The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

Today we took a guided tour of the Stanley Hotel, perched between Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. CO. I cannot imagine a more stunning surroundings for a Hotel. It opened in 1909 as a "guest house" for their wealthy friends (Astors, Rockefellers, Guggenheims, Carnegies, the Unsinkable Molly Brown... ) They all wanted to come spend summers with them in the mountains and their 5000+ square foot "cottage" wasnt large enough to accommodate the guests, their children, nannies, chefs, and servants.

The Stanley's (identical twin brothers), known for the Stanley steamer cars, actually did not come from wealthy backgrounds. They made their fortune from a photograph process...they were making a profit equal to 4 million dollars a month in today's money.

FO Stanley and his wife came to Estes Park on the recommendation of his Dr. FO was dying of TB and had only months to live. The clean, dry, mountain air healed him and he lived 37 more years. He hiked regularly, and even climbing Long's Peak (over 14,000ft) 3 times, including at 63 years old.

By the 1980s, the hotel had fallen into disrepair. The author Stephen King spent one night there in 1984 with his wife. The hotel is said to be very active with paranormal activity. After having nightmares that night in the run down hotel, King went on to write "The Shining". It made him famous, and brought the Stanley Hotel back to life.

It is a beautiful hotel. After the tour, we shared an affogato on the back porch and took a stroll around the property. It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.

We needed something laid back today to recuperate from our looong hike along the Colorado River yesterday. Mark and Natalie also highly recommended the tour. There are several to choose from, including the Historical tour ( which we did), and the Shining Tour which focuses on the paranormal.Read more