Location

The nightly rate at Populus beat out all our Denver favorite hotels, but it was a little out of our preferred areas. We love the LoHi, RiNo, and Union Station areas.  Populus is just opposite the Capital building, but close to the Denver Art Museum, Colorado Convention Center, and the Denver Performing Arts Complex.  But, what the heck, we had reservations at Casa Bonita, so we were not tied to the downtown area, on a quick one-nighter in Mile High City, let’s try something new. 

Initial Impression

Populus’ mission is a sustainably focused hotel, with the amenities and service of a large hospitality group, but the unique personalization of an independent hotel.  And I cannot stress enough how impressed we were by their level of service, details, and considerations.

The outside of the hotel is unique, and I wasn’t feeling the art deco vibe when we first pulled up.  Later, looking at their website, they detail that the outside was designed after the aesthetic of the local Aspen trees – and now I get it, and it’s pretty cool and very Colorado.

Enter the lobby, restaurant to the left, Little Owl coffee bar to the right, and then the small check-in desk where we meet Nicole.  And she greets us with a big, beautiful smile.   We managed to get an upgrade and then we got the good information: happy hour in the bar, morning coffee in the executive rooftop lounge, water pitchers in the rooms, water fill stations by all the elevators, they will bring you ice if you need it.

And we head for the elevator, where inside the sounds are piping in a recording of a local Aspen Forest noises, it’s very peaceful.

Our Room

Our room, whew, our room was amazing!  The inside is all cement walls, in this smooth grey.  Fantastic wood details, and white linens.  It has a contemporary yet natural feel.  The oval windows line the walls with an incredible view of the State Capital and Civic Park.  We are definitely WOWed and simultaneously bummed that we have reservations and can’t just camp out for the night in this beautiful room.

The Lobby Bar

We had just enough time to grab a drink at the bar before happy hour ended on our way down, we stopped by to tell Nicole how amazing our room is and thank her.  Then we took our free drink token to the bar for a quick vodka soda, before noticing their drink selection.

And we meet Andrea, who was funny and engaging, and she introduces us to Thomas, who tells us how we missed out on his favorite drink:  Milk Punch, Vol 2.  A lemongrass, gin clarified milk punch.  Andrea is just finishing off one of the pre-mixed bottles for another order and poured each of us a taster.  It was fantastic and we were truly bummed we didn’t have time for one (or eight) more.

I loved the nature décor, and above the bar was a strange art installation that looked like animal hides hanging in a row, but it was beautiful and just worked within the space.  Zach was just coming on to shift, and we hated to say goodbye, but plans and reservations called, and we were off.

By the time we returned that evening, everything was shut down for the night, so we were off to a comfy bed and fantastic fluffy pillows.  The next morning was difficult.  It should have been a crime to have to get out of that bed.  It was a happy, relaxed morning just snuggled down under the covers as we both tried to get some work done.

Rooftop Lounge

Finally, the need for coffee and the remembrance of the rooftop “executive lounge access” called us to our feet.  As I mentioned, the hotel is just across from the state capital, the museum, and the Civic Center Park, so the view of the city is nice in the perfect sunny morning.  There was self-service coffee, tea, and water station, as well as a few pastries. 

We had not explored the rooftop restaurant, Stellar Jay, the evening before. This restaurant carries the nature vibes and gorgeous interior as the downstairs more casual dining restaurant, Pasque, but with an upscale elegant, intimate feel.  Two chefs prepping the daily menu ingredients, and even they were incredibly welcoming and nice.  There is an amazing back room for private groups that is done in a gorgeous apricot and cream color with that same beautiful view.  There was a slight smokey wood burning smell in the background which led me to believe that dinner in this elegant restaurant was going to be amazing.  Next time, we will be staying for dinner.

It was an absolutely perfect morning, enjoying coffee on the rooftop patio!

Breakfast Time

Back to the room for showers, with a wonderful walk-in shower with controls to use the wall spigot, overhead rainfall head, or the handheld shower head, incredible smelling toiletries, and finally we needed real food.

Down to Pasque for breakfast, and again, with incredible service. This time, we met Brandon.  He was amazing, funny, and connected with our need for the perfect bite and a cocktail for breakfast.  He was not available for adoption, but I did ask.  We actually spent a good part of the meal trying to figure out what drugs the staff were required to take that they were all so happy and kind.  He assured us that they really did like their job. This speaks huge volumes for us in recommending a place (The Virgin Hotel Dallas had the same vibe).

And Zach (from happy hour) was back tending bar, and we finally scored the Milk Punch, Vol 2.  And it was incredible.  The breakfast menu was fantastic with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients – everything sounded so good, we opted for a couple of the toasts!

Oh, and then we ask about the hanging animal hides.  And Zach tells us that they are actually sheets of wild mushroom processed into leather-like material that is used in their decorating.  Yes, VEGAN LEATHER in their quest to further their sustainability level. This leather is used throughout the hotel and it is gorgeous (no, it doesn’t look like the hides that are hanging above the bar)!!

Our breakfast was running a little long, so without question they extended our checkout time for us.  Yes, sadly, we had to leave, and I was left with the same feeling I had in Langkawi, we screwed up, one night was not enough.

Sadly, Time to Checkout

For those that value sustainability, I wanted to share this from The Populus website: 

“At Populus, we believe protecting the planet is a collective responsibility and journey.  The heartbeat of Populus is a deep reverence for nature.  It started at the beginning with the biophilic architecture and use of locally-sourced, recycled, or sustainably-certified building materials during the construction process.  It extends throughout the guest experience, with One Night One Tree initiative, a commitment to source food from regenerative, organic farmers, and an on-site biodigester that composts 100% of food waste.  At Populus, we have a deep reverence for nature.  As stewards of the built environment, we believe we have a responsibility to offset our impact.  That’s why, for every night you stay at our hotel, we’ll plant a tree.”

This has entered the top of my list for favorite stays.  We cannot thank the staff enough for the incredible service and we cannot wait to make it to Populus Seattle in October.

Check out more: Our Favorite Places to Stay

We have heard so many amazing things about the Virgin Hotels and Virgin product line.  But we have never flown Virgin Atlantic Airlines, or been on a Virgin Voyage (not yet, but we want to and plan to, so slip us a little discount there Virgin fam, we are dying to come check you out), we are new to the Virgin properties. And so far, Richard Branson has not invited us to stay on his private island.

Virgin Virgins you might say.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – Virgin properties have the reputation for being young and hip (while we are not quite young or as hip as we may have once been) but we love their branding of “luxury lifestyle hospitality” geared for the young at heart. Hey, that’s us!

I had a gap evening in Dallas between my arrival and Peggy’s late-night arrival, so I booked Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And I have nothing but regret that I didn’t book our entire stay there.

Virgin Hotels – Get In the Know

Prior to booking, We had joined “The Know” loyalty program.  And I am in love with their attention to detail already.  They get the basics about you, and then proceed with questions to help them get to know you and anticipate ways to make your stay more personalized.  Are you a sweets person or a salty snack person?  Do you like still water or fizzy water?  What kind of music do you like, who is your favorite artist? What do you preferred to be called (I am “My Beloved” for the Virgin Staff)?

ssn – I shall be known as Lady Anita Glasawine. Other questions include whether you have pet peeves, concerns about ghosts, and what activities you like to do.

AND, The Know members get automatically upgraded for rooms.  You don’t have to ask or beg, if they have a better room option, they will just give it to you.

Also, definitely worth noting, the Virgin hotel app allows in-app check-ins, but also features the ability to control lights and temps in your room direct from your phone.

Check-in

I checked in on Thursday night and I was greeted by an employee in a rainbow mask, hello Pride month! It was a flawless check-in, very friendly staff sharing all our “ya gottas” for Dallas.

I had booked a mid-level room, overlooking the pool.  We received an upgrade to a corner room on the 12^th floor, because I’m in “The Know”.

And it was gorgeous!

The Room

The dressing area and vanity, as well as the restroom facilities, were separated from the sleeping area.  Everything from the robes to the glassware selection were impeccably chosen.  A full bar and snack trays are in-room and available for purchase, including top shelf liquor and mixers of all kinds.

AND, there was a welcome basket, addressed to me, filled with little snack items and a welcome note.

Ok, and we have to talk about the beds!  Soft and squishy, and an overabundance of pillows. Like sleeping on air.  And who picked out these beds, they are amazing.  Super cool two queen beds, connected by a bench seat and a rotating table. 

Everything was cute, comfortable, functional, all around winning in the furniture selection.

And let me just tell you how happy the water pressure in the waterfall shower made me.  Not just a drizzle, a full downpour to cleanse your soul.

Happy Hour

The restaurant/bar in Virgin Hotels Dallas is The Commons Club. It hosts happy hour every night, with selected specials for the night.

ssn – The Common Club also hosts a Drag Brunch twice during the month as well as music and dining events during the week.

I started with my go-to drink, Vodka and seven.  However, I soon found the elevated level of expertise of the bartender. He offered to make me a drink, in my wheelhouse.  Nailed it on the first drink, it was an almost Key Lime pie-y goodness made with gin, little sweet, little creamy, a little tart (like my sister). My son’s girlfriend, Emmy, was made a strawberry jalapeño martini, which was simply amazing, and not too peppery, also perfectly in her wheelhouse.

We were going out to celebrate my son’s birthday that evening but couldn’t skip ordering the beef cheek bao buns.  They were perfection in pillowy steamed bao.

A little live acoustic music, a beautiful outdoor patio, and engaging staff.  Emmy commented at how after living in the Dallas area for most of her life, she had never met and talked to so many friendly people as there were working for Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And Finally Peggy Arrives

It was almost 1:00 am but I couldn’t help showing off the room features and we giggled with excitement for an hour about the fun weekend we were about to have!

Morning

In the morning, the Funny Library is the hotel’s coffee shop.  They start serving Irish coffees at 7 am, so why would you sleep in.

We took our coffees to go and wandered up to the rooftop pool on the fourth floor.

The Pool and Virgin Hotels Dallas Pool Club

From our room we could see the pool area and a little covered spot. That covered spot was discovered to be the hot tub area.  Enclosed in a trellis covered in fake Wisteria, it was beautiful, peaceful, and a calm little spot for morning coffee.

There is entire bar down by the pool, so poolside cocktails in the cabana are definitely on the agenda for our next visit. And there WILL be a next visit. One of the staff stopped to chat with us and let us know that the pool is THE place to be on the weekends.

We shared an elevator on our way back up to our room.  I commented at how much we loved this hotel to a man in the elevator.  He said “I am so glad you like it, I’ve only been here a year and love it here”, this seemed to be a common theme for the employees we met.  So, either their employer is doing a fantastic job, or they are all amazing fakers!

Breakfast at The Commons Club

We did make breakfast reservations for Commons Club.  Billed as “French meets Texan”.  I had the Potato Latkes Benedict, with smoked salmon and crème fraiche hollandaise.  I loved this combination of light and rich.  A little bummed I didn’t order second breakfast of The King’s Pancakes, because besides peanut butter and banana, it is served with a side of Maker’s Mark caramel – and I should have had some of that!

ssn – I had the Breakfast Sandy – I was torn between the Breakfast Tacos (my go-to) and the Sandy which had glazed pork belly, egg and dijonaise on a croissant. Breakfast cocktail was the Sparkling Greyhound (vodka, fresh grapefruit juice and prosecco).

Once again, our service was amazing, we absolutely loved David, our server.  He was funny and personable, and made great recommendations.  And shared with us his latest TikTok video, which solidified us as family in my book!

Planning our next visit

We immensely enjoyed our stay, enough to write a dedicated mini-blog just for this experience.

We are definitely going back to Dallas, and we are definitely staying in The Virgin Hotel Dallas, I still can’t believe I checked out and left. Since I’m self-appointed family now, they should probably start making accommodations for me to never leave – long term Virgin sisbehaving accommodations por favor!

However, and this is worth noting, the one thing y’all need to do at The Virgin company is get bigger robes.  This plus size momma wants her bits covered as she lounges around that room with her Aviation Gin and Tonic from the mini bar!

THANK YOU Virgin Hotels

Thank you so much to our new home away from home with The Virgin Hotel fam. 

And again, hook up ya sistahs with that Virgin Voyage comp!  We are ready to go!!

We are sold on the Virgin line and are going to start planning Vegas and Chicago just to stay at their other properties!

Continue reading about all the cool things to do in Dallas! Next post: Dallas, Texas. The City We Love to Hate.