Vacation - Stay in Old Colorado City or Manitou (Colorado Springs: rentals, hotels)

[stljay]

We are looking to visit COS area this summer. Are there pluses and/or minuses to staying in OCC versus Manitou? Either location seems fine, maybe a few more restaurants in the heart of OCC? Are both areas generally safe, especially at night when we might want to be out walking to dinner? We've been looking and want to book soon so would appreciate some local insight.

Thanks.
Jay

[PA2UK]

They are both great places and generally safe, but I don't think there's a huge amount of hotel options in the heart of OCC. I would check out the few options and if one really appeals to you and has availability, great. If not, look at Manitou.

[stljay]

We are actually looking at private home rentals rather than hotels. Can stay in the heart of either city. So you would otherwise prefer OCC to Manitou?

Thanks.
Jay

[TCHP]

Manitou and home rentals could mean you may be up in the hills to some degree. There are some hotels and B&Bs on the primary streets of Manitou, but most residences sit elevated above those mains streets. So, if you plan on walking the area, you will get some hill climbing in by default.

By contrast, OCC has much less elevation change. There is a sizable hill north of OCC, but nothing like the hills that surround nearly all of Manitou.

Parking in both can be a pain once you leave your rental, but depending on how close you are, you should be able to walk both.

Just FYI because altitude and physical effort impacts most visitors.

IMO, both are very similar in feel. The core retail areas are similar in size, but OCCs is all concentrated along Colo Blvd whereas Manitou has Manitou Ave, Ruxton, and Canyon Ave. They are literally 5 minutes apart, so you can realistically visit both. OCC is older than Manitou, but Manitou has managed to save more of its original construction so it has a much more Victorian feel to it. Ghost stories, characters, and incident from the past have occurred in both. OCC is within Colorado Springs city boundaries. Manitou is its own municipality.

[MsMetal]

Manitou def has more character, but it's more spread out & depending on what you want to do & what shape you're in, walking to all of it may not be feasible. Traffic & parking can be a big hassle in Manitou. OCC is flat, city blocks, so you can easily walk to restaurants & shops. But not nearly as much character :-) Manitou also has more nature things to do. Like TCHP said though, they are 5 minutes apart, so you'll likely go to both. If your group is older & maybe not as fit, I'd probably stay in OCC. If it's a younger or fitter group or one who wants to do a lot of hiking or the Incline or the COG, I'd stay in Manitou.

[mtngigi]

These two areas are only a few miles apart - if you're staying in one, you can be in the other in minutes. There are quite a few vacation rental housing options in Manitou, but as TCHP points out, be aware that Manitou sits in a valley at the base of Pikes Peak. Many places from the center of town require going up, up, up.

That said, it's relatively safe to walk around at night - better to keep your eyes open for bears than anything else.

ETA: I live in Manitou. If you find airbnb rentals you're not sure about regarding location, feel free to PM me and I'll help you out if I can.

[otowi]

I would much prefer to stay around OCC than in Manitou because the parking and traffic in Manitou is crazy during the tourist season.

[Kathy884]

Sounds like you have some other good choices in mind, but FYI just in case you are interested. We're only going to be in COS for two nights this summer, but this looked like a fun place to stay (castle grounds) and is where we are planning to book. It's right by the Garden of the Gods. We'll go to OCC for some meals etc.


Glen Eyrie - Stay Overnight

[MsMetal]

I didn't know you could stay there without being a part of one of their religious seminars, but that is a BEAUTIFUL property! There are some hiking trails & I have seen big horn sheep, tons of them, just lounging around on the grass there. All the more special, b/c I spent years hoping to catch a glimpse of them at GoG. One day, we went for a hike at Glen Eyrie (before the floods wiped out some of the hikes) & there were about 20 Big Horns, just laying around, a few feet from us. We had to laugh, it was like "aha, this is where they've been hiding out". They can also be seen near the entrance to the Navigators property there. They are pretty elusive, so it's special to see them & I hope you get to :-)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

I didn't know you could stay there without being a part of one of their religious seminars, but that is a BEAUTIFUL property! There are some hiking trails & I have seen big horn sheep, tons of them, just lounging around on the grass there. All the more special, b/c I spent years hoping to catch a glimpse of them at GoG. One day, we went for a hike at Glen Eyrie (before the floods wiped out some of the hikes) & there were about 20 Big Horns, just laying around, a few feet from us. We had to laugh, it was like "aha, this is where they've been hiding out". They can also be seen near the entrance to the Navigators property there. They are pretty elusive, so it's special to see them & I hope you get to :-)

It's also possible to visit Glen Eyrie and see it all, just sign in at the guardhouse. It reminds me of a very scaled-down-Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, in that it was designed to be a fully self sustaining property as was the Biltmore. Glen Eyrie preceded Biltmore by a good 20 years and could've been the prototype used for the huge Biltmore 'home' and property but that's a swag on my part.