit we'd start off taking them to Estes Park. Lots to see and plenty of little shops to visit. You can drive from Estes Park through Rocky Mountain National Park. Once on the other side you'll be in Grand Lake. It's gorgeous as well! From there it's a pretty drive to Winter Park. They have tons to do in the summer time. Take a ride up the ski lift and have lunch, rent mountain bikes or try the alpine slide!!
Well, now I'm ready to plan a trip too. Enjoy the time alone with your husband and have fun!!

We have been to Colorado four times as a family and on our honeymoon and love it out there. My husband would love to move there but we have ties here we don't want to leave. We stayed in Pagosa Springs for our honeymoon and had a very relaxing week. We really liked the hot springs. We have stayed in Durango for family vacations and really like the whole area. Lot's to drive around and see. Check out Mesa Verde National Park, the train from Durango to Silverton. But if you do that you may want to drive up to Silverton on another day...there is a mine there and an old deserted town you can drive up into the mountains to see but you don't have time to do everything if you take the train. Denver has a really neat aquarium too, but we had the kids, may not have been as exciting if we weren't watching them enjoy it. But if diving is something either one of you are interested in you can pay extra to dive in a tank with the fish. We went out there for around 2000 with the kids.

Montreal Canada, was so beautiful and a place my hubby & I escaped to. We ate crepes, walked on cobled streets, toured Notre Dame, ate great food. Walked through gardens, took a ton of photos. check out my blog postings on the trip:

http://martielsponder.blogspot.com/2007/09/we-are-back-fr...

http://martielsponder.blogspot.com/2007/09/we-are-in-mont...

It would be great if you could keep your money here in the US. Colorado has lots to do. Garden of the Gods, Fish Creek Falls, white water rafting, horseback riding just look online there are lots of things to do and Colorado IS beautiful.

Have a great time.

L.

I wanted to add about Estes! It was amazing to drive around the corner and see this beautiful little wonderland in the middle of the mountains. When I first saw it I told my kids Im going to come back here and stay sometime. Lovely

My husband and I go to Colorado 1 or 2 times a year. We love it there. It is so beautiful. Most of the time we end up traveling from one small town to another. Depending on what you are looking for upscale/moderate lodging you have so much to choose from. We really like going on adventures and one place that really sticks out is Idaho Springs. You can go on mining tours, take a white water rafting trip, lounge in the hot springs at a beautiful hotel. Also if you like there is a mountian road that goes from Idaho Springs to Crystal City called the "Oh My Gawd" road. It is an experience to say the least. Other great places to stay are Grand Lake and Estes Park. Dont miss out on going to the Royal Gourge or driving up Pikes Peak. If you get on the Colorado tourism site they will mail you a catalog that will give you ideas and coupons for great vacation ideas all over the state. Hope this helps!

Colorado is awesome - we went there about 3 years ago. We stayed in Ouray, CO (which is called Litte Switzerland). Not for sure of prices as far as hotels since we enjoyed pitching a tent and vacationing that way. It is so beautiful to see the mountains and so on. I would too love to go to Canada since i have not been there so not for sure on that route. Enjoy yourselves where ever you all end up going to.

I've been to Colorado several times and I recommend Colorado Springs. It is fairly close to Estes park that was mentioned by a few other people, plus it is near Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods (another cool attraction). It has areas that are quaint but also the feel of a big city. It is about an hour or so from Denver so you can visit both if you have a car and/or the time. There are lots of hotels and bed and breakfasts in the area.

Colorado is beautiful in July! I suggest one of the mountain towns, especially Steamboat Springs. It's about 3 hours from Denver; you can fly into Steamboat if you like. There is so much to do--biking, hiking, golf, tennis, hot springs (several!), great restaurants, shopping and many spas. You'd have wonderful choices of hotels, condos or homes to rent. Of course all of the mountain towns (Vail, Aspen, etc.) are spectacular, but Steamboat is more laid back and less touristy. Have a great time!

One of the best trips we took was to Prince Edward Island in Canada. We flew into Montreal spent the day there and then took a train to Nova Scotia (we spent the night on the train). There we stayed at a B&B for two days. Then we rented a car and took the ferry to Prince Edward Island and spent about 3 days there at another B&B. We came back and drove into Maine and spent the day there and then flew out of Maine back home. Prince Edward Island is gorgeous and the lobsters in Maine are awesome!

Hi M.,
You can't go wrong with Colorado. We went for the 1st time in 1995, and have been back every year since. Unless you ski, summer time is the BEST!
Anything south of Denver, the farther south you go, the better it gets.
We love Gunnison and Durango.
C.