Vacation experiences can be as different as vacationers themselves, even when the destination is the same. Family adventures with lots of family members are often enjoyed in Estes Park, but its beauty and excitement can also be equally enjoyed on a solo getaway, a vacation in which the traveler learns how much they really do love their own company and how absolutely wonderful our mountain town can be when explored without others. Today, we at Voyago thought we would take a few minutes of your time to offer some tips and tricks for your solo journey to Estes Park, making it easy to picture what a fantastic time can be had.
Plan Ahead
It may be a little different traveling alone, especially as you don’t have someone with you when you go the wrong way, you forget your wallet or purse back at the hotel, or you simply don’t know exactly what there is to do in the town you are visiting, so solo travelers will want to make sure they plan out their adventures ahead of time. We can’t help you with the forgetting your purse or wallet part, but using your GPS app on your smart phone will help keep you from getting lost, and if you don’t know what Estes Park has to offer, just take a peek at some of the blogs on our page. And keeping this particular blog bookmarked on your phone is an easy way to check out more of what to do; having a good time will just follow naturally!
Take Up a New Hobby
If you have never tried fly fishing before, there is no better time to do so than during your summer getaway to Estes Park. Fishing of any type is best done alone, as the quiet ensures that the fish will not be scared away, and fly fishing is such a favorite sport locally you may discover a new obsession. The rhythm of the cast, the sound of the waters bubbling merrily, the joy you will receive when you feel the tug at the end of your line, all combine to create an experience that will stand by you when the rest of the world does not. The Big Thompson Canyon is a great place to begin your fly fishing adventures.
Don’t Be Afraid to Dine Out Alone
The hardest part of traveling alone might just be dining out alone. We never seem to know what to do with our hands, where we should be looking, and the moments between ordering and eating can seem interminably long. But our Estes Park restaurants are friendly places, treating large groups and solo travelers with the same cheer, no matter what your food tastes may be. Breakfast at the Egg of Estes, 393 E Elkhorn Avenue, lunch at Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ, 820 Moraine Avenue, and a hearty dinner at Hunter’s Chop House, 1690 Big Thompson Avenue will bring you joy, sate your appetite, and encourage you to discover all the positives about eating alone at a restaurant.
Explore Local Events
It’s difficult to feel alone when you are sharing ground space with hundreds of other people, so be sure to check out the local events that will be taking place when you have reached your destination. July 12-14 is when the SnowyGrass Musical Festival takes place, celebrating bluegrass music and the stunning beauty of the mountain landscape of Estes Park. Offering food trucks, wine tastings, and so much more, this event truly will make you feel a part of the Estes Park family.
Post your Adventures
The best way to not feel alone is to share your adventures with your friends and family back home, so post the pictures of you standing with the Rocky Mountains in the background, take snaps of the delicious meals you are enjoying, and share the video you took of the sunset enjoyed from the back deck of your Voyago Vacation Rentals summer sanctuaries. The comments on your posts will make you feel as if your friends are with you and the admiration they express about your bravery in traveling alone will do wonders for your self-esteem!
Choose Voyago Vacation Rentals
Choosing the right vacation escape is as important as choosing the right vacation destination and Voyago Vacation Rentals offers a large selection of cozy sanctuaries that will be priced to fit in any vacation budget. Still feeling uncomfortable about eating alone at restaurants? Our fully equipped kitchens will encourage you to create meals for yourself, best enjoyed on the decks overlooking the Colorado landscape. Comfortable, luxurious, and offering panoramic views of the mountains and the Estes Park countryside, your every moment spent with us will be ones you will appreciate forever. Reserve your favorite seasonal sanctuary today!
Some of your favorite vacation memories may be of the meals you have enjoyed during your travels. The tacos you devoured from that food truck in Mexico, the Nutella and Banana crepes savored from the street stand in Paris, and, for those who like to forward instead of backwards, the delicious meals you will enjoy at Ember Restaurant and Bar during your journey to Estes Park. Offering a chef driven menu and views of the lake and the mountains, the portions are so large you will be able to take home the leftovers and enjoy them in your Voyago Vacation Rentals Colorado sanctuary the next day!
Located at 1700 Colorado Peaks Drive, Open Daily at 7 AM
Ember is new to the Colorado culinary landscape, opening in May but already showing signs of permanence that makes us feel as if this is going to be a local special occasion restaurant we will thrill to explore. Already an integral part of the Estes Park Resort, we love that we can look forward to the chef’s incredible meals for all 3 meals of the day. Also providing catering and serving as an event venue, if a destination wedding in the mountains is in your future, this might be the perfect spot in which to start your happily ever after.
Welcome Chef Sean Gardiner
The driving force behind the restaurant, has long been a staple in the Colorado restaurant industry, bringing his mad skills to Estes Park for the first time. Specializing in modern American food, Chef Sean Gardiner embraces the farm to table concept, ensuring that the hearty meals he prepares are both delicious and healthy, something mom’s all over the world wholeheartedly embrace knowing the difficulty of getting their kiddos to eat something that is good for them! The chef and his wife Rebecca have 4 kids of their own (and 5 restaurants!) so they certainly understand the struggle!
Great Food, Stunning Views, and Impeccable Service
We will discuss the menu a little further down the page, but first, shall we talk about the views you will enjoy during your dining experience? Located on the banks of Lake Estes, the serenity of the water combined with the rugged watchfulness of the mountains in the background may make this spot your newest happy place, and as you sit inside the oversized cabin that is not rustic but offers all the charm of a lakeside escape, the floor to ceiling windows will ensure that you won’t have to miss a single second of the natural paradise that lies just outside. And because the views are wonderful but would not mean a thing if the service was less so, impeccable service, friendly staff, and of course, that tasty food, combine to ensure the meals you enjoy here will not soon be forgotten.
Breakfast of Champions
There are no Wheaties on the menu of Ember (we checked) but the healthy and hearty breakfasts served here will be more than the doctor ordered. Remember, farm to table is key in Chef Gardiner’s concept and creativity is vital, so when you dip your fork into a power quinoa bowl created with organic quinoa, boar sausage, wild mushrooms, peppers, squash, baby spinach, and goat cheese you will be enjoying the best of both worlds. Looking for an innovative twist on one of our favorite breakfasts, Chilaquiles? Their Bison Barbacoa Chilaquiles will spoil to you against all others!
Your Midday Meal
Lunch is often a meal that we forget to embrace, often settling for lunchmeat sandwiches or boring salads that fail to satisfy, but a lunch at Ember is an entirely different animal. Offering handhelds that include squash tacos and cheeseburgers, guests can also find exquisite offerings such as lobster mac and cheese, game skewers, and the chef’s choice, a Burrata Antipasto created from the finest of locally sourced ingredients.
A Dinner to Remember
Every meal will be your favorite when you choose to visit Ember, but perhaps their dinners will bring the memories you will remember most. Offering a sophisticated dinner menu that take ordinary ingredients and makes them extraordinary, it is chef’s use of game meat that takes your dining experience to the next level of wonderful. Elk Tenderloin served with a lingonberry demi glaze, bison short rib, even a duck breast will change the way you look at dinner forevermore.
Bring the Leftovers Home to Voyago Vacation Rentals
And because their portions are so large, enjoying the leftovers at home in your Estes Park escape will help you extend the tasty goodness a little further into your vacation. Reheat your meals in the microwaves of our fully equipped kitchens and spread out your goodies on large dining tables to enjoy in your much more comfy sweats or jammies. Reserve your favorite sanctuary today!