There’s a rumor in town… and it is all about the Halcyon Hotel [Hal see uh n]. A new, hip and modern hotel and the place to be in Denver at the moment of our stay.
Indeed, the hotel design is great, it is decorated super cute and trendy. As soon as we enter we fall in love with the reception area with its shining, marble kitchen countertop which is also the bar of the hotel and a central ‘come together’ for both hotel and other guests. After the reception, there is a ‘living room’, making one feel right at home. That’s also the place for us to hang out in the evening.
One of the beautiful rooms
The rooms are well-appointed with full attention to every detail. For example, there is a leather magazine holder hanging on a brass rod (utterly classy). And there is a funky vertical turn-table with 3 vintage vinyls to play some tunes while relaxing in your room. All very nice and funky, but one can see by the way, that design was more important than function here as our turn-table appeared to be broken. And things like the bronze platted shower head are stunning, but quite heavy to hold, especially for children. Also, the room didn’t have blackout shades which we could use very well with still a bit of a jet lag in our bones. Nevertheless, we like it! Our room has to double beds, very American and very welcome when travelling with children.
It's in the details...
There is gorgeous rooftop bar with a pool and cabana beds and an expansive view of Denver. We spent a whole afternoon up there. The bar is a very popular place to be during the nights, with a lot of traffic. And we saw quite some reviews of guests having a problem with the loud music of the bar at night, so especially when travelling with children we would recommend asking for a quiet room.
Always a pleasure to throw Dad in the pool
The amenities on property like Wi-Fi, transportation within the neighborhood, 24/7 espresso bar, fresh fruit and baked treats at the cafe/bar and complimentary afternoon drinks are welcoming. You can’t order them at the rooftop so we spend quite some time at the ‘living room’ down stairs. Do consider that they charge a daily fee of $30 plus tax per room for these amenities and breakfast is limited to a muffin and coffee or tea. For a healthy and child-friendly breakfast you will find plenty of decent places on walking distance.
We really like the awesome Gear Garage room on the ground floor: a room of sporting equipment and games such as bicycles, etc. that guests may check out at no charge. Our girls found themselves a nice game to play with another girl staying at the hotel. So, it’s not only a nice touch but also wonderful way to make friends.
In front of the Gear garage
The down town location is perfect and you can walk anywhere. We recommend highly the Denver Museum of Nature & Science that we already mentioned in one of our previous hotel review. You can easily spend a full day there exploring all the different exhibits. If time permits also do visit the Denver Zoo which is fun and in a pretty part of Denver. If you got your own wheels head out to drive the Mount Evans scenic byway. It’s got some nail biting areas to drive but is well worth it. The views almost from the beginning are awe inspiring. Altitude can be an issue for those of us living at sea level normally but a must see and drive! And if you just like to see cars head to the Forney Museum of Transportation. There are great displays of early transportation vehicles including wagons, buggies, cars, bicycles, motorcycles and trains. It is fascinating!
The location of Cherry Creek is excellent for shopping and restaurants. No special need for another restaurant by the way since the Halcyon offers guests and locals alike three unique restaurant options: the Departure Restaurant and Lounge with Asian food, the Departure Elevated (at the rooftop) and Quality Italian (a nice steakhouse). We had a great dinner at the Departure Restaurant, no problem bringing our girls over here.
The staff was very helpful and it is good to have a familiar face each day. For example, the air condition in our room was broken and as soon as we found out, we were offered another, and a bit bigger, room. It seems though that some improvements can be made. For instance, while staying at the lobby the number of people wandering around looking for the restrooms or the right elevator is a bit annoying. And while waiting for a cappuccino at least 4 people are asking you if they can help you. A bit of coordination would certainly help. And being the hot spot in town, the staff could not believe we had a bit of feedback while leaving. But they do their very best, we had a great time and certainly a lot of people find it an awesome place to be.
WOW
# You are staying at the place to be at the time of our stay.
# Exceptional hotel interior and nice pool area.
# Excellent location in Denver, especially if you are in for shopping and dining.
