Looking for a magical escape for your family but don’t want to leave town?
I highly recommend booking a family staycation at the Gaylord Rockies. It’s a short drive and is full of family fun all year round! We had the opportunity to stay at the Gaylord Rockies last week and made some special holiday memories.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary stay at the Gaylord Rockies, but all thoughts are my own, and we had a great visit!
There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than gathering your family at Gaylord Rockies. Explore acres of twinkling lights, more than 12 hours of exciting activities, shows, and events, and for the first time ever, step into the world of Buddy the Elf in the all-new, Gaylord Hotels Original Experience, Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf™.
Winter Fun at Glacier Point
Glacier Point is a highlight for our kids every year. They love to fly down the tubing hill and race around the ice-skating rink. Two new improvements we loved this year were the larger ice-skating rink and the ramp (instead of stairs) to the tubing hill.
Mission: Save Christmas featuring ElfTM
After outdoor winter fun we hopped inside to warm up and help save Christmas with Buddy the Elf in the new attraction Mission: Save Christmas featuring ElfTM.
In this interactive exhibit, families experience many highlights from the movie Elf – including building toys in the workshop, baking cookies, dancing in the mailroom, and throwing snowballs with the other elves!
There’s still time for your family to experience this fun attraction. Save 20% now with promo code MACKID on Mission: Save Christmas.
Arapahoe Springs
Gaylord Rockies pools are open year-round, even the outdoor pool and lazy river because they’re heated. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about how this would work, but was up for it!
We started indoors because the kids wanted to ride the water slides, but then we ended up outside. The kids jumped right into the outdoor infinity pool, and even though it was a 40-degree morning, it was sunny and warm enough that I enjoyed lounging on the side, I even got a little overheated sitting there in the sun!
We love the lazy river at Gaylord Rockies, and I was thrilled at how warm the water felt when we first got in. It was incredibly pleasant, even to have part of your body out of the water on the tube.
I thought swimming outdoors would be a short-ish activity, but we were all sad when it was time to get out so we could check out. We had a blast floating together under the nice warm Colorado sun.
Easy Family Dining Options
When we travel, I don’t have to cook, but I do have to figure out how to keep everyone from getting hangry. (Not ideal on vacation!) Luckily Gaylord Rockies offers so many options for dining. You can take your pick of several table service restaurants, but if your family is on the go, they now offer grab-and-go family-friendly options. We loved this new addition this year! We could grab a couple of orders of chicken strips on the way up to the room for the kids to munch on for dinner before they started to lose their minds!
My husband and I wanted something different, so we grabbed a fig and blue cheese burger with tots, along with a couple of beers, from Mountain Pass Sports Bar, and it was delicious!
Before heading to bed, I pre-ordered breakfast and scheduled it to arrive right after we would be awake. It was so easy to pre-order and our breakfast arrived right on time - fresh and warm - to our room the next morning! The kids loved eating in bed while we chatted about our fun plans for the day.
Download the App before Your Visit
We love using the Marriott Bonvoy app when we’re at any of their properties. From the app, you can see restaurant menus, order food-to-go, and even pre-order room service. It also works as a room key and you can track details of your stay. My favorite feature is the ability to chat with a hotel representative. Want to know when the pool opens or what time check-out is? Send a quick message! They respond quickly and it’s a really easy way to make sure your stay is excellent.
It's not too late to enjoy the holiday season at the Gaylord, I know you'll make some fabulous family memories!
Find out more here: https://christmasatgaylordrockies.marriott.com/denver-aurora-interactive-holiday-event
