Pros

  • Surrounded by spectacular mountain vistas, walking distance of cafes and restaurants
  • Luxurious solar hot springs perfect for soaks on cold days
  • Spa with massages, health treatments, and yoga
  • Live music throughout the week in Four Corners Cafe
  • Within an hour's drive of ski resorts Telluride and Silverton
  • Rooms with great mountain views, some have fireplaces and private hot tubs
  • Stunning panoramic views from Skybar patio
  • Free coffee, cocoa, and cookies throughout the day
  • Pets allowed (for a fee)
  • Free Wi-Fi and parking
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Cons

  • Getting to and from Ridgeway can be treacherous in adverse winter conditions
  • Sounds of upstairs neighbors can be heard through thin ceilings
  • The area gets sleepy in fall and spring off-seasons
  • Four Corners Cafe only open for dinner Thursday through Saturday
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Bottom Line

Tucked into Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in the tiny town of Ridgeway, the luxurious Chipeta Solar Springs Resort & Spa is ideal for a relaxation retreat in the wilderness. Rustic rooms and condos have log ceilings and stone walls, yet are comfortable and chic. Some rooms even have private hot tubs, grills, and fireplaces. Massages and treatments are spectacular; the hot springs are perfect for soaking on a cold night. The lovely resort towns of Telluride and Ouray are both a short drive away, but the area can be difficult to navigate during harsh winter conditions. 

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Amenities

  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pets Allowed
  • Pool
  • Spa

Oyster Hotel Review

Chipeta Solar Springs Resort & Spa

Scene

Rustic lodge ambience with Southwestern decor features

Housed in an impressive adobe building with log accents and huge, three-story windows, Chipeta looks like a fancy Southwestern fort from the exterior. Inside there are potted cacti and the walls are decorated with woven blankets, antique snowshoes, and Native American artifacts. Heavy logs appear throughout the building, most strikingly in the ceilings of meeting rooms and guest rooms. The bars and doorways are also made of old logs and there's a TV room next to the lobby where soft leather armchairs and sofas surround a brick wood-burning fireplace. The hotel serves free coffee and tea, hot cocoa, and cookies here throughout the day. 

The resort has a rustic great room where a stone-tile floor opens to an atrium filled with ferns, cacti, trees, and plants. Huge windows provide stunning panoramic views of the expansive plateau and mountains. There’s a fun vibe at Four Corners Cafe, with live music during Sunday brunch and a couple of nights per week. On top of the building, the Skybar patio is popping in warmer months, with guests sipping beer and cocktails and taking in the panoramic views of the surrounding valley and mountains. 

The spa and pool area share the same rustic ambience as the rest of the resort. Massage tables are covered in hand-woven Southwestern blankets, the sauna is made of sweet smelling cedar planks, and there are two hot mineral pools flanked by a fire pit and lounge chairs.

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Location

In Ridgeway, a short drive to Ouray and Telluride

Chipeta is situated on the outskirts of the small town of Ridgeway, and the town’s handful of shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as the local brewery, are about a 10-minute walk away. Orvis Hot Springs and Ridgeway State Park are both within a 15-minute drive of the hotel. Telluride Resort is about 50 minutes away, Silverton about 30 minutes, and the beautiful European town of Ouray is 15 minutes by car. Montrose Airport is about a 35-minute drive away, Grand Junction Airport about 90 minutes by car, and Colorado Springs airport is about a five-hour drive.The Denver International Airport is about five and a half hours away.   

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Rooms

Comfortable and rustic rooms, some with private hot tubs

There are 25 rooms in total, and as with the rest of the resort, the running decor theme is Southwestern, with ceilings made of huge pine logs. The trinkets, paintings, and furnishings vary between rooms, most of which honor an individual or a Native American tribe. Rooms are spacious and range from Standard Rooms to Two-bedroom Condos, all with plush, comfortable queen or king beds. Several rooms have private outdoor hot tubs on the patios or balcony, plus gas fireplaces. There are stunning views of the surrounding San Juan Mountains from nearly every room plus free Wi-Fi access and satellite TV. The condos have fully equipped kitchens with cooking gear and dishes, and each has a dining area and a private deck with patio furniture. Some bathrooms feature giant log countertops and hand-painted sink basins. All have shower/tub combos surrounded by attractive earth-colored tile. Past guests have complained about hearing upstairs neighbors. 

See More Rooms

Features

Saltater pols, hot springs, steam ans sauna, fitness center, yoga classes, and on-site cafe and bar

All guests have free access to Chipeta’s saltwater swimming pools and hot springs as well as to yoga classes, a dry cedar sauna, a steam room, and a big fitness center with a large selection of weight machines. 

The Four Corners Cafe serves Southwestern dishes containing locally sourced ingredients for breakfast and lunch all week and at dinnertime Thursday through Saturday. The cafe also has live music during Sunday brunch and on some evenings. Skybar, with its rooftop deck, is open in dry months and serves cocktails, beer, wine, and tapas.

The large Kiva Conference Center has spectacular panoramic views and can accommodate large and small events. The hotel welcomes pets for an extra fee and staff are happy to recommend local restaurants, arrange tours, and help with tips for activities like hiking and biking in the summer or skiing, cross-country skiing, and sledding in the winter.

See More Features

Oyster Hotel Review

Chipeta Solar Springs Resort & Spa

Scene

Rustic lodge ambience with Southwestern decor features

Housed in an impressive adobe building with log accents and huge, three-story windows, Chipeta looks like a fancy Southwestern fort from the exterior. Inside there are potted cacti and the walls are decorated with woven blankets, antique snowshoes, and Native American artifacts. Heavy logs appear throughout the building, most strikingly in the ceilings of meeting rooms and guest rooms. The bars and doorways are also made of old logs and there's a TV room next to the lobby where soft leather armchairs and sofas surround a brick wood-burning fireplace. The hotel serves free coffee and tea, hot cocoa, and cookies here throughout the day. 

The resort has a rustic great room where a stone-tile floor opens to an atrium filled with ferns, cacti, trees, and plants. Huge windows provide stunning panoramic views of the expansive plateau and mountains. There’s a fun vibe at Four Corners Cafe, with live music during Sunday brunch and a couple of nights per week. On top of the building, the Skybar patio is popping in warmer months, with guests sipping beer and cocktails and taking in the panoramic views of the surrounding valley and mountains. 

The spa and pool area share the same rustic ambience as the rest of the resort. Massage tables are covered in hand-woven Southwestern blankets, the sauna is made of sweet smelling cedar planks, and there are two hot mineral pools flanked by a fire pit and lounge chairs.

See More Scene

Location

In Ridgeway, a short drive to Ouray and Telluride

Chipeta is situated on the outskirts of the small town of Ridgeway, and the town’s handful of shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as the local brewery, are about a 10-minute walk away. Orvis Hot Springs and Ridgeway State Park are both within a 15-minute drive of the hotel. Telluride Resort is about 50 minutes away, Silverton about 30 minutes, and the beautiful European town of Ouray is 15 minutes by car. Montrose Airport is about a 35-minute drive away, Grand Junction Airport about 90 minutes by car, and Colorado Springs airport is about a five-hour drive.The Denver International Airport is about five and a half hours away.   

See More Location

Rooms

Comfortable and rustic rooms, some with private hot tubs

There are 25 rooms in total, and as with the rest of the resort, the running decor theme is Southwestern, with ceilings made of huge pine logs. The trinkets, paintings, and furnishings vary between rooms, most of which honor an individual or a Native American tribe. Rooms are spacious and range from Standard Rooms to Two-bedroom Condos, all with plush, comfortable queen or king beds. Several rooms have private outdoor hot tubs on the patios or balcony, plus gas fireplaces. There are stunning views of the surrounding San Juan Mountains from nearly every room plus free Wi-Fi access and satellite TV. The condos have fully equipped kitchens with cooking gear and dishes, and each has a dining area and a private deck with patio furniture. Some bathrooms feature giant log countertops and hand-painted sink basins. All have shower/tub combos surrounded by attractive earth-colored tile. Past guests have complained about hearing upstairs neighbors. 

See More Rooms

Features

Saltater pols, hot springs, steam ans sauna, fitness center, yoga classes, and on-site cafe and bar

All guests have free access to Chipeta’s saltwater swimming pools and hot springs as well as to yoga classes, a dry cedar sauna, a steam room, and a big fitness center with a large selection of weight machines. 

The Four Corners Cafe serves Southwestern dishes containing locally sourced ingredients for breakfast and lunch all week and at dinnertime Thursday through Saturday. The cafe also has live music during Sunday brunch and on some evenings. Skybar, with its rooftop deck, is open in dry months and serves cocktails, beer, wine, and tapas.

The large Kiva Conference Center has spectacular panoramic views and can accommodate large and small events. The hotel welcomes pets for an extra fee and staff are happy to recommend local restaurants, arrange tours, and help with tips for activities like hiking and biking in the summer or skiing, cross-country skiing, and sledding in the winter.

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Cable

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Full Kitchen

  • Internet

  • Jacuzzi

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Pets Allowed

  • Pool

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Spa

  • Swim-Up Bar

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.