Romantic Getaway Recommendation

If you are looking for inspiration for a romantic getaway for two in the Colorado Rockies, read about our stay in the Highland Haven Creekside Inn’s magical, whimsical and luxurious TreeHouse. 

In Her Words

Jason and I love our Parental Escapes. We are two very busy parents in our blended family of four sons, so we plan for our Escapes for weeks, if not months. We know that no matter how busy life gets, and how disconnected we may feel from each other, we always have a romantic getaway to look forward to, as a designated time to reconnect. It’s our chance to say, “Kids… we are going away to do something super cool without you. Because we do super cool things with you everyday. You’re welcome.”

For our wedding anniversary last weekend, we really wanted to splurge and do something special. We love the great outdoors and the rustic mountains we call home, but to honor another year of marriage we wanted to treat ourselves to something more decadent than our usual outdoorsy Escape. The Highland Haven Creekside Inn was a perfect setting to have both decadence and rusticness. Almost like “glamping”, but up in the trees.

The Destination

It was only about an hour-and-a-half drive for us from Fort Collins to Evergreen, Colorado: Close enough for a one-night getaway, but far enough away for it to feel special and like an actual getaway. Evergreen is a small mountain town nestled in the Rockies, with a population of just over 9,000 residents. Its location just off of I-70 makes it a close 30-minute drive to downtown Denver, and only a 15-minute drive to the popular concert venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater. But, we weren’t looking for Denver-proximity on our anniversary weekend: We were looking for a romantic weekend to unplug, unwind and reconnect in a unique, off-the-beaten path lodging experience.

The Property

The award-winning Highland Haven Creekside Inn has 18 different rooms of varying sizes and purposes. Some are ideal as a bridal suite, some allow dogs, and some are perfect for families. We wanted to stay in the opulent TreeHouse, which was designed for romance and appeals to childlike wonder and magic. But, being a curious person (notice I didn’t say nosy…), I peeked into a couple of the other rooms just to see what they were like, and I can say that I’m really glad we got to stay in the TreeHouse, but we would have had a romantic weekend in any of those rooms. The rooms we saw all had beautiful beds, artistic touches, and one even had a private hot tub.

Upon checking in, we were greeted by the friendly staff who helped us make dinner plans and then encouraged us to take advantage of the complimentary Happy Hour by taking a glass of wine and a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie back as we explored the TreeHouse. No need to twist our arms!

       

Our Room

The TreeHouse was built in 2010, and is a “green” building, using sustainable and repurposed materials, and achieving Energy Star’s highest rating. The house itself was built on top of large 21-foot high cedar poles (because, let’s face it… trees native to Colorado just can’t hold the weight of a three-story treehouse. I’ve tried.).

Immediately upon entering, we knew this TreeHouse was made for romance. There was soft music playing, champagne on ice, and fresh flowers throughout. There was artwork everywhere: Whimsical treehouse paintings and photographs adorned the walls, antique stained glass hung from windows, and every nook and cranny of the space held something charming, quaint, cutesy, or I daresay “magical”.

It was obvious to me that so much thought and attention went into the placement of every little detail. And, when I say every little detail, I mean we spent over an hour just looking and exploring and showing off proudly to each other what we found in our explorations of this incredible space. We would have needed to stay a week to find all the hidden surprises. I won’t list them all here, because part of the fun is finding them on your own! But, I will say my heart went, “Aww!” when I found the secret stash of marbles… because what treehouse doesn’t have a secret stash of treasured marbles?

      From doing my research, one of the main draws for this TreeHouse for me was its beautiful aspen canopy bed, crowned with a large Swarovski-crystal chandelier. I’d seen photos of this bed all over the internet and social media, because it’s quite Instagram-worthy, and in person the centerpiece of this room did not disappoint. It was almost too beautiful to sleep on. Almost. (Not going to lie, I slept very well.)  With a gas-powered fireplace that put out a lot of heat, it left me wanting to return in the winter to snuggle up on that gorgeous bed while it snows outside. (Mental note: Winter Parental Escape – back to the TreeHouse.)

        While the treehouse maintains a very rustic charm, it is not without its high-tech amenities. The room had a kitchenette with a teak root sink, microwave, mini-fridge, and Keurig coffee-maker. The bathroom had a stunning petrified wood sink, and an artistically laid river rock path on the floor leading to a steam shower. And, the top floor of the TreeHouse had a romantic two-person champagne-bubbles jetted tub, a mini-bar and was surrounded by windows on three sides.  

       

Our Evening

After exploring our new digs, we grabbed another glass of wine and explored the property. We sat under the metal-art gazebo by the creek, and took in the smells and views of the woods, as well as the hidden pieces of art amongst the trees. It was nice just to take this time to thoroughly enjoy each other’s company without being pulled in every direction by kids and work.

For dinner, it was a short five-minute walk to Historic Downtown Evergreen, where there were several dining and shopping options. We ate at Murphy’s Mountain Grill, where we gorged ourselves on Citrus Grilled Chicken Plantain Nachos, The MURPH Burger, the Dirty Frenchman Chicken Burger, and took an order of Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding back to the TreeHouse for a bedtime snack. Murphy’s had an impressive array of hand-muddled cocktails, as well.

After returning to the TreeHouse, the romance continued as we sipped champagne in the top-floor jetted tub. The views from the top floor at night were breathtaking, as subtle lighting on the property illuminated artwork that we had missed walking past in the daytime. And with romance in the air, this is the part of the Parental Escape blog where we fast-forward to the following morning.

Breakfast

The following morning, we went down to the courtyard for our complimentary breakfast. Highland Haven offers to bring breakfast in bed, but we wanted to eat outside because it was a warm and gorgeous day. Plus, one of our favorite summertime rituals at home on the weekend is coffee together on the back porch. The homemade breakfast and coffee were delicious and included fruit, granola, yogurt, hot cinnamon rolls, garlic potatoes, and breakfast sandwiches on biscuits.

While we were eating, we had the opportunity to chat up one of the owners, who was elbow-deep in landscaping duty. It was refreshing to see that the owners are still, after 40 years, so involved in the daily particulars required to maintain such a beautiful property.

Love is in the details, and this TreeHouse was clearly made with a lot of love.

In His Words

When I heard about going to the  Highland Haven Creekside Inn TreeHouse I knew I was in for a treat, but after we arrived the TreeHouse definitely exceeded my expectations. It was tucked away from the main town and bordered by a creek and wilderness. We were greeted by friendly staff that were helpful in answering any questions we had and made sure that our stay was an amazing one.

I couldn’t believe how much detail went into designing and building the TreeHouse! From the outside architecture to the inside art décor and amenities, I definitely felt like we were living in luxury. The deck was a great place to relax and soak up the amazing views while relaxing with my wife and enjoying a glass of wine. Exploring the grounds at Highland Haven, I was really impressed with the landscaping and amount of love and detail that went into making it look great! I am a hobbyist gardener, [Editor’s note: He loves his plants more than he loves his wife.] so I tend to geek out over landscaping.

The jetted spa tub was a great way to connect and created a romantic atmosphere with my wife that evening. We even spent some time out on the deck that night just soaking up the views of the perfectly lit grounds while enjoying a shared dessert and a bottle of champagne.

Even though there were other guests staying at the Highland Haven, I felt like we were the only two there. Nothing better than a nice breakfast in the morning sun with the sound of the creek in the background and my beautiful lady by my side. After breakfast I noticed a nice woman doing some work in the garden beds so I thought I would pick her brain on how she keeps the place looking so good. Turns out it was the owner, Gail, who was making that place look so amazing! I was met with kindness and she was happy to feed into my love of gardening. I learned about her love of Highland Haven and can tell the owners have put all of themselves into making it a beautiful, romantic place to stay. Gail was even kind enough to give me some clippings from her Engleman Ivy for me to transplant into my garden. That was really special to me. Now I’ll always have a piece of Highland Haven with us and will always will be reminded of our great stay there. This was definitely an experience I’ll never forget and I can’t wait to stay there again. The staff went out of their way to make sure we were happy and provided a romantic setting both inside and out to connect with my wife.

Who is this Escape for?

• Colorado couples looking to spoil themselves in a beautiful setting for a short weekend getaway that has that far-away-from-home feeling
• Couples traveling to Colorado that want the multitude of activities and entertainment provided by nearby Denver, but also want that rustic “Colorado feel” of being tucked away in the woods
• Couples wanting to make Evergreen, Colorado their destination or their homebase as they explore the nearby mountain towns of Blackhawk, Georgetown, Morrison, or Idaho Springs