Dunton River Camp

My husband and I stayed at the Dunton River Camp for four nights. A few things that were absolutely AMAZING: - The scenery - The comfort and cleanliness of the tent - The folks who took care of us at every meal and throughout the day/evening as necessary. They were kind, caring and you could tell they wanted you to enjoy yourself and feel taken care of. Even the chef went out of his way to make sure we enjoyed what we were eating - making something specially for us when we weren't a fan of what was on the menu. One of the staff members noticed the bike we were offered for me was too small (and one was too big) and she took it upon herself to find a few others that might fit and bring it over from the other camp. - Thoughtful touches like notes and lavender at turn down, electrolytes available in the car after a long ride, ensuring my husband had coffee, etc. - The hot meals were mostly spectacular - It's super laid back and relaxing Issues: There were more than a few. From booking to checking out, there was always a problem. When looking into places to stay, I asked if they could check on a price for one of their activities and was told she would get back to me by the end of the day but I never heard back. I booked anyhow and received a text about booking activities. I responded and heard nothing back. (Fine, I figured it was automatic but later learned people do read them so I was overlooked.) When I did call to book the activities, some were no longer offered that were on the site. I was told they would need to confirm with two of the things we wanted to do as they were third party venues. I never heard back from anyone on if we were good to go so I called a week before only to find out one of our requests had been booked to a different couple. It was switched but was annoying that I had to double check everything and I was the one to find the mistake. We were offered an "upgrade" to the Hot Springs as an apology, but when booking and when speaking to the person about activities, I specifically stated multiple times we wanted the River Camp because there were no kids. So offering an upgrade to a place we didn't want to be (as there were going to be children there) didn't really seem like it was as much a nice thing to do for us as much as it would be helpful to them because we were going to be the only two at River Camp for two nights. So if we moved, they wouldn't have had to staff it those days/nights but we would have had to deal with kids. When they sent a welcome text with the address, it was the wrong address so we weren't sure if we were suppose to go to the Hot Springs first or if we could go to the River Camp as intended. We filled out paper work for two activities and thoughtfully answered all the questions before arriving. When we got to the horse back riding, we were told she didn't know about the fact I had specified I needed short stirrups (I'm very short and don't fit in all saddles) and we had to waste time figuring out if another saddle would fit the horse or if we would have to cancel. We were told the paperwork had gone to the horse riding location, but if they aren't going to read it, why are we spending time filling it out? We also thought how they described the horse back ride/winery tour was that you would ride a horse around the area, then TO the winery, have a fresh lunch made by them with your tasting, and then ride back. That's not what happens. They drive you to the horse back place, you ride, you finish and get back in the car and are driven down the street to the winery. The lunch is from Dunton - just a cold sandwich and salad and then a pastry for dessert that they had brought with us. I would understand the high price with a driver, a three hour ride, a fresh meal made at the time you get there, a full wine tasting, and you're driven home but not for what we got. I don't drink so they did discount it slightly and the Dunton employee picked up sparkling water for me, but since the meal is what we would have gotten at Dunton (actually Dunton lunches on premise are much, much better than the to-go options) it was a disappointment. We could have booked it ourselves, driven ourselves, gotten one of their charcuterie boards, and paid a fraction of the price. There didn't seem to be an option to drive yourself even though it is assumed you are driving yourself to Telluride for the Via Ferrata. And be prepared for the winery to push hard for you to join their club or take home a bunch of wine. If you just want to enjoy a tasting and the scenery, that's not really the vibe. It's tasting to determine what bottles you will be buying. When checking out from Dunton River Camp I was billed incorrectly and the woman said she didn't put it together so she didn't know what was going on, and I had to pull up the pricing to show the issue. I learned later that the PDF of activities they have on the River Camp site is out of date for both the pricing and description of activities. They did not charge me the 2025 pricing as that wasn't what we were tracking per their website, but having to figure this all out was annoying. I had wanted an easy plug and play vacation and thought this would be it since it was associated with Relais & Chateaux and at that price per night it MUST be perfect (right?) but the extra leg work I had to put into it really took away from it being that perfect vacation. I felt like I always had to be alert as to if something was going to be forgotten or missed and unfortunately I just kept running into stuff. We have stayed at Paws Up (a similar style spot in Montana) with my whole family (10 of us total) and they did not have any of the hiccups we experienced here with just us and it was equally, if not more, comfortable and the food was maybe a bit more over the top gourmet. But Paws Up allows children, so if you don't want to be around kids then this was a good fill-in. And again, the folks who actually take care of you while you are there are so kind and generous and seem to really care that you have everything you want and need. It's just the admin stuff around it that through me for a loop considering the price and reputation.

Dunton river camp has positives and negatives, the reason I don’t rate it higher is because the value for money is not there. If the tents cost less than 2,500/night I would be more enthusiastic. As it is, if I went back to Dunton, I might not be opposed to staying in the us forest service burro bridge campground right up the road that costs 20/night. Negatives: We were there for 6 nights. There is no coffee maker in the tent and they are supposed to bring coffee carafes to the tent in the mornings. If they don’t, you have to get dressed and walk over to the dining area to get it. Three out of six mornings they completely neglected to bring it. One morning they made the coffee but mysteriously didn’t bring it and the carafe was sitting in the dining area when we arrived. The other two mornings it arrived about 7:45 instead of 7 when we requested it. If you don’t care about drinking coffee in the morning, you will probably enjoy your stay more than we did! Housekeeping is mediocre. They come by once a day and I kind of suspect they sometimes just fold up your old towels rather than replacing with fresh. No sheets will be changed during your stay which I don’t care about but some people might. They’re not great about the details like removing used glasses. At least when we were there, there was a lack of organization, for example, our schedule would tell us we were eating at the river camp but no employee would be there so we would have to drive to the hot springs for food. If you are a fly fisherman, note that this is not a fly fishing lodge. The west fork of the Dolores looks fishy but isn’t. That said, you can get your fishing in in other ways if you put in some effort. Positives: The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Every single person is pleasant and engaging. They will go out of their way to assist you if it is possible. There is a European flavor to the camp and hot springs, I assume because the owners are European, which I quite enjoyed as being out of the usual. This translates to a good library, consistent aesthetics, interesting flatware and dinnerware, amazing wine and wine parings with the food, and no stinting on alcohol. The food is cooked French style with lots of butter and is delicious, but if you are there for a while you might want to cut back on that. The property is beautiful and you will not be disappointed with the scenic views and wilderness feel of the camp and hot springs. Generally, that area of Colorado is gorgeous and if you drive toward Telluride and the lizard head wilderness there is lots of good hiking. Depending on how busy they are, you may be able to freely use the hot springs property as well as the river camp property. Overall, the feeling I had staying there was of staying at a friend’s house - you have to accept things as they are and if you can roll with it you will enjoy. If you are expecting the typical 5 star hotel service you might be frustrated with your stay.

Luxurious glamping in the secluded wilderness. It takes a while to get to the camp but the beautiful scenery is well worth it. Accommodations were wonderful--our tent was next to the river and it was lovely to fall asleep to the sound of the flowing water. The staff was also great. The food was amazing and it was lovely to have the wine pairing for dinner. Lunch and dinner are chef's choice (you eat what the chef decides to serve) and even though it's hard to satisfy everyone, all the guests seemed to enjoy their meals. We had full access to hot springs at the main camp (Dunton Hot Springs); the staff also moved the dinner one night to the main camp so we could eat and mingle with the guests at the main camp and visit the springs after dinner. It was a wonderful trip and we would love to come back.

It is amazing to go to this River Camp, the road some are dirt road but the view is spectacular and it is deep in forest. When we arrived I was worried to see tents that we will stay. But when we came in side they have amenities, hot shower, hot tub, internet. Later we know they have spa, jacuzzi, sauna and we can go nearby Dunton Hot Spring to enjoy hot springs. The staff welcome us is Wes a very friendly and professional. The view are spectacular , there are cows, horses around The food menu are fixed to all clients and changed daily but they can change if we request. We can pay for fishing trip and especially horse riding the mountains and meadows with Vicky a very nice lady This is a memorable trip and only thing they required only 2 a room so we have a 17 yo son and we have to pay same prize for his room and they do not permit rollover bed. If you like nature this is a perfect trip Dr Vo

5 stars does not give this secluded haven justice. Glamping at its finest. We fell asleep listening to the river. Food was prepared by amazing Chefs. Chef Basil is incredibly talented! Farm to table foods. Sarah, Kodi, Tara,Max,Noah the entire team pampered us and by the end of our stay we felt like family.Beautiful hikes, fly fishing, horseback riding, massage. You can also stay at Dunton Hot Springs. Have dinner in a romantic tee pee or Arrange a picnic lunch as you go hiking or biking. The staff is willing to do anything for anyone. Also, the property and tents were kept so clean. A+rating and thankful for the staff who kept our bath towels and Tent so clean(I am kind of a germaphobe)Thank you to the cleaning staff. We never saw them to thank them. The views of the mountains were memorizing.Star gazing was memorizing. home less than 24 hours and already missing the beauty and staff❤️ Please go to River Camp and go glamping or Dunton Hot Springs and stay in an old mining town...it will not disappoint.