This Beautiful Hotel in Golden, Colorado, Is Perfect for a Weekend Getaway

Table Mountain Inn in Golden, Colorado — We loved the views from our balcony. (photo by Colleen McDaniel)

We have lived in Colorado (off and on) for the past 20 years and absolutely love the state’s natural beauty.

Our house is located just north of Denver, and the Rocky Mountains dominate the landscape to our west, creating a comforting sight that always lets us know the direction we are traveling. The sight of these snow-capped beauties still takes our breath away. So, we enjoy planning trips into the foothills and mountains to enjoy days of invigorating hiking, hot springs, pizza, burgers and craft brews.

We have access to so many lovely towns within a two-hour drive. Golden, however, is especially fantastic. With just a 30-minute trip, we find ourselves quickly delivered from the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood to the middle of this quirky little Colorado mountain town filled with all kinds of history and charms that make it ideal for a weekend getaway.

Golden, Colorado, welcome sign — Golden is just a 30-minute drive from Denver. (Photo by John Roberts)

We have been to Golden a few times over the years, usually with friends or family who are visiting us in Colorado for the week. We have brought people to do a Coors Brewery tour and enjoy the tasting room. (That used to be free, but Coors started charging for tours in 2019.)

But we had never stayed overnight in Golden before my birthday escape to Table Mountain Inn. Colleen and I were guests of Table Mountain Inn for two nights over a snowy mid-March weekend to check out the town, relax and celebrate. We were asked to come to experience the resort and to provide our readers with an honest review of our visit.

Let’s have a look at why Table Mountain Inn is a great option for your stay in beautiful Golden, Colorado.

About Table Mountain Inn

We drove up to the property, located in the heart of the shops and restaurants on Golden’s main Washington Avenue, and were greeted by the parking valet, who grabbed our car keys, offered to help with our bags and then parked our car into the adjacent garage. Hotel guests can pay $20 a night to valet their vehicles.

We checked in, dropped our bags in our room and took a walk around town to get familiarized with the area.

Our room was the Santa Fe Executive Suite (No. 311), one of 74 boutique-style rooms and suites available at the inn. We enjoyed our space, with a living room, fireplace, two balconies with mountain views and a jetted tub in our bathroom. We were so comfy in our king bed and enjoyed the variety of cable TV channels.

Table Mountain Inn is within a renovated building that dates to 1925. The property was first known as Hotel Berimoor, a luxury hotel with 32 rooms. That business succumbed to the effects of the Great Depression, and the property underwent a series of ownership changes and redesigns before re-emerging as the Holland House in 1948.

This was a fine era for Golden and the luxury hotel, which was a staple of the town, hosting banquets and travelers from all over the country. The owner, former Golden Mayor Lu Holland retired in the 1980s, and the hotel closed until new owners Bart Bortels and Frank Day took over in 1991 and overhauled it.

Table Mountain Inn was born, with the property refurbished and expanded to add 42 more rooms, event spaces, the restaurant and warm Southwestern decor.

There are nine room categories, including an accessible room. The suites all include jetted tubs, and most rooms offer views of the foothills.

Party planners can access more than 5,000 square feet of flexible meeting spaces, including a heated outdoor courtyard, for parties, rehearsal dinners and other events.

Table Mountain Inn Grill & Cantina is a Mexican/Southwestern-style restaurant with an attached bar space. This is one of the beloved restaurants in Golden, and we saw the place filled on Friday and Saturday nights during our stay. It also offers catering services.

Two drawbacks for me: no pool or even a small spa area with a hot tub or fitness center. I think these would be nice additions.

What’s Happening in Golden?

Golden City Brewery in Golden, Colorado — We sat outside in the pavilion at Golden City Brewery to enjoy the sunny day. (Photo by John Roberts)

Colorado has always been associated with a number of great outdoors activities. This spirit is embraced fully in the towns of the state’s mountains and foothills, and Golden is part of this proud tradition.

The are numerous chances to play outside. Golden offers a wonderful home base for skiers, with nearby ski resorts. These include Winter Park Resort, Arapahoe Basin, Eldora Mountain and Loveland Ski Area, which are all located about a one-hour drive from Golden.

The big draw for skiers (downhill and cross country) is the affordability of a stay at Golden plus the great après ski vibe in the town’s bars, restaurants and craft breweries.

Our preferred activity is hiking, so we recommend the North Table Mountain and South Table Mountain trails. These are well-known routes close to town that take you up the iconic mountains that overlook the city. There are a number of other trails to try, too.

You can also walk or bike the trail along Clear Creek, which runs through the heart of Golden.

Clear Creek is also a good spot for kayaking, tubing and even some community plunging events during select weekends in the winter.

Barrels and Bottles Brewing in Golden, Colorado — Barrels & Bottles Brewery was out first craft brewery stop of the weekend. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)

The city has dozens of places to eat. We saw a variety of independent eateries that have a great reputation, such Snarf’s Sandwiches, Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta, Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza Restaurant, the Golden Diner, Indulge Bistro and Wine Bar, Bob’s Atomic Burgers and Kona Bowls (Hawaiian-style poke bowls, Buddha bowls, healthy smoothies and so much more), among many other spots.

Of course, Table Mountain Grill & Cantina is the restaurant connected to the resort. We had my birthday dinner there on our second night at the property.

How We Spent Our Weekend Getaway in Golden

Mountain Toad Brewery in Golden, Colorado — We stopped into Mountain Toad Brewery on Saturday afternoon. (Photo by John Roberts)

We avoided being affected by a massive snowstorm that had covered Colorado just two days before our trip. The sun already had cleared the roads for our half-hour drive to town.

We arrived in late afternoon, toured the resort and unpacked in our room. Then, we headed out to the first of a few of the craft breweries in Golden we had been wanting to try. We have a page on this website dedicated to craft breweries in Colorado, so it’s all in the name of research for our readers, you know.

Before dinner Friday night, we grabbed a beer at Barrels & Bottle Brewery. Then, we strolled back to Washington Avenue with plans to grab a pizza at Woody’s Wood-Fired Pizza. However, we saw a line out the door at 6 p.m., so we changed course and tried Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta instead.

Our satisfying dinner at Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta. (Photo by John Roberts)

My birthday meal was a delish (and massive) pie with Buffalo wings. It wasn’t fancy but perfectly satisfying and just what I had been craving.

On Saturday, we got up early for a walk around town. It was quiet in the morning just after 7 a.m., and we joined other early risers who already were filling up The Golden Diner. We knew we picked the right spot for breakfast. The service was fast and friendly, and our breakfast burritos tasted amazing.

The rest of our day stacked up as such: a short workout in our suite, lunch at Kona Bowls (for something healthy in between all our indulging), massage treatments at Symmetry 360 Massage and visits to Mountain Toad Brewing and Golden City Brewery.

It was great to join dozens of others roaming the streets of Golden and enjoying St. Patty’s Weekend on the verge of spring. The craft breweries were filled with people at outdoor seating areas — at tables and chairs still surrounded by piles of snow.

After trying a few brew varieties at the breweries, it was time to head back to get ready for dinner at Table Mountain Inn Cantina & Grill.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers a seasonal menu. For our meal, we looked over the extensive offerings before picking our appetizer, main courses and a dessert to share.

Our burrata appetizer at Table Mountain Inn Grill & Cantina. (Photo by John Roberts)

Colleen ordered the Spicy Senorita margarita, and I selected the Mexican Mule for our dinner cocktails.

As a starter, we shared the fresh burrata, a hearty serving of burrata mozzarella, compressed watermelon, Tajin seasoning, pickled blueberries, strawberries, chipotle, balsamic, pistachios and buttery toasted bread pieces.

Colleen’s carne asada and my pollo asado for dinner. (Photos by John Roberts)

Colleen’s main course was the Table Mountain’s carne asada with New York strip steak, and I picked the pollo asado, a 24-hour marinated and cold smoked boneless half chicken. Both of our dishes were delicious and huge. We couldn’t finish them in order to save room for our dessert, a flourless chocolate torte and a couple scoops of ice cream.

The restaurant has an unassuming and casual feel, but the chefs have put together a world-class menu. I have included pics of the menus for drinks and food here.

Restaurant Menus

The Bottom Line

We really enjoyed our time in Golden and were kicking ourselves for not having visited more often during our time living in Colorado, especially because it’s such a short drive from our home. We resolved to come back regularly and to bring our friends and family when they are in town.

When we do, Table Mountain Inn makes a great place to stay, with comfortable beds and a most convenient location to enjoy all that the city has to offer.