When they hear the words “bed and breakfast” most people imagine lace curtains, tea cups and quilted bedspreads. While Victorian or Country is the motif at many B&Bs, you’ll not find it at Pikes Peak Paradise Bed and Breakfast. This is a modern B&B with one of the best views in the Rocky Mountains you’ll find in Colorado.
This past weekend I was on a magazine assignment in Canon City. It took most of the day so we needed somewhere to rest our heads on Saturday night and Ron Pijut, owner of Pikes Peak Paradise, graciously offered to host us at his Woodland Park establishment.
I am a lifelong fan of bed and breakfast style lodging and I learned about Ron’s place when he left a comment on my HeidiTown post entitled “Dispelling the myths about staying at a bed and breakfast.”
We pulled into Pikes Peak Paradise Bed and Breakfast after a long, adventurous day and were pleased to discover snacks and drinks waiting for us, even beer and wine.
As the third owner of this purpose built B&B, Ron has done extensive renovations, and is still working on this beautiful home. He’s modernized and updated the interior design to fit his contemporary artistic tastes – and he’s done an amazing job.
There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the view of Pikes Peak from Pikes Peak Paradise, in part because the scene changes throughout the day. As we toured the bed and breakfast I noticed the spectacular scenery can be seen from every guest suite making every room “a room with a view.”
A huge bonus of staying at a bed and breakfast is that the proprietor is your personal concierge. Their knowledge of the area is your best bet when looking for a restaurant and things to do. Who needs Yelp when you’ve got a personal recommendation from your B&B host?
We took Ron’s advice and dined at Serrano’s Mexican Bar & Grill in downtown Woodland Park, just minutes from Pikes Peak Paradise. Located in an old, bright yellow building with peeling paint, this cozy dining establishment is not exactly what we expected upon first glance. Classy touches like cloth napkins, quality meat and impeccable service made this a memorable dining experience.
Back at Pikes Peak Paradise, we poured ourselves some wine and browsed Ron’s extensive movie collection that included many of our favorites. I’ve never seen such a gigantic private movie collection. All the rooms have big, flat screen televisions and we could have watched the movie from our in-room hot tub, but tired from a long day we flopped on the bed instead.
We recognized our room’s Egyptian theme through framed photos of Ron’s trip to Egypt and a few other subtle design touches, but overall our room was clean and contemporary. The bedroom opens into a sitting area complete with hot tub, kitchen area with a fridge and microwave. The glass doors opened on to our private patio with that ever present awe-inspiring view of Pikes Peak.
Halfway through our movie we padded upstairs to the main kitchen and grabbed a plate of gooey butter cake, Ron’s recipe from his hometown of St. Louis, and some hot tea and then went back to our movie.
Pikes Peak had been shrouded in a mass of clouds when we first arrived, but the next morning the mountain was visible in all its glory. We sipped our coffee and took in the view before heading up for a multiple course breakfast that included a fruit yogurt parfait, waffles (savory or sweet), a fluffy bacon and egg quiche and more. The breakfast is one of our favorite things about staying at a B&B and this one more than lived up to our high expectations.
While it was a bit to chilly to dine alfresco on our stay, Pikes Peak Paradise has a huge deck making outside dining an option during the summer. This bed and breakfast can accommodate small weddings and the grounds are terraced and beautifully landscaped in the summer, and course, the ceremony site has Pikes Peak as the backdrop.
Pikes Peak Paradise is located just 20 minutes from the base of Pikes Peak.
On your way back from the mountain be sure to check out The Wines of Colorado, on the right as you arrive back at Hwy 24. We stumbled onto this place by sheer accident and they have the best selection of Colorado wines I’ve found anywhere outside of the Western Slope.
Find Pikes Peak Paradise Bed & Breakfast online at PikesPeakParadise.com and follow them on Facebook here.
Thank you to Ron at Pikes Peak Paradise Bed & Breakfast for hosting the Mayor of HeidiTown!
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What amazing decor! Beautiful!