The Broadmoor
by
Terry Sullivan
Words such as elegant, historical, intimate are used to describe The Broadmoor property in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This hotel and resort was know as an European alternative for travelers spending time in Colorado.
History
The land had several owners over a century, all who had dreams for the land. In 1880 the land was bought by William Wilcox who established a small dairy. In the beginning, the dairy was not as successful as Wilcox wished. He partnered with Prussian Count James Pourtales in 1885. Although the dairy became profitable, Pourtales realized he could not make a fortune on his investment if it remained a dairy. In 1890, Pourtales purchased the 2,400 acres of land and founded the Broadmoor Land and Investment Company. He opened a casino in 1891 and a hotel a few years afterwards, however the properties entered into receivership by the end of the century. During the ensuing years the property was used as a boarding house and girls’ school.
It was in 1916 that Spencer Penrose purchased the casino, hotel and some of the land. Penrose’s dream was to create the most beautiful resort in the world. Construction began in 1917. The Broadmoor Resort was opened in 1918 and with Penrose’s marketing talent became one of the finest hotels in the world. It became known as the European alternative for travelers. Penrose wanted the staff to provide a high level and meticulous service to guests, a level of service that still exists today. Over the years additional buildings were added on the grounds as well as golf courses.
Our Room
We stayed in a comfortable spacious room in the Lakeside building. The room had a king-sized bed, chair, desk and extremely spacious bathroom. A patio area was outside our room with views of Cheyenne Lake and other buildings that make up the hotel resort. A fireplace added warmth and intimacy to the room. The wireless Internet worked well.
The marble bathroom offered a jacuzzi bathtub, two-sink vanity and walk-in shower. Bath amenities were by Molton Brown of London.
Dinner at the Summit
The resort has fifteen dining locations. We walked to the Summit about a ten minute walk from our room. The Summit is a new restaurant that offers an American Brasserie style of cooking. The contemporary decor contrasts with the classic Broadmoor. During dinner we met Tim Baldwin, Wine Director for the Broadmoor and manager at the Summit.
As the leader for the Broadmoor sommeliers, Tim is very friendly and is knowledgeable about wines, wine travel and winemaking. He believes that, “You don’t get an appreciation of a place until you stand in it.” Tim seizes on opportunities to travel and while traveling he is very willing to get dirty and pitch in to help whether it is in a vineyard or winery. Tim recounted that his least favorite activity was harvesting grapes in Austria in the rain. “It gets old after 30 minutes.”
Tim wants to create a portfolio of wines at the Summit that are unknown to most people. We started with a 2008 Furmint by Heidi Schrock. This Austrian wine was made of 100% Furmint and had a yellow color. The floral aroma was accompanied by a peach and mineral taste.The crispy, fruity finish had a hint of citrus. Our appetizer of a four-cheese gnocchi was paired with a Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis Premier Cru Vaillon. This Chardonnay wine was a yellow color with an apple and pear aroma and taste. The crisp finish had a touch of citrus. My entree was an Angry Trout on Swiss Chard. The entree was paired with a Beaujolais. The Gamay wine offered red berry fruit.
For dessert we simply had a 2005 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu. This Hungarian Tokaji was a deep gold color with floral notes on the aroma. The taste offered jammy apricots with some citrus notes. The wine had a crisp finish. The dinner and wines were excellent as was the service. We took our time and enjoyed the three-hour dinner and discussing wine with Tim.
The Broadmoor is an elegant resort where you should spend more than one day. Eat at different restaurants, walk the grounds and enjoy everything the resort has to offer.
The Broadmoor
1 Lake Ave.
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906
