Fabulous setting and a great concept. All in all I’d say this is a unique and perfectly lovely place to go but it definitely was not a 5-star experience for us. Positives: - The food was overall excellent. - Super duper comfy bed! - The hot springs are really a special feature of this property. Negatives: - Staff seemed absolutely burned out and disinterested. It felt like the few things we asked for were an imposition. One of them mentioned they had just come off of a series of fully booked weddings and were exhausted. Not a great start to feeling welcome! - We requested when making the reservation, and again when we arrived, to do the equine experience. Both times they said they would would have to check staffing and get back to us but they never did. - Breakfast was painfully slow and we waited for 45 minutes for them to get our packed lunches together. - We were there for our 30th anniversary and I asked when making the reservation what we could do to make it special. He said they would provide us with a special extra during dinner for the occasion. I confirmed that afternoon, but we realized as we left dinner that night no one ever mentioned it was a special night or brought anything extra to the table. - My husband had just come off climbing a 14er the day before we arrived and he asked for an additional serving at dinner. The server said he’d ask the chef and “see” if that was possible. When you’re at a 5-star resort an hour’s drive from anything you’d think they’d be happy to provide you with a little extra food when you’re hungry! - The morning we checked out they said they’d send someone to get our bags while we waited for (a very slow) breakfast. We finished eating and packed the car ourselves before anyone came to help. We were actually happy to just get it done ourselves and hit the road! I’d say other than the super comfy bed the room comfort and decor were fine but not 5-star. There were other minor bummers but this is long enough. We are not guests that need much, but it is nice to feel like the staff are there when you want them. I can envision how this could be a great experience if the staff were more attentive and enthusiastic.

Warm, personalized reception by Wes. Incredibly knowledgeable tour of the grounds and history by Sophia! The grounds are impeccable, well-maintained, authentically preserved and rustic in an upscale fashion. Each and every cabin is unique and has its own charm. The staff are available to accommodate in any way possible. You simply have to ask in a polite manner and not be in a frenzied rush. Yes, Dunton Hot Springs is a wonderful and vastly different vibe than the usual sterile and pretentious atmosphere we all expect from a Four Seasons, Ritz, etc. Be prepared to walk on uneven, gravel roads to the spa, saloon, front desk, waterfall and hot springs. And yes, the property is surrounded by beautiful evergreens, windflowers, a rushing creek and the occasional critter; spider, pesky fly, etc. That is simply the nature of this beautiful property. If you forgot your rain boots, day pack, waiters, hiking boots, lantern, or umbrella don’t worry; they probably have something you can borrow. All you have to do is ask a staff member. Just remember, your cell phone probably won’t have good reception, so relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

We travelled here with 12 total guests for a surprise 70th birthday party for my husband based on the many 5 star reviews and their website videos. We were to stay in the Potter House Cabin. From our moment of arrival our experience was incredibly disappointing. Every request we made was given a “no”. From a simple iced tea, to requesting an alternate choice of food to a request for a birthday cake..no was the answer…the chef was “too busy’. We were then shown to our cabin and had to walk a long distance. Mind you, my guests included a 76 year old with Parkinson’s and 70 year old recovering from knee surgery and a newly pregnant daughter-in-law. No golf cart or transportation was offered. The cabin was old, musty, no air conditioning, no bottled water in the fridge, no ice, no sodas, no phone service…nothing! And a long walk in the dark to get back to the main lodge. and for this we were paying over $10,000 per night! I was expecting charming and rustic but not rusty, moldy and bug ridden. When my pregnant daughter-in-law went to lay down she found under her bed covers, a black widow spider and another type of spider with a nest in the bed. We knew we couldn’t sleep in this place and decided to leave immediately. We were charged over $11,000 for basically nothing but a bad lunch and a nightmare. The scenery is remarkable, and clearly very photogenic, but when you look beneath the covers…this place is NOT as presented, not worth the money and NOT worthy of the Relais and Chateaux brand.

Well, I guess this is what I like. Hot springs, comfy beds, waterfall, excellent food, mountains — and they let us sit by ourselves so we could read every meal. We spent a couple nights after four days of hiking and it was just perfect. Coffee at our door, morning soak, ridiculously good breakfast, reading by the waterfall, ridiculously good lunch, afternoon soak, nap, pre dinner soak, ridiculously good dinner, evening soak, sleep. For our long drive home they packed us the perfect road trip meal. While we were there, they had a fancy self service coffee machine with an oat milk option installed. They had a spot to plug in an EV (I think they may have level 2 Volvo and Tesla, but we used our level 1). Have I already talked about the food? So good. And they gave us seconds. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was better than I thought it would be and I liked it way more than I thought I would. Bonus is that at night the bugs go away and you can sit in the outdoor hot spring and watch shooting stars. Didn’t try the source spring - indoor one was hot enough haha! Yes there are bugs - you’re in the woods - and the flies inside the bathhouse are kind of wild - but we have had a buggy summer in CO so to be expected. We drove in so we brought camp chairs, a shade, and some bug zap lanterns for our waterfall time. Stayed at the new house - it was quiet and peaceful and wonderful. Bed was comfy - medium firm. Napped and watched tv in the loft. Pretty sweet. If you wear bathing suits, bring one you don’t mind staining rust color. They were doing some construction while we were there but it didn’t bother us - excited to return and see all the updates! Everyone was so kind! In case helpful: we took the high road from Telluride to save time mostly because I’ve taken it before - I see why they advise against it. It was kind of like accessing any less maintained backcountry road, but rock slides were fresh and we got lucky that someone went through prior to cut a downed tree from the road. There isn’t much space to pass for most of the switchback, so someone will likely have to backup if you don’t pull over enough (steep drop w no guardrails). We were on a high clearance jeep on a clear day - would take the longer route if there was any type of weather or I didn’t have a car I trusted. I don’t think there are rescue services and there is no cell service on that road. If it’s a question maybe don’t risk it.

From the time our shuttle picked us up in Cortez to the time we were dropped off in Cortez at the completion of our stay, the Dunton experience was top notch. Upon arrival, our bags were delivered to our tent and we were whisked in to the community table in the lodge for an unforgettable Thai soup. We had amazing and most welcoming company with the existing guests and every community table experience was different and interesting people. Didn’t know I would love this aspect as much as I did. Each meal was perfectly prepared and paired with wine and drinks….Some of my favorites were, breakfast, zucchini bread French toast with chantilly cream and berry compote and biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs, everything house made, Lunch, lentil soup with house made ham and plenty of veggies, dinners were so complicated with flavors and ingredients but sooo delicious! Activities for us included hiking on property, yoga, wellness in the San Juan’s (2 hour meditation/yoga/mindfulness class) and lots of soaking in the hot springs, steam showers and library/lobby sitting. Spa services were a facial (amazing) and couples massage that fit the rest of the visit, relaxing, rejuvenating and much needed… The Christie’s tent is so quaint and cozy and unbelievably toasty in spite of the cold outside temps. We had snow and sun and beautiful clear starry skies at night. We were sad to leave but so looking forward to a summer or fall return visit. The staff is a mix of long time locals, people from all over who just want to be a part of the Dunton community and professionals whose expertise in their field only add to the overall experience. thank you Dunton, we’ll be back soon!