Blue Skies Inn is a quiet refuge situated on 2.5 secluded acres along Fountain Creek.

Our garden courtyard is surrounded by ten unique 3-room suites clustered in a quaint village of Gothic Revival architecture. We have amenities for a romantic retreat, family vacation or high-tech business stay.

"Starlight" is one of several sky-themed suites, complete with mirrored "time windows" in the decoratively tiled giant bathroom. All suites feature air-conditioning, TV/VCR, phone and data port and sound insulation. Whirlpool tubs and fireplaces are available for romantic stays.

Blue Skies Inn is strategically situated in Manitou Springs, a small mountain city nestled at the base of Pikes Peak. Our inn is isolated from the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Colorado Springs but has easy access to the entire Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo metroplex.

Our city was founded in 1873 by Dr. William Bell who established a health resort centered around the city's many artesian mineral springs. Manitou Springs still maintains that mystique of mountainous isolation and small-town charm.

Blue Skies Inn is unique because it is located on the secluded estate called Briarhurst that the city's founder built for his family in the heart of the city. Our inn is clustered around Dr. Bell's carriage house, while his handsome red stone mansion is now a five-star restaurant next door.

Towering willows and cottonwoods stand along Fountain Creek which runs through the south side of our site, and beyond that leafy border lies historic downtown Manitou Springs. Our grounds feature lawns, flower gardens, a splashing waterfall, charming gazebo surrounding a large hot tub open to the sky, and a hillside covered with hundred year-old scrub oak.

The details of Blue Skies' all-new construction match the Gothic Revival architecture of Dr. Bell's 1873 carriage house so well that guests are often at a loss to distinguish the original from our respectful reproduction. However, within our board-and-batten siding and Gothic windows, guests will find whimsical, beautiful new suites, all painted and designed by an artist.

Breakfast:

Breakfast at Blue Skies features unique egg dishes, fresh-baked muffins, fruit, juice, milk and coffee delivered to the door of your suite in a picnic basket.

Guests may dine in their suite, take breakfast in the private space of one of our covered porches or join our other guests dining outdoors in our Secret Garden.

Suites:

Indian Rock Art Suite:

Feel as though you've discovered a remote sandstone canyon wall that ancient Indian tribes used for their art images. Painted in many hues of apricot and pale sandstone shades, this suite has a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Read our pictograph books in this suite to interpret meanings of painted Indian symbols in the mural. Enormous shower tiled in Southwest colors. Handicapped accessible.

Midnight Woods:

Enjoy the cool feel of woodlands in shades of aqua and deepest green. Stenciled with hundreds of varied ferns, this suite will make you think of walks in deep woods. A surprise in the mural awaits you upon "lights out." Read or watch TV under an embroidered bed canopy lit with tiny white lights. Roman bathroom tiled in shades of green has giant walk-in shower.

Blue Skies:

Since we're called Blue Skies, we named a suite after our reason for being in Colorado. Dream under a filmy canopy in a sky blue room with hand painted clouds. Fireplace for romance or snowy nights. Bask in the large sun-filled sitting room or unwind in the whirlpool in our bathroom tiled with many hues of blue with a rainbow border.

Ferdinand's Garden:

In earlier days, Ferdinand, the Briarhurst gardener, planted orchards and grew flowers for the mansion. In his honor, we have designed a suite in restful shades of green and lavender with sweeping hand painted floral bouquets over doorways, mirrors and bed. Enjoy the fireplace while tucked under a backlit brocade bed canopy. Hand painted floral tiles add to the varied hues of burgundy in the bathroom where you'll find a large soaking tub for two and a tiled shower.

Dot Matrix:

This is an off-the-wall rendition of Art Deco with some high-tech decorative touches. Our black and white theme plays against walls painted as parchment. African masks add bold colors to this suite. Giant shower for two is tiled in dazzling black and white with a few sparkling surprises tucked in the borders. Quiet sitting room looks out into the woods.

Morning Glory:

Hand painted morning glory vines climb whimsically over the walls of this pretty robin’s egg blue suite. Extravagant boughs of lavender silk flowers edge the backlit canopy that floats over a big brass bed. You’ll want to read Shakespearean sonnets to your beloved here. Corner tiled fireplace for romance. Relax in the pale green whirlpool tub with twinkling candelabra. Suite overlooks our Secret Garden.

Starlight:

Painted shades of glorious blue to portray the artist’s vision of the Universe, this suite has stars, galaxies and comets to amaze you. A shimmering silver canopy streams over the brass bed. Flames dance in the corner fireplace.

Borrow some sci-fi videos from us to watch as you imagine where the aliens are in the wall mural. Enjoy our bathroom fancifully tiled in salmon and cobalt blue with mirrored "time windows." while taking a bubble bath in the soaking tub. Overlooks Secret Garden.

Deep Blue:

Enjoy an artist's playful interpretation of ocean. This suite has a whimsical sea motif throughout the sitting room, bedroom and bathroom with waves stencilled in silver. Seashell chairs and ancestors’ ocean-going trunks complete the undersea fantasy. Hand painted brightly-colored tropical fish can be found in tile murals and swimming in the pedestal sink. Splash with abandon in a huge tiled shower for two.

Indian Rock Art Two:

Warm colors and ancient Indian images in our first rock art suite have been a favorite, so we’ve created a variation upon that theme. This suite has painted pictographs chosen for their relation to the story of our site. Ute Indians camped here in the last century and left arrowhead flakes that we have found. Did you know that the Utes were called the "Blue Sky People?"

Sunset:

Sky themes are our favorite, so we've painted our most romantic suite with evening sky, shading from pink to lavender and filled with sun-streaked clouds. Enjoy the end of your day among the rosy clouds of sunset. An iron bed entwined with twinkly lights, netting and silk flowers is the perfect place to enjoy a corner fireplace. Whirlpool tub for two and separate shower in bathroom tiled in hues of rose and burgundy.