Do you have a passion for grand dame Victorian hotels? I do. My goal is to try and stay in as many as possible, provided each and every one is luxurious. The Cliff House in Manitou Springs, Colorado harks back to that glorious era of gilt, velvet and over the top opulence. Eyeing the front of this magnificent building upon my arrival with its wood and stone facade and wide front porch took me back 100 years. Manitou Springs has a history. People came for the healing waters and with the advent of the railroads many of them flocked west. The quaint town at the base of Pike’s Peak, touted as the Saratoga Springs of the west, attracted an opulent crowd.
The Cliff House was built in 1874 and started life as a 20 room hotel catering to tuberculosis patients spending time in Colorado to take advantage of the pristine mountain air. It was a modest place with an “A” location, backing up to two very popular springs. In 1886, former New York City restaurateur, Edward E. Nichols, a man with a vision, bought the inn and refurbished it turning it into a luxury property known for fine dining. Today, it’s an intimate Four-Diamond, 54-room (and suite) boutique hotel, again renowned for its fine restaurant. The list of notables who’ve stayed here over the years is long and impressive including Buffalo Bill, P.T. Barnum, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Clark Gable, F. W. Woolworth and J. Paul Getty.
Manitou eventually fell on hard times and the formerly opulent inn did, too. In 1981, it was turned into apartments and a 1982 fire destroyed the top floor. The rest of the hotel suffered heavy water damage and was closed. In 1997 the owner, James Morely, began to restore it spending over $10.5 million to bring this National Registry of Historic Places building back to its former glory. The inn, taken over by Gal-Tex Hotel Corporation in 2007, has consistently earned the Four Diamonds every year since.
All rooms here have a period feel. If you can, splurge for one of the Celebrity or Premier Celebrity Suites, named for famous people who were former guests during the heyday. Each one’s distinctive décor reflects that particular person named. These have gas fireplaces for romantic evenings or cozying up on a chilly night and baths with heated towel racks. Deluxe Suites offer a choice of either a two-person spa tub or steam shower; the Celebrity Suites have both. Our favorite: the kitschy Buffalo Bill Suite was designed to look like the inside of a teepee with a soaring conical ceiling and trompe l’oeil “hide” stitching going up the sides. Hand painted details, furniture and accessories enhance the old west ambiance.
The Cliff House Dining Room is once again, as it was in Nichols’s day, a big draw. Reminiscent of Victorian dining rooms, it is casually elegant and welcoming. Executive Chef Scott Savage, Food and Beverage Director Jay Watson and Restaurant Manager Eric Ewers are all passionate forces driving the restaurant’s success. Their shared love for what they are doing is one of the reasons the dining experience is top-notch. Savage loves working with fresh local foods and the results are palate-pleasing while Watson and Ewers, both certified sommeliers, are experts when it comes to wine. Foodies and oenophiles will leave the dining room with smiles on their faces as we did. The dining room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more casual fare, the Red Mountain Bar and Grill is open from late afternoon into the evening.
Today, Manitou Springs, the gateway to Pike’s Peak, is a bustling tourist town. But for some people, The Cliff House and its dining room are the destination. This venerable Victorian hotel beckons travelers as it did 100 years ago and the welcome mat is always out.