Chipeta Solar Springs Resort & Spa

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.

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.   

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. 

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.