Vacation movies cover the genres from the quotable comedies to the classics you watch every year to the romances made for television that have more juice than pine. However, regardless of your preference for Christmas movies, there is a place to stay in Colorado that fits your cinematic personality.

In these hotels and destinations, the screen comes to life. Some of the movie inspirations are literal, like the over-the-top Hallmark movie-branded suite at Club Wyndham near Vail. Others deliver a more subtle dash of vacation magic. As the countdown to Christmas begins, here are the best places to stay based on your favorite vacation movie. Don’t forget to pack your Fair Isle Christmas pajamas in your travel bag.

The vacation program at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center continues outside at Glacier Point, a winter fun zone with ice scooter cars, ice skating, and a four-lane snow tubing hill to ski down. (Aurelia Scissors provided by Marriott International)

“Elf”: Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center

Ready to Graduate from Spectator to Star? Fans of the 2003 Christmas comedy “Elf” can immerse themselves in iconic movie scenes in the Gaylord Rockies that feature a dozen interactive movie set challenges – like a virtual snowball fight in Central Park, the hectic preparation for Santa’s arrival in the New York City department store Stroll through the bizarre candy cane forest and meet the toy quota on Christmas Eve in the North Pole workshop. The Gaylord has teamed up with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment for the marquee program “Mission: Save Christmas, Featuring Elf”.

The resort is bursting with the holiday spirit (enough to power Santa’s sleigh and a lot more). Cirque art meets Broadway-style musicals at Cirque Dreams Holidaze in the hotel’s Bubly Theater. Outside at Glacier Point, guests can whiz down a four-lane snow tubing hill, ice skate, or slide down an ice rink in ice scooter cars. There’s also gingerbread decorations, photos with Santa Claus, storytelling, and more.

Accommodation packages and event tickets can be purchased at christmasatgaylordrockies.com. Online reservation in advance is required for all ticketed events. 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Blvd., Aurora, marriott.com. Nightly rates start at $ 259.

Santa’s race on December 7, 2019 in Breckenridge. (Joe Mahoney, provided by Breckenridge Tourism)

National Lampoon Christmas Vacation: Breckenridge

Did you know that some of the most memorable parts of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation were filmed in and around Breckenridge? The Slapdash sled incident that saw Chevy Chase’s character Clark Griswold speed down the mountain was filmed at the Breckenridge Ski Resort on Peak 8. Then, as Griswold’s greased saucer hits the sidewalk and he dodges traffic with flying sparks, he actually slides down Summit Boulevard in Frisco. Griswold drops a Christmas tree on Breckenridge Golf Course, where the family’s station wagon ends up after being wedged under a lumber truck and then blown off the road.

For your own quaint Christmas vacation (but without the comedy of mistakes) head to Breck, a winter wonderland during the Christmas season with more than 250,000 LED lights shimmering downtown. The Breckenridge lights and Santa’s race take place on December 4th. Or combine your visit with the Ullr Festival (December 9-12) in honor of Ullr, the Nordic god of snow. You can also go sledding at a more cautious speed in Carter Park.

Book a stay at Gravity Haus Breckenridge, a ski-in, ski-out boutique hotel that just won Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. 605 South Park Avenue, Breckenridge, Gravityhaus.com. Nightly rates start at $ 195.

One of the themed lobbies inside ...

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

The lamp from “A Christmas Story” is one of the decorations in the lobby of the Curtis Hotel. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

“Home Alone”: The Curtis

With Instagram-worthy vignettes on almost every corner and floor with its own theme (superheroes! Sci-Fi! Sport!) But at this time of the year the hotel decorates its halls to the max. You can book the “Hyper Holiday Suite”, which looks much like the setting of a holiday film. Or the hotel offers a “Home Alone” package that includes free film rental. Order a pizza, bring your own candy and make Kevin McCallister proud and brush your teeth with an American Dental Association-approved toothbrush.

Since this stay is all about making the vacation exponential, top off your stay by heading to Union Station for Santa-approved cocktails at the Miracle Bar. 1405 Curtis St., Denver, thecurtis.com. Nightly rates start at $ 99.

Kitschy vacation films for television: “Catbird”

The plot of television movies is about as predictable as Christmas on December 25th. An overworked metropolitan manager falls in love again with her hometown school friend while they work to save the local Christmas tree farm / pie bakery. Toy store. At Catbird you can crawl under the covers in the loft bed and unabashedly enjoy a heart-warming holiday film marathon with the “Catbird and Chill Holiday Experience”.

The new RiNo Hotel has 4K Ultra HD projectors that are suspended from the ceiling to offer guests a cinema-like viewing experience. Dozens of new vacation films appear every season. To make your choice easier, the hotel offers a “Catbird Favorites” holiday film menu. The package also comes with cheesy Christmas movie bingo cards with squares for scenes like “Accidentally Caught Under the Mistletoe”, “Reunited in the Romantic Town Pavilion” and “Caught in an Unexpected Snowstorm”. Also includes movie popcorn, hot chocolate sets, romance novels from Tattered Cover, and in-room vacation leaves from ReRoot Botanicals. (Tip: make your own mistletoe). The package is available until December 31st. 3770 Walnut St., Denver, catbirdhotel.com/special offersPrices for the nightly “Catbird and Chill” package start at $ 244.

The Roy Lichtenstein tree at ART, a hotel in Denver. (Danielle Lirette, provided by ART, a Hotel)

“Deck the Halls”: The Art, a Hotel

In “Deck the Halls,” a 2006 Christmas comedy, Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) wants to decorate his house with enough lights for it to be seen from space. Try this at home and you could get a HOA fine. But you can certainly enjoy an over the top light show and avant-garde vacation decor at The Art, a hotel in the Golden Triangle museum district. The Porte-Cochère inspires all year round with a light show of 22,000 LED light bulbs, an installation by Leo Villareal, the well-known artist behind the “Bay Lights” of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. During the Christmas season, the hotel, which could also serve as a museum, gives classic Christmas tree decorations a playful Pop Art twist by decorating the lobby and halls with trees inspired by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. 1201 Broadway, Denver, thearthotel.com. Nightly rates start at $ 164.

Club Wyndham Resort in Avon (near Vail) and the Hallmark Channel have created a Hallmark movie-inspired suite for the holidays. (Provided by Club Wyndham Resort)

Trademark Films: Club Wyndham Resort at Avon

Imagine: after a day of skiing or ice skating, retreat to your mega-Christmassy hotel room, where you sip hot cocoa while a projector throws snowflakes on the wall. Or you can sneak up to the fireplace to toast s’mores while the Christmas lights twinkle on your Christmas tree in your room. This happy dreamscape is the result of a collaboration between Club Wyndham Resort at Avon (near Vail) and the Hallmark Channel. The brands have created three Hallmark movie-inspired suites across the country, including the Winter Wonderland-themed Colorado Suite and others in New York City and Nashville.

Famous movie star Holly Robinson Peete told the “Today” show that the suites are like stepping on the set of one of her Christmas movies. They’re definitely a great place to relax and watch one of the 40 new original vacation films that Hallmark premiered this year. The suite is available until January 1st. 75 Benchmark Road, Avon, clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com. Hallmark Suite nightly rate starts at $ 295.

Santa visits a family while riding the Polar Express from Durango. (Provided by Visit Durango)

“The polar express:” Durango

Everyone on board for a magical journey. During the holiday season, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad offers their “Polar Express” train ride, which recreates the classic Christmas story of a child’s Christmas trip aboard an old steam train. During the 65-minute excursion you will sip hot chocolate, enjoy a reading by the conductor “The Polar Express” and visit the North Pole, which shines with a light show synchronized with holiday songs. Santa Claus will do his laps on the way back and hand out presents. You are encouraged to wear your pajamas (just like in the book and movie adaptation). But pack too, because it’s winter in Colorado. 877-872-4607, durangotrain.com. Train tickets start at $ 29 for children, $ 39 for adults.

It is tradition for Santa Claus to visit the C Lazy U Ranch on the night before Christmas. (Provided by C Lazy U Ranch in Granby)

“Santa Claus is coming to town”: C Lazy U

From an ice skating pond to sleigh rides and Christmas trees on the table in the cozy, chic huts, the C Lazy U Ranch is the ideal place for a classic Colorado vacation. Before Christmas there is evening entertainment with traditional Christmas carols, cookie decorations, campfires and hot cocoa bars. It is tradition that Santa Claus visits the ranch on the night before Christmas and arrives with a sleigh full of presents, which he places under the tree for the guests. A traditional Christmas dinner is served in the dining room on Christmas Eve, with a turkey for each table. 3640 CO-125, Granby, clazyu.com. Nightly rates at the all-inclusive luxury dude ranch start at $ 410 for an adult and $ 200 per child.

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