City: Manitou Springs, CO

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (719) 685-5485 or (800) 782-22

Address: 23 Manitou Ave.

Description: One of the oldest businesses in Manitou Springs (since 1926), El Colorado Lodge is a trip back in time . . . or maybe to old-style Santa Fe. The 17 adobe cottages with 26 units total feature wood-burning kiva fireplaces and lodgepole pine ceiling beams that just scream “Southwest.” And the decor was here long before it was popular! Each cabin is a little different and bed options include doubles, queens, and kings. They offer nonsmoking rooms only, but pets are welcome. Only one cabin is wheelchair accessible. Outside, the grounds are scattered with picnic tables, barbecue grills, and a children’s playground. Not to mention horseshoes, shuffleboard, basketball hoop, and a volleyball court. And they have the largest outdoor heated swimming pool of any lodging in Manitou. Families love this place and it’s a popular site for family reunions. They don’t serve breakfast, but Uncle Sam’s Pancake House is right across the street.