(how PRETTY is this hotel nestled into mountains?)

there are few places i like to visit as much as the broadmoor. my heart just soars when i am there and i feel kind of giddy. set against some group of colorado mountains and centered around a big, beautiful lake, it is unbelievably scenic. the interior spaces are so detailed and intricate and layered you are always discovering something new. on this visit, i really started noticing all the swans. aside from the actual swans who live on the lake, there are swans throughout the resort painted on the walls, tiled into floor mosaics, featured in oil paintings and even edible meringue swans available at the little patisserie. i HAVE been watching “the feud” - the series about truman capote and his swans obsessively, so maybe that’s why i was so drawn to them.

(one of the swans at sunrise… hank and i are early risers!)

(did you know that swans can do underwater handstands?)

(a swan painted on the wall of the indoor swimming pool)

(pretty meringue swans)

(truman’s swans)

we were super lucky with our room placement this time as we had an outrageous view of the lake and the main building from our window. and we had a terrific group: my dear friend, her daughter who has been one of lu’s besties since they were babies, lucy, me and darling hank. all of us LOVE the broadmoor, especially hank. he really gets spoiled there with loads of broadmoor dog treats, early morning pup cups when we stop by the coffee shop for an au-lait before our first walk around the lake and pets and cuddles from just about everyone. we missed three elevator rides one evening because a family just couldn’t stop fussing over him!

(hank enjoying his pup cup… he smartly decided to forgo his diet while on holiday!)

(i tried to get hank to pose with this elegant dog, but he was NOT interested)

(he wouldn’t go any closer than this)

(here is hank actively ignoring me when i tell him he can’t sit on the sofas at the broadmoor)

we made sure to hit all of our favorites: la taverne, where they serve perfect martinis, the golden bee, an english pub with a huge wooden bar imported from europe, the stunning indoor pool, the outdoor hot tub with tip top views and the zoo where we fed the giraffes. lucy has been feeding those guys since she was a baby and even as a teen it never gets old. i am so grateful for the existence of such a magical place. x0x0x

(lu and ellie feeding the lovely giraffes at the zoo)

to read more about the broadmoor click here