Refreshing and Feasting in Pikes Peak!

Guest: Eric (Prosper, TX)
Date of Stay: 11/21/11 Review Submitted: 11/29/11

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this gorgeous retreat. In all we had six adults and seven little children and there was something for everyone here. The kids loved watching movies in the loft and playing with the toys in the basement. The adults spent time playing games, talking, and sharing cooking responsibilities. We spent the week of Thanksgiving here and were a little concerned that it would be tough to make a large Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. But what a well-stocked kitchen! From cooking pies to roasting our bird, to making all the sides, we had everything we needed and more. (The state-of-the-art microwave is nearly a sentient being. Very useful!) The accommodations are luxurious. The master suite is plush and comfortable. We easily were able to arrange all of our family stuff in the room. Adjacent to the master suite is a small bedroom with teddy bears, tons of picture books and a TV/DVD unit - perfect for our twins. The master bath was huge and we enjoyed all the little touches that made it feel more like a spa - a towel heater, digital scale, rain shower head in the giant shower... The rest of the house was just as nice. Everyone had a comfortable bed to enjoy and there were 13 of us! But the nicest part was the view. As others have said, this place looks over a private lake and the pictures here don't do it justice. We enjoyed our hikes through the area. At night, the sky is breathtaking. We took the kids to the North Pole amusement park which is near the retreat. The house also offered dozens of brochures from various attractions in the area. It is a remote place so there wasn't any cell reception or internet, although the owner has let us know that they will be adding internet access soon. The proximity to nearby Woodland Park made it convenient to grab supplies, a latte, and check email when needed. If you are looking for a place to be your family's getaway, someplace peaceful and picturesque without sacrificing comfort and convenience, this is it!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

PIKES PEAK RETREAT

Guest: Nancy (Delta, Oh 43515)
Date of Stay: 07/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

I studied all the available places to stay around Colorado Springs. This one seemed to fit our family size, the place we wanted to be, and the type of place to take our family on our Colorado vacation. The pictures in the web site showed exactly how the house looked when we got there. Built in the side of a mountain. The written description doesn't include the fact that the basement is totally a kids room, including games, play house tents, fuseball, and air hockey tables. Our kids utilized this game room and left the adults enjoying each other a share of the time. The place was spotlessly clean, the cupboards were fully stocked with dishes, appliances, etc. We were totally satisfied. We were near so much to do. We went horseback riding thru Garden of the Gods, drove up Pikes Peak, also rode the train, Threw snowballs at each other.(It snowed the day we rode the train) We went to the North Pole, Colorado isn't a swimming area, but we did find a campground in Woodland Park, just beyond walmart, with a nice pool, and allowed swimming for 4.00 per person. Also, the most utilized was Platte River. It has spots you can play in the water, but the most fun is tubing. It is a shallow, clean, fast moving river, we bought tubes and found the public spots where you can go into the river and go tubing. We went on 3 different days. You can buy tubes for 2-3 people, and I recommend these for people with small kids. Every morning, I am an early riser, so I made coffee, and sat by the window. There were deer right in the front yard. One morning I saw a deer with 2 fawns. You have to cross a bridge to get to the house, and we noticed a beaver dam, so around dusk we walked down there, and the beavers were very busy eating, and playing, and working. They didn't seem to mind us watching. A few miles from the house, we saw a herd of elk (around 20) strolling across the road. If you are in to wildlife, this is the place to be. We are. I would recommend this to anyone. It was a wonderful vacation. I contacted the owner many times before we went, she was very patient, gave us total directions from both Denver airport, and Colorado Springs. Cordially, Nancy from Ohio

Owner response:Nancy, Thank you so much for taking your time and writing a great review. Thank you for your generous gratuity for the housekeeper. It made her day! We will be happy to accommodate you again any time at the best available rate. Julia

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Our Colorado June Vacation

Guest: Katie (Allen, TX)
Date of Stay: 06/05/11 Review Submitted: 06/16/11

We had a wonderful stay at this cabin. We had ten people in our party and were all very comfortable. There were lots of toys and games for the kids, which was awesome as it kept them all occupied. The views of the forest and mountains were beautiful and the decks were great for enjoying some morning or evening quiet time, listening to nature. The fully furnished kitchen was awesome. We did most of our eating over our five day stay at the cabin, which saved us some money to spend on activities rather than eating every meal at a restaurant. There were plenty of awesome places to go within a short drive from the cabin. We went to the Dinosaur Resource Center, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, Florrisant Fossil Beds and Cripple Creek...those were all fairly close. We also took a drive to Buena Vista, which was absolutely stunning and drove down toward Alamosa on the way home and went to the Gator Farm, which was lots of fun. Thanks for an awesome vacation :-).

Owner response:Katie, Thank you for a great review. Thank you for leaving the property clean and in a good order. We appreciate it. We will be happy to accommodate you again. We manage a few properties in Colorado: some are in Pikes Peak Region and some in Front Range/Western Slope. We would like to offer a discounted rate or a reduced cleaning fee if you stay with us again. We look forward to having you back some time soon. Julia

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: M. K. (-)
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 06/05/11

Hi Julia, The stay was fantastic, thanks for everything. Everything was in good order when we got there, and the cabin and the views were fantastic! Thanks, M. K.

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WE ENJOYED A VERY COMFORTABLE STAY!

Guest: TASD (Dallas, TX)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/06/11

Dear Julia: We had a lovely few days in your cabin. We loved it's location, being off the beaten track and surrounded by beautiful views, places to run and walk. We had great fun visitng the Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, going on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, scrambling over over-sized rocks in the Garden of the Gods. The children were really happy and we enjoyed a very comfortable stay. Thank you for making us so welcome and for advising us that our deposit is on it's way back to us! With best wishes L&R

Owner response:Dear Lucy: Thank you for staying at Pikes Peak Retreat. Thank you for leaving the property clean and in good order. We would happy to accommodate you again at a reduced rate of cleaning fee. We manage several properties in Colorado including a cabin in Idaho Springs, adorable Victorian Cottage in historic Central City/Black Hawk, a cottage in Colorado Springs and more. We look forward to having you back some time soon. Julia

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children.

Relaxing Vacation

Guest: David (Lubbock, TX)
Date of Stay: 03/29/11 Review Submitted: 04/03/11

We had a wonderful time with the family at the Retreat House. The house is close to a private lake, and we enjoyed daily walks around it every morning. One time we sat and observed a beaver building a dam. The children absolutely enjoyed all the wildlife present around the property. In the evenings we usually would sit on the deck and watching the sunset behind the mountains. The house is easily accessible and we had no problems finding it. However, we rarely came in contact with others in this wooded retreat. The house is modern and clean with pleasant natural interior. This is first time we slept in a king size log bed, a real treat! Each day we went to Woodland Park or Colorado Springs. We strongly recommend visiting Fossil Beds National Monument and Air Force Academy. We are planning on visiting this area again next year, and will definitely stay at the same house since we felt really relaxed and know what to expect.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: Barb (-)
Date of Stay: 10/22/10 Review Submitted: 03/28/11

Julia, It’s been busy at work, but I did mean to thank you. Your place is BEAUTIFUL; wish we could have stayed LONGER. All the girls want to go back, so if it works out, maybe next year we’ll return for our 20 year get-together. It’s a wonderful location. We walked around a lot. We went to the lake, to the meditation bench, to the creek... Seems like a really nice community. I think I could LIVE up there in that area – as long as I didn’t have to work... OH well… Thank you again for opening your home. It was a GREAT weekend with the girls…

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Beautiful views and a beautiful house. Great place to vacation in Colorado!

Guest: happy guest (Kansas City)
Date of Stay: 03/04/11 Review Submitted: 03/25/11

We had a very good time at the retreat! It is so peaceful and quiet around the house. We enjoyed listening to bird songs in the morning while drinking our coffee on the deck. It is very tranquil setting. You can hear the babbling brook right by... The decor is simply gorgeous and tastefully done. Very clean. We enjoyed the fire from the pellet stove in the living room. It is relaxing. We enjoyed trips to Woodland Park and Colorado Springs and visited numerous attractions in the area, and the nearby state park during our visit. We also went rafting on the nearby Platte River and fished as well. Our children loved the upstairs kids bedroom full of toys, games and books. My husband and I had the master bedroom with a log king size bed. We liked the front and back decks for relaxing and playing board games together. Our family enjoyed our stay in this cabin. Great place to stay!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: H.G. (-)
Date of Stay: 12/25/10 Review Submitted: 03/16/11

We truly enjoyed our recent stay at your rental property and it was all we could have hoped for (except for NO snow). It was a great, roomy and super convenient stay. We took daily trips to Breckenridge, Fairplay, and of course went into Woodland Park almost daily. Last year we stayed at a rental in Sherwood Forest and hopefully next year, your unit will be available again!

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PEAK RETREAT

Guest: Tammy (Lincoln, NE)
Date of Stay: 06/14/10 Review Submitted: 07/14/10

There is no lake that can be accessed by the tenants, ATVs may not be rode, legally, from the cabin and the Sheriff lives across the 'Marsh'. The cabin is in poor shape, the stair railing is loose, there are no base boards behind the coaches, the kitchen is not fully equipped, there is no dish soap, dishwasher soap, and only 4 rolls of toilet paper for two weeks. Black mold in the shower. I would not recommend this cabin to anyone. Please google the owners/property managers name to find out more informaiton before agreeing to anything.

Owner response:This guest has confused this property with someone else's property. This is not a cabin, but a beautiful house on the border with Pike National forest. The view are truly beautiful. Gorgeous nature, bubbling brook, 270 degree mountain views. Please see the actual pictures taken right from the deck. You can certainly ride ATVs all around , but not on main roads. I see some local people ride them around all the time. We have hardwood floors in the living room and all baseboards, of course, are in place. Beautiful pine log railings in the loft and along the stairs. I even checked them - nothing is loose. The kitchen is fully equipped with all possible kitchen appliances you can imagine including a dishwasher, glass top stove/oven, a big new microwave, refrigerator with ice-maker, expensive coffee maker, cappuccino/ espresso maker, coffee grinder, toaster, toaster oven, a mixer, a salad shredder, a salad spinner, bread maker, a slow-cooker, can opener and so much more. We always provide a dish-washing soap, a big roll of paper towel, a kitchen towel, a dish rag and a new sponge for dishes, 2-3 rolls of toilet paper and toiletries including hand soap, a soap bar, shampoo and conditioner, antibacterial gel and lotion for each bathroom. Please read many positive comments from other guests. We also have a guest book at the house where you can see a lot of positive comments entered by guests who stayed at the property. Please e-mail directly to us if you have any questions or concerns.

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