A Perfect Retreat :: The Outlook Lodge

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We received a stay at The Outlook Lodge for this sponsored post. But the thoughts & feelings are our own and we only share companies that we personally know & love!

Our family loves nothing more than a Colorado outdoor adventure.  As a mom of two adventurous boys, and a husband that works long shifts, the thought of a mini getaway for Spring Break sounded perfect.  Two days and one night in our favorite mountain town.  All of our things packed quickly into one bag.  A quick 30 minute drive to Green Mountain Falls that feels like an escape to the most serene, relaxing place.  YES PLEASE!

The Outlook Lodge 1I was fairly certain from my research online that we were going to fall in love with The Outlook Lodge.  My husband has taught me to adore unique places to stay and quality experiences.  The Outlook Lodge is just that.  A hidden gem.

We left Colorado Springs and drove up the pass on the most beautiful afternoon.  We arrived just after 3 pm to the lodge — which was built in 1889, and renovated with the utmost care to restore the charm and maintain the history.  The Outlook Lodge has no on-site staff — just a Local Host and Concierge Service (part of the true Mountain get away feel).  A week before our arrival, we received an email with the lock box information to get the keys to our room and all the instructions we would need for our stay.

The Outlook Lodge 3I walked up to the lock box to retrieve our keys.  It is very authentic, so at first I thought I was doing something wrong with the combination.  I could not get the little box to open!  After several minutes of trying, I called the Local Host and the number for the onsite caretaker as well.  I got a call back from them quickly, and once we found the Local Host, she arrived in about 5 minutes (maybe less) to help us.  It turns out we just had the wrong code.  Everyone was very helpful, and there is nothing better than small town service.  The Local Host showed me around and shared with me about how much she loved serving guests at The Outlook Lodge.  While my husband and boys rushed up to the family suite where we were staying, she filled me in on the special S’mores kit, sleds and romance package she had prepared for us!

The Outlook Lodge 8I felt like we had arrived at the most perfect mountain home.  It truly felt welcoming.  The main building includes a beautiful dining room and sitting room, as well as a fabulous kitchen and laundry room.  These are shared by all guests at The Outlook Lodge and also The Little Beaver Inn just down the hill.  The sitting room looks out to the fire pit, which is surrounded by trees.

The Outlook Lodge 4Our room was the Lodge Family Suite, which is the upstairs floor (yes, the entire upstairs!) of the main building.  My boys were so excited to give me the tour after I finished chatting with the Local Host.  There is a great room at the top of the stairs with a table, games, and little coffee bar.  This is where we found the S’mores kit, some incredible wool blankets for our time around the fire, and the sleds with a map to “The Sledding Hill.”  Since Colorado weather is unpredictable, most of the snow was melted during our stay.  (and three days later, I’m sure there was PLENTY of snow up on the hill!)

The Outlook Lodge 11My favorite space was the sun room that was surrounded by old windows and relaxing views of pine trees and mountains.  I would lovingly name this room the “mama escape” if I had this at my house.  I could have curled up on that couch with a great book all day and just soaked up the sun.  Truly a happy place…

The Outlook Lodge 10On to the BUNK BEDS…  What is it about kids and bunk beds?  My boys talk about bunk beds all the time!  Rooms 2b and 2c in the Lodge Family Suite each have a set of bunk beds.  The cherry on top for our kids…each bed has it’s own little TV and cable box, so they could each watch TV.  Our kids do not have a TV in their room at home, and they watch limited TV anyway, so this was an extra special treat.  (Note – these two rooms also have an adjoining door, so you could open that up if you have 4 kids and want to close the outside doors!)

The Outlook Lodge 5The master bedroom (2a) in the Lodge Family Suite is on the other side of the sitting room, away from the bunk bed rooms.  Our room was set for a nice romantic night – flower petals and chilled champagne waiting for us upon our arrival.  I loved that touch. (the Romance Package is an add-on to your room, as well as the S’mores Package)

The Outlook Lodge 6The two bathrooms upstairs were excellent as well. There is a full bathroom with a bathtub, and the largest bathroom includes a stellar overhead shower.  Both bathrooms were stocked with quality toiletries – face wash, moisturizer, lip balm, and full size shampoo, conditioner and body wash dispensers.

We had a relaxing afternoon getting settled in, playing some games, and enjoying the geese and their sounds (from the local pond in Green Mountain Falls, about a block away).  About 5 of the geese made their way to the parking lot below The Outlook Lodge, so my youngest son and I watched them from the large, wrap around porch.

We decided to bring our own food to prepare for dinner, since we knew there was a kitchen available.  The kitchen has everything you could need – pots and pans, all dishes, even tin foil and zip lock bags.  While we were cooking dinner, we had a visitor.  The local caretaker, who I had called earlier in the day when we had troubles with the key, showed up with a warm, German chocolate cake as an apology for the inconvenience at check in.  That is the charm of a small mountain town.

The Outlook Lodge 2Once it got dark, we headed out to the fire pit for our S’mores.  We snuggled up, each with a boy on our lap, and started the gooey marshmallow roasting.  We talked about our summer adventures and all our fun camping plans.  Our youngest (age 4) told us that he just loved snuggling up by the fire with our family.  Melt my heart.  Some of my best childhood memories…and now memories with my family…include big trees, bright stars and a cozy fire.

The PantryWe all slept great, and we took our time waking up in the morning!  I spent a few peaceful moments in the sun room before everyone else was awake.  I could have stayed all day, but my boys were ready for breakfast!  Our family tradition every New Year’s Day is to drive to Green Mountain Falls for breakfast at The Pantry, so there was no need to decide where breakfast would be.  It is the best little spot…one I hope everyone gets to enjoy at least once in their lifetime!

We will be back to stay again.  This is an ideal place for a family get together, a refreshing team retreat or a small intimate wedding.  You can rent one room or the entire lodge.  So much charm and character.  Rustic and beautiful.  For this mama (and my family)…it was the perfect little retreat.

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Tonya
Tonya grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she majored in Health Promotion (the degree you choose when you know are meant to make an impact but you don’t know exactly how) After graduating in 2003, her adventurous spirit lead her to pack up her little car and move to Colorado Springs. Her heart was easily won by the beautiful landscape, the amazing weather, colorful Aspen trees, and the fabulous people in this city. In 2008, she married her love and best friend, Ryan. They added two amazing boys to the family…Landon (2009) and Kellan (2011). After a rewarding career as a Director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a sales representative for Pfizer, her heart desired more time with her boys. In 2011, she became a work from home mom, focusing on her very busy boys full time and her health and wellness coaching business part time! Her passion as a mom includes building legos, trips to the zoo, family hikes, fishing, and camping. Her passion as a health coach is helping people see their potential, reach goals, and lead a healthy lifestyle. In her spare time (what is that again??), she loves working out, running, and reading. Her favorite things to do with her handsome hubby include riding bikes downtown Colorado Springs for date nights, hiking the incline, trying new (exotic) foods, spending time with great (adult) friends, and trying craft beers (inspired of course by her husband!).