Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

Halcyon stands where the Cherry Creek post office used to, and has kept a little of it: B&GC, the speakeasy bar, was revived from the post office's ruins. The rest is new, designed by Johnson Nathan Strohe. It sits in Cherry Creek North, a walkable district of galleries, shops and restaurants outside downtown Denver, and the mountains are visible from the roof.

We arrived at the end of a road trip from Bozeman, after many, many miles of driving, and what we wanted was the comfort of a good hotel. Halcyon gave it. We had a Den room for two nights, room only, and the nicest touch was in the room itself: a record player, and a record library to choose the music from. Families get connecting rooms and a suite that sleeps six, and dogs are welcome too.

We had a proper rest on the roof, where the pool deck and Rare Bird, the rooftop bar, look across the Denver skyline to the mountains beyond. We got out as well. The Gear Garage lends bikes, Vespa-style scooters and outdoor gear for free, and we rode along the creek to Union Station. Cherry Creek Shopping Center is a few minutes' walk, Washington Park 1.4 miles, and the hotel gives guests a day pass to the Denver Botanic Gardens. Downtown is ten to fifteen minutes away, and Denver fed us well.