Don't let the name fool you. This place feels more like a rural motel than anything else. My room…read moreappeared to have been recently remodeled, but the work was clearly rushed with poor craftsmanship everywhere. It's an odd mix of new and worn, with a muggy atmosphere and questionable beds. I even found insects on the bed, and the window was difficult to open. To make matters worse, the balcony is open, meaning anyone, including an unruly child, could easily access your window. The only positives are the location, the view and the friendliness of the staff. Unfortunately, that's not enough to justify a higher rating,I wouldn't give it more than one star. Breakfast is advertised, however, gas station breakfast seems to be superior. Overall, this place has a great potential, but why anyone should invest in making this place better? Their rooms are overpriced and the return is only the near location to the National Park. A hotel in Alamorosa is 30 min away, and perhaps a better choice.

3-3.5 We stayed at the Geodesic Dome, and overall it was a…read morefun and unique experience. As the website mentioned, it features a queen bed, small heater, a power outlet, and a light. However, both the heater and the light were already plugged in, so in practice, there wasn't really a free outlet available--unless I missed something! One interesting thing to note about the dome is the "window" situation. The curtains only cover about four out of the six panels, meaning there are gaps around the edges where people can see in. We ended up using towels and pillows for privacy. The shared bathrooms were exactly as described and totally functional! Not a big deal, but a couple more hooks or maybe a small shelf would make a nice difference. while I don't have a photo, I have to mention the adorable resident cat named Peppermint, who patiently waited outside the bathroom for some pets. So cute!

I had a solid 4-star experience renting from this place! We stopped by here to pick up some wooden…read moresandboards before heading into the national park for a day of sandboarding on the dunes. The service we received was very nice, welcoming, and friendly, which made for a great start to the day. On top of that, the entire process was an easy transaction, and it was super convenient that they take credit cards for payment. The rental prices were also somewhat reasonable for a quick day activity. The only downside was that the boards themselves were not particularly great quality; they were kind of hard and thick, which made navigating the sand a little bit clunky. However, since these are rental boards and I am sure people beat them up constantly out on the dunes, we were totally okay with that. Overall, it's a super convenient stop right by the park entrance, and it definitely gets the job done for a fun day on the sand!

There's not a ton of businesses right near Great Sand Dunes National Park and this one is perfectly…read morepositioned as you are about to enter so that you can rent gear like sleds or snow boards to slide down the dunes. Unfortunately for us the day we visited it was drizzling all day and had rained earlier so the dunes were wet. Something I really appreciated was that the folks working were super transparent with us and said they weren't sure we'd have much fun trying to sled down when the sand was packed like that with water. Because of that we passed on renting gear, even though that was our initial reason for stopping here. While there we did some shopping, instead picked up some sand toys for the kids, and purchased a sticker. All in all it was a nice little shop and I can't say how much I appreciate them for their kindness and honesty - they could have just taken our money but they gave us good feedback and we will for sure rent from them if and when we make it back this way. Also it's worth noting that they were right. There were folks that had rented sleds and were sledding but it was a slow process for them. With two kids in tow and wet sand to deal with we were happy to not have to lug sleds that we wouldn't have used on our hike.

OK, first of all this is the only show in town…read more The pros... 1. The hotel is family owned which is nice. 2. The views of the dunes and sunsets from your back patio are astounding 3. The people at the front desk are friendly 4. Location!!! The hotels proximity to the park is perfect! You can see the park sign from the hotel. 5. Watching the hummingbirds at the many feeders outside the rooms was fun after a long day at the park. The cons... 1. The rooms are dated and small and could use some updating. 2. The beds have been well used and don't have much life left in them. 3. We stayed for 2 nights and the room wasn't freshened after the first night - no one made the bed or tidied the room. Maybe that's not what they do in rural Colorado but that's the first ever hotel where I've experienced this.

We recently stayed two nights Labor Day weekend. Way overpriced. The front desk staff were friendly…read moreand helpful. The breakfast was adequate. Two comfortable queen beds, refrigerator, microwave, bathroom, two folding chairs, rooms were clean. Outside your room are piles of debris attracting rodents. Garbage all over the GSD lodge. Such an eyesore.

This ranch is absolutely amazing. From the accommodations, to staff, to the view and location this…read moreplace is 5 stars! I hope to be able to go back soon. Highly recommended!

From the owner: Zapata Ranch is a 103,000-acre ranch owned by The Nature Conservancy of Colorado where guests can…read moreride through and learn about our conservation herd of 2,500 bison, integrate themselves into daily life on the ranch and participate in extensive nature programs. Managed by Ranchlands, Zapata Ranch in nestled at the base of Southern Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains and shares a border with the United States' tallest sand dunes: The Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

I have stayed at this hotel before and my previous visit was much better. This time, the room…read morewasn't very clean -- especially the shower -- and there was zero hot water in the evening or in the morning. The room I had was also much noisier than an average room. I could hear every conversation in the room next door and since this room was near an exit and a stairwell, all I heard all night was door slamming. This was probably in some part due to the fact that the door wasn't flush to the door jamb. I could actually see out into the hallway the crack was so large. In the past, I would have highly recommended this hotel, but after this experience, I am hesitant to ever return from a cleanliness, noise or safety standpoint.

Good service, clean and modern room. Decent buffet breakfast. Nothing amazing but quite…read morecomfortable.

I made the reservation by phone on the fly as we were traveling. The manager, Kathy, was very…read morefriendly and accommodating, booking us into a non-smoking room. On arrival, check in was very easy and Kathy welcomed us warmly. Upon hearing my husband was a vet, she gave us a veteran discount before we even asked. Thank you Kathy. The Lodge is a rustic motel built in 1962, in a rural area and is charming. The room is clean and nicely decorated. There's a dog park at the back of the property and doggie biscuits at the front desk for furry friends. Had we wanted, we could have had a fire at the fire pit next to the dog park, after the office checked to see if it is a burn day, of course. The bathroom is clean, there is a coffee maker and coffee, a microwave and small fridge in the room. Dollar tree and small grocery down the street. A number of eateries as well close by. I think next time we come, we'll stay a few days to explore the rich history of the area and end the day with a fire under the stars!

This super nice couple, took me in on a late Saturday night. Even though I had mistakenly booked…read morefor the next week instead of the night of. Mind you, I was a solo traveler, but the effort they took to get me a clean room for that night I needed it needs to be mentioned! Clean and comfortable rooms.

Basic, cheap BUT clean accommodations that are about 25-30 minutes from Great Sand Dunes park…read more There are very few options in the area. The bathroom was super tight but again, clean. There was a microwave, fridge and a ton of TV channels. For breakfast they out out prepackaged Little Debbie style items. There was also coffee available and they had a kettle to boil water, if you want it. The mattress was surprisingly comfortable. It appeared to have a memory foam top. Noise did travel from the room above as they were up and showering at 3 am! I'd recommend asking for an upstairs room. Though, admittedly, I'm the only one out of 4 of us that heard it. Forgot to take pics, so let your imagination run wild. Flashback to a hotel room from 25-30 years ago.

Breakfast snack were nice. Rooms were very clean and the staff was very friendly! I would…read moredefinitely stay here again and recommend!

The Coll house is a great b&b in a nice location in Crestone. The room was nice and comfortable…read morewith everything you need for your stay. It had a microwave and a toaster oven for preparing food which is important because we couldn't find a restaurant open past 4:00 pm. We did get some good pre cooked meats and fish from the mercantile store though. The bed was comfortable, the bath was stocked completely and there was real silverware for eating. Non of that plastic stuff. The host "Marcia" was outstanding and informative along with being quite the chef and baker. Great place. We'll stay again next time we are in that part of Colorado.

Me and my family came across the Coll House when searching for a place to stay in Crestone. We…read morecouldn't have been happier with our stay. The room was very spacious and had every amenity we needed. The only regret I had was we didn't opt to get the breakfast since we were visiting family - but the smells coming from the kitchen really tempted me to change my mind. We'll definitely be back in the area and will be staying again.

We have always had a wonderful meal at Alpine! We are Westcliffe residents & it is definitely our…read morego to restaurant for a special meal or to bring out of town guests for a delicious meal. We always enjoy the drink special, that they usually use some fresh fruit. Anything they cook with Elk is always our favorite! With family salad, delicious soup & yummy warm sweet bread, you leave satisfied & full!! The views are amazing. We love the local servers, but just like everywhere right now, you need to have some patience & just enjoy the view & your meal!

Service and view are lovely but the price is too high for diner food. Family friendly for lunch…read more Not where I would take a date for dinner.

This place is absolutely absurd in all the right ways, if you enjoy quirky roadside attractions as…read moreI do. It's got a little history about mutilated livestock and strange sitings by campers through the years but, otherwise, it's just a great place to stretch your legs and enjoy a little fun. It's minutes from the highway, a little bit of a drive from the Great Sand Dunes. At a $5 cover and easy parking, with a menagerie of handcrafted oddities representing aliens and saucerships and other such things out of this world, why would ya pass it up?

Along the 'Cosmic Highway' is the UFO Watchtower. It is in the middle of nowhere but close to hot…read moresprings and Great Sand Dunes Park, don't miss it. The UFO Watchtower is an observation platform and campground where tales of UFO sightings have been reported. Located below the platform is a "healing garden" where visitors leave objects to hopefully receive some sort of healing. The garden has "three vortexes that several psychics say are in her front yard. The vortexes are guarded by two invisible beings. You can feel the power when you move close. Larry the supper nice owner and his informative trusty ex military assistant Lee and his rescued Lab Rats regale us with UFO stories. There have been many sightings here and when you climb the watchtower you can see why. The tiny indoor museum houses the remains and story of the mutilation and death of 'Snippy' the horse in 1967 which gained headlines due to unusual circumstances. The head was stripped bare to the bone. The precision cuts on the flank could not have come from a coyote or even a pack of them. A strong chemical smell akin to acetone lingered in the air. Indications of an aircraft landing on the terrain featured "circular exhaust marks", "squashed bushes", and circular indentations in the dirt. A geiger counter alleged reported high radiation counts around the exhaust marks and flattened bushes. Beginning in the 1970s, the US experienced waves of cattle mutilations which were likened to Snippy's death.Mutilation investigator Linda Moulton Howe revisited the Snippy case, interviewing witnesses for her 1989 book An Alien Harvest. A must for UFO fans and roadside attractions and the small entrance fee is worth it. Ask lots of questions and you will get lots of interesting answers.