I stayed at the St. Julien for a long weekend during the Boulder Film Festival, and it was a great choice. I was in a King Mountain View room, which was very comfortable. Beautiful, big bathroom, comfortable bed, nice view of the flatirons. Everything is walkable from here -- many great restaurants and bars. Unfortunately never had time to try the spa but it looked nice and I heard great things. The staff was very friendly and the whole experience was great. I did visit colleagues at their hotel, the nearby Boulderado, and it made me very happy that i had chosen the St. Julien.

If you read my reviews you know I love a good HI Express. So a long weekend at the St. Julien over Valentine's Day was a real treat. We'd recently spent a weekend at a Ritz-Carlton property and were nothing but disappointed. St. Julien, on the other hand, exceeded our expectations in nearly every way. Our first day in Boulder it was snowy and beautiful. Upon arriving at the St. Julien we were greeted by what I would come to know as the most genuinely sincere and friendly valet parkers I've ever handed over my keys to. We entered a gorgeous hotel, with a large gas and glass fireplace in the very open lobby. The whole place smells like their signature Canyon Mint product line and it's delicious. We were greeted by more friendlies at the reception desk. Check in was a breeze and we headed up to our room.

The room was breathtaking. Although we didn't realize it until the second day when the snow had cleared, our room had a city view of Boulder and the mountains. Absolutely beautiful. Now you will hear my one and only complaint of the whole trip. Our room was on the second floor literally over the main entrance. Not a lot of privacy out on the balcony. And Samba night, wow that percussion could be heard and felt throughout our room right up until they stopped playing. I wish we'd been warned. When we return to the St. Julien we'll definitely pick a different room.

The room itself was well-appointed. The bed was super-comfy with lots of linens and pillows. Complimentary bottled water by the bed. The valet guys also give you bottled water when you leave the hotel, by the way. Back to the room, there was a good-sized flat screen, lots of outlets, an ihome, lounge chair, desk and chair and a wardrobe. Everything you need. The bathroom was quite large. Two bathrobes, lots of towels and an array of Canyon Mint products that are now sitting in my bathroom here in Atlanta. Yep, I'm that girl. When the products are as good as these were I became a total hoarder. We had a small issue with the water pressure and hot water and it was corrected immediately.

We had room service breakfast every morning. It was delivered by more of the friendly staff and the presentation was beautiful. We looked forward to it each day and were never disappointed. Evening turndown service included a full ice bucket (if you know me you know that's a big deal) and chocolate covered oreos. YUM! No complaints about the service to the room. They even left a newspaper in a little bag hanging on the door handle. Loved that.

We used the spa -- it was amazing. You'll read more about that in a separate review. The spa is the fanciest spa I've ever been to anywhere anytime. They have an indoor infinity looking pool surrounded by glass so it feels like you're outside. So pretty.

We had Valentine's dinner at the restaurant at the St. Julien called Jill's. There will be a separate review on Jill's. I'm pretty tough on restaurant service. It started out rough but ended up great. I'm a sucker for being given a rose on the way out of dinner. Food was delicious and the restaurant is warm and pretty.

I hope everyone has an opportunity to experience the St. Julien. We did not want to leave. But when it came time to, the valet dude offered us water and handed us our keys with a smile and then, for one last time, I received the most sincere tip thanks I've ever gotten.

Overall a good hotel in the Boulder area. Rooms are nice and well appointed, if a little small. One complaint in the rooms is that the four post bed obscures the view to the TV from the armchair. Not a big deal, but not great design. Some rooms have balconies with potentially great views. Nice gym and pool area, great lobby. The room service / breakfast food is absolutely terrific. This is among the best hotel food I have ever had. Between the food and lovely appointments, absolutely my place of choice in the area.

I had heard about the St. Julian for years, THE place to stay in Boulder. I have used their Spa, but had never stayed there. Now I have, and here is the report. Very nice. Not the swoon I had expected, but very nice:

The good:
Staff: attentive and lovely (with one exception noted below)
Tub: deep and inviting
Amenities: upscale; love the bath salts
Location: terrific; a block off of Pearl

The not so good:

I was upgraded to a “mountain view room” which was more a “red brick building with a peak of the mountains behind it view.” The room was very, very small. No room for a closet, so they tucked that function into the armoire that held the TV. No cushy reading chair/ottoman. It was basically laid out like any standard Holiday Inn Room, but the fittings were nicer. Comfortable (if you don't mind doing your reading in bed). Certain things were not in completely flawless working condition (e.g. the plug by the coffee machine was faulty; had to move the whole deal into the bathroom; the shower door didn't fit well...)

This is the St Julian "Hotel and Spa.” I treated myself to this more expensive Boulder alternative because of downtime I would have - I had hoped to take advantage of the “and Spa” part during that time. When I checked in I was told that the Spa would be closed for maintenance on the day I would be able to use it. While I was given a coupon for a nearby workout facility, I was hoping to be massaged, not trained. Would’ve been nice to know that before I came. Certainluy wasn't offered a reduced rate or a free drink for the inconvenience. I asked for a late checkout (certainly wasn't going to be hanging in the Spa), and was made to feel like an ungrateful wretch when they would only give me until 12:45.

All in all - nice. Not the lap of luxury, but fine.