The wife and I went to the Stanley after many years of her asking to make a getaway there. It was fabulous! The facilities are amazing in character and in accommodations. The staff were always pleasant, helpful and attentive. Overall, a great weekend away.

If you have the chance to stay in the Stanley, do. We live only 1.5 hrs from Estes and sometimes just go up for lunch or dinner, but staying overnight is so wonderful. Old world charm, amazing views, top-notch service and, of course, many stories of those that have stayed there. Jack Nicholson filmed The Shining here. Halloween is a special time with costume parties -- book very, very early for this time of year. Chirstmas season is beautifully decorated. Estes Park is a tourist town and is crowded in the summer because it's the main entrance to the wonderful Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park -- a must!! Estes is a one-street town with shops, cafes, restaurants and western saloons. Fall is an amazing time because of the elk-mating season (October) - they will be everywhere - even is the streets -- fun time!

To fully understand how EstesPark came to be, thanks to the Stanleys. An informative and entertaining History Tour can't be beat. For a Different kind of entertainmennt get on the Ghost Tour also. Many people are aware of the Stephen King connection but many other interesting stories are included. We had extra guests in our room every night, so much so that we recorded our own video recording. This hotel can't be beat for location and importamce to the area. Our personal observations and experiences will never be for gotten. In contrast to this, we were very disapointed with one aspect of the Ghost Tour, at one stairwell we were instructed to take flash photos with "Cell Phones" only, to capture an image of a small childs "energy". True to the guides instructions nothing is seen with conventional cameras, only Cell cameras. Our conclusion was not energy but interference between the cell cameras flashing at the same time. This location needs no tricks to prove activity.

My husband and I chose the Stanley hotel as a quick one night getaway from Denver to enjoy our 7-year anniversary. First, we were very pleased to get a discounted rate online. We arrived on a Friday at 3pm and were able to check in right away. We had dinner reservations at the Cascades Restaurant at 6pm so we spent a couple of hours in the bar enjoying a few drinks and winding down from our drive. The bartenders were very friendly and we enjoyed hearing their stories of paranormal activity that takes place in the hotel. Our dinner was AMAZING. We ordered a special bottle of wine that the restaurant manager helped us choose and he even treated us to another bottle of wine, free of charge! We ordered the crabcakes for an app (awesome), then had the ceaser salads with their bread and butter (both awesome). We both ordered the filet and they were cooked perfectly (awesome) and served with a delicous house-made steak sauce (awesome) plus mashed potatoes and vegetables that were equally as delicious. For dessert, we chose the chocolate trio which was just as amazing as the rest of our meal. We enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner without feeling rushed and were able to make it to our 8pm ghost tour. The tour was very informative, we had no real paranormal activity occur on our tour, save for a door that kept closing on its own, but my husband is convinced it was due to the HVAC system. We got back to our room which was quite warm at 70 degrees. This was probably the only thing that kept me from getting a good nights sleep. We just couldn't get the room to cool down. The bed was comfortable, though, and our room, although small, was very adequate for our stay. We didn't hear any footsteps, doors slamming, or voices in the night, although I admit it might've been cool to have the experience. All in all, we enjoyed our stay and we will return to the Stanley Hotel, and especially to the Cascades Restaurant.