Riverside Romance
The “Sweetheart Tree” at Highland Haven holds carved initials of
many who have stayed at the Evergreen inn, but Howard and Mollie
Head win the prize for most romantic story. They were frequent
guests and celebrated a 96th birthday and a 67th wedding
anniversary there. Howard died four months short of his 100th
birthday, but the little heart he carved for Mollie on the
Sweetheart Tree remains. Innkeepers Gail Riley and Tom Statzell
recount their story in “Colorado Cravings: Recipes and Romance,”
a cookbook/memoir drawn from 27 years spent transforming a run-down
motel into an inn of exquisite guest rooms, suites and cabins.
Order Petals, Poetry and Port or the Romance Tray: chilled
champagne, imported chocolates, fresh flowers and two champagne
flutes to keep.
Highland Haven Creekside Inn, 4395 Independence Trail, Evergreen, 303-674-3577 or
Urban Affair
Guests of the Capitol Hill Bed & Breakfast, an 1891 red sandstone
mansion, can choose from eight rooms, three of which are suites.
While it retains its turn-of-the-century oak trim, stained glass
and high ceilings, the inn offers 21st- century amenities such as
TVs, DVD players, wireless Internet and whirlpool tubs. Many guests
return just for the breakfasts, says Carl Schmidt, who bought the
inn with his partner, Jay Hadley, five years ago. They offer a
variety of romance packages, from a two-night getaway that includes silk rose petals strewn about the bed,
a bouquet of roses, horse and carriage ride, champagne and
chocolate-dipped strawberries, to the “Honey I’m Sorry” package
that includes a long-stem rose on the pillow, apology card, grapes,
and either a bouquet of roses, or cookies and ice cream.
Capitol Hill Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn, 1207 Pennsylvania St., 800-839-9329 or
A Zen Connection
Built in the 1890s, the Briar Rose has been a B&B for 26 years, but
Gary Hardin has brought a whole new energy to the 10-room inn.
Around the same time he was ordained a Zen monk three years ago,
Hardin bought the inn with the idea that it would house the Zen
Center, which he has run for 10 years. “It started making more and
more sense,” says Hardin. “As a monk in a monastery, you cook,
you clean, you create a feeling of practice – being present in each
moment. And monasteries have a tradition of taking in travelers.”
Hardin and fellow innkeeper Isidro Torres are committed to running
a “green” B&B. “We try to serve all organic food, we do our
grocery shopping by bicycle with a trailer, we recycle all our food
waste. It just feels right,” says Hardin. “I try to be mindful in
preparing the food. It’s an extension of my Zen practice.”
Briar Rose Bed and Breakfast, 2151 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, 303-442-3007 or
Mountain Amour
Bill and Juanita Martin have run the rustic, circa-1933 Allenspark
Lodge south of Estes Park for nine years, and in that time have
perfect the high-altitude breakfast. “Anything I cook here has to
be fairly simple and taste good,” says Juanita. “And it has to
make good leftovers, because my husband and I eat all the
leftovers.” They live in the lodge and rent out its 13 rooms and
plan to be open Valentine’s Day (they are usually open only on
weekends during the winter). Surrounded by 2 to 4 feet or snow, the
inn is a cozy place for Juanita to experiment with recipes. “But I
always serve meat on the side – we’re in a vegetarian county,” she
says. (The inn is in Boulder County).
Allenspark Lodge, 184 Main, Colorado 7 (business loop), Allenspark, 303-747-2552,
