The Broadmoor

The honest review

The Broadmoor opened in 1918 and has been continuously rated Forbes Five-Star/Five-Diamond longer than any other resort in the world (60+ years). For families, the structural advantages are: it's a destination unto itself (3,000 acres, 26 restaurants, three golf courses, on-property attractions), it's adjacent to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway (both with complimentary shuttle service), and it has a kids' programming depth that competes with Disney without the theme-park exhaustion.

Broadmoor Adventures (ages 6-12) is the kid headline. Daily themed programming includes falconry sessions, fly fishing lessons on Cheyenne Lake (the resort owns the lake), archery, tomahawk throwing, mountain biking, and outdoor cooking experiences. Kids 13+ can join 'Wilderness Experience' multi-day excursions (kayaking, rock climbing, fly fishing at the Broadmoor's secluded ranch outpost 60 miles away). $125/day for half-day, $185/day for full-day with lunch.

Bee Bunch (ages 3-5) runs gentler programming, story time, garden walks (the resort grows its own produce), nature crafts, swimming lessons in the heated pool.

For older kids and parents: three 18-hole golf courses designed by Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, and Jack Nicklaus. Year-round mountain biking trails. Fly fishing on Cheyenne Lake (private, only accessible to resort guests). The on-property bowling alley and arcade handle evening downtime.

Dining: 26 restaurants across the property. Penrose Room is Colorado's only Forbes Five-Star restaurant, formal, not appropriate for kids under 12. Family-friendly options include Café Julie's (American comfort food), Summit (steakhouse with kids menu), Charles Court (resort buffet), Espresso News (coffee shop with breakfast), and seasonal cafes. Kids menus are thoughtful, not afterthought, local Colorado lamb, fresh trout, gluten-free options.

The Spa at The Broadmoor is one of only 12 Forbes Five-Star spas in the US. 38 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy circuit, eucalyptus steam rooms, dedicated couples suites. The parent recovery value is exceptional.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is adjacent to the resort with a complimentary shuttle. It's one of the top-rated zoos in the US, built into the side of Cheyenne Mountain (giraffes at viewing-deck height, year-round outdoor habitats), and free for Broadmoor guests with the resort fee.

Pikes Peak Cog Railway runs 90 minutes round trip to the summit (14,115 feet). Resort shuttles run twice daily. The drive option requires a separate rental car, while the Cog Railway is included with resort transportation.

Where it loses points: pricing is real. $599+/night for standard rooms, $1,200+/night for family suites. A 5-night Broadmoor trip for a family of 4 with two kids running daily Adventures programs and a couple of fine-dining nights runs $9,000-$15,000 before flights. Flights to Colorado Springs (COS) are pricier than Denver (DEN, 1 hour drive), most families fly DEN and drive.

For families specifically deciding between Colorado mountain resorts: The Broadmoor wins for families wanting refined service + year-round programming. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (in our directory) is better for families specifically focused on ski + summer mountain trips. The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park) is a budget alternative with quirky historic appeal. For multi-gen trips with grandparents who want premium service standards, The Broadmoor is the only Colorado pick.

The falconry program needs a specific note because it's unlike anything you can do at comparable resorts. The Broadmoor keeps trained raptors on property and offers 90-minute guided sessions where kids and adults handle real birds — Harris's hawks, American kestrels, and occasionally owls. Sessions run in the early morning when birds are most active. Kids 6 and older can participate with adult supervision. It's the kind of experience that has no indoor equivalent and generates the specific kind of memory that kids carry into adulthood. Book through the resort's activity concierge; the falconry sessions fill up quickly and aren't bookable same-day.

The Broadmoor's Wilderness Experiences deserve a separate paragraph for families traveling with teenagers. For kids 13+, the resort offers multi-day excursions to The Ranch at Emerald Valley and The Cloud Camp, both backcountry Broadmoor properties. These aren't glorified day hikes — they're fly fishing in remote alpine streams, rock climbing on real route grades, and sleeping in mountain cabins accessible only by trail or four-wheel drive. For teenagers who find traditional resort programming too controlled and too young, the wilderness tier offers something substantively different.

Colorado Springs airport logistics: Colorado Springs Airport (COS) is 20 minutes from the resort and has direct service from Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Houston, and Phoenix. Denver International (DEN) has more routes and lower fares — the $50-$100 airfare savings on DEN often exceeds what you'd spend on a rental car for the 75-minute drive to Colorado Springs. Most families from the coasts fly DEN and drive, checking out the Garden of the Gods (free, on the way) as a stop. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the resort are another 20 minutes south.

The Broadmoor is genuinely seasonal in the sense that summer (June-August) is peak family time when all programming runs, and winter operates at reduced capacity for the kids programs. Falconry, fly fishing, and outdoor adventures are available year-round, but the full Broadmoor Adventures daily programming schedule runs Memorial Day through Labor Day. For the full family experience, book summer.