We spent our weekend enjoying Gaylord Rockies Resort and wanted to share our tips for visiting Gaylord Rockies. Read on to check out our visit and get the inside scoop!
Disclosure: We were invited to Gaylord Rockies. All opinions are my own.
Arriving at Gaylord Rockies
I have been very nervous to go many places since COVID hit. We have camped but other than that, we pretty much stayed at home. As a family that travels a lot, we could tell that our kids were mentally starting to struggle and that my husband and I were also just needing to get out of the house. Gaylord Rockies contacted us and asked if we would be up for a weekend away and we decided to give it a shot.
We arrived in the midst of the smoke and Colorado wildfires, but we were really excited to get away and have some quality family time that felt a bit more normal than the previous months. Walking into Gaylord Rockies Resort it was clear that they were following state mandates and health regulations to protect their guests and staff.
The resort was clean, floor markers delineating social distancing, signs up to remind guests how to “travel with confidence” and every person wearing masks. There was also hand sanitizer stations everywhere. Gaylord hotels has enhanced the cleaning and sanitizing with over 350 enhanced cleaning protocols and staff training. We felt pretty good about how Gaylord was approaching this virus.
Social Distance Activities at Gaylord
Gaylord made an effort to make sure that guests were still able to enjoy the amenities while also still following mandates. There really is a lot to do at the resort, from outdoor activities to shopping and even movies on the lawn, you will never be bored. One of the activities that my kids adored was the Wildlife Rescue augmented reality scavenger hunt.
Throughout the hotel there are medallions with animal names on them. With a simple app you just point your phone at the medallion and out pops the animal, which moves around a bit and you can take photos with. Once you take a photo, the app rescues the animal and adds it to your collection! We collected all of them and had a blast taking photos and interacting with the animals.
In addition to the scavenger hunt, there are plenty of places for you to explore, like this historic train car (where you can learn a bit about history too). Families can also check out various equipment to play mini golf, foosball, ping pong and more. We honestly did not get to these activities as our kids were just pool bound the entire time.
We saw plenty of guests enjoying these amenities and really taking in all that Gaylord Rockies Resort had to offer. I think had my kids not been such fish, we would have spent more time trying out the outdoor activities.
The Pools at Gaylord Rockies
Swimming is a huge part of summer and with every pool around us closed, these kids were dying to get in and spend the entirety of our weekend splashing. In conjunction with the Colorado State Department of Public Health & Environment, Gaylord has increased the guest occupancy at their pools. This allows for guests to make pool reservations for up to 4 hours per night of their stay. This does vary based on availability.
When you make a pool reservation, you are still able to move between the indoor and outdoor pool as well as the lazy river. Masks are required when in any indoor spaces. The pool area is periodically emptied with all guests leaving the area for 30 minutes for cleaning and sanitizing. We watched them clean every single chair, table, water tube and touch surface as well as test water chemicals and clean the grounds.
Our kids literally got in the pool at 9 am and did not leave until 8 pm. We did have VIP access for our stay that allowed us to stay at the pool longer than the 4 hour allotted time frames. They rotated between every pool they could and I for the first time in their entire pool going lives was able to sit back and just relax while they swam and played.
I will say that the one negative thing for me was that I did feel like the amount of people in the pool area was a lot. I know they were definitely within their limits (because I was watching the lifeguards and managers count to ensure this), but for me it was too many people. We did know that this weekend was going to be busy based on the amount of schools opening this week, but it was a lot.
Overall, the pools were just what this family ordered. You would think that one day would have fulfilled their water baby needs, but nope, they were back at it the very next day and we had to drag them out. The water was clean, refreshing and truly enjoyable.
Tips for Visiting Gaylord Rockies
With everything that Gaylord Rockies has going on and new protocols, I thought it would be great to share some tips for visiting Gaylord Rockies.
- Make Reservations Early: Book your stay and make the pool reservations early. We found that the pool was busiest on the weekend and less busy as the evening wore on.
- Bring A Mask: Face coverings are required, make sure that you have yours on hand. Gaylord does provide complimentary travel hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for hotel guests.
- Weekly Itinerary: At check-in you will be given a weekly itinerary of scheduled events. Go through this with your family and pick out a few things to check out. I wish we would have done this because I feel like we missed out on so much (including wild animal interactions!).
- Bring a Blanket: If you are going to do the movie on the lawn, make sure to bring a blanket and dress warm for that family fun. One of the ladies mentioned this at the pool and I thought that was a great tip.
- Take Photos: Gaylord is stunning and is one of the prettiest resorts we have been too. There are so many places to get beautiful photos with your family, so take advantage of this and snap some keepers while you are wandering.
- Eat at the Pool: We had most of our meals at the Arapahoe Springs pool and the food was great and affordable. They had good options and my family gobbled them up. I am particularly in love with their loaded fries. The drinks were fantastic too!
- Get in Line for the Pool Early: I would advise arriving to your pool reservations about 20-30 minutes prior. People were lined up quickly and ready to get to chairs and into that water.
- Rent a Cabana: The cabanas are gorgeous and comfortable. Plenty of seating, complimentary drinks and fruit to start and guaranteed shade. There is a TV in the space as well and servers circling to get you whatever you may need. It is a bit pricey, but even for 1/2 a day, I think it would be great.
In general we had a really nice time at Gaylord Rockies. The kids were happy and exhausted once we left. We enjoyed the food, amenities and the service was great. See ya next time Gaylord!
