• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

St Julien is located downtown near the city's best restaurants.   (Photo: Courtesy of St Julien Hotel & Spa)

Get pampered at the lavish St Julien (from $249), which includes a swank spa offering treatments with botanicals from Colorado’s forests ($105 for 50-minute Swedish massage). The modern, understated hotel rooms have soaking tubs and sandstone balconies, and the property stands just across the street from the city’s best speakeasy, the Bitter Bar.

Experience Boulder’s past at the Hotel Boulderado (from $239), where Victorian opulence is on display in the lobby’s original mosaic-tile floor and ornate stained-glass ceiling. Open since 1909, the hotel pays homage to its history in the 160 rooms, with lamps, wallpaper, and armoires inspired by the century-old originals.

Escape the crowds at Alps Boulder Canyon Inn (from $174), a rustic bed and breakfast just outside the city filled with stained-glass windows and fireplaces. Book a room with a balcony or French doors that open onto the furnished patio to fully enjoy the view of the surrounding mountains.

Published on Aug 3, 2012 as a web exclusive.