Dunton Hot Springs
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007Speaking of Colorado hot springs, I know where I’d like to escape with my husband for a romantic weekend getaway: Dunton Hot Springs, a restored ghost town in the southwest part of the state.
Huh? A ghost town? Sounds rustic. But it’s not—totally anyway. From what I’ve read of the resort, log cabins and outbuildings appear rustic on the exterior, but contain all the luxurious appointments you’d expect from a four- or five-star property.
And it really is an old mining camp, about thirty miles southeast of Telluride. While gold-seeking pioneers once made their home here, now discerning guests come to the remote location in the San Juan Mountains to recharge, relax and renew in the pristine surroundings.
Eleven cabins (and one teepee) are all honest-to-goodness, authentic log buildings from the nineteenth century. All cabins have private bathrooms; some have TVs, wood-burning fireplaces and spacious living areas.
Visitors spend their day fly-fishing, kayaking, hiking, whitewater rafting, horseback riding in the nearby mountains and rivers. Winter brings snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and even heli-skiing packages at Telluride. After a day of activity, they relax in the three natural mineral pools on-site. Luxurious spa treatments include hot stone massage, cranial sacral therapy, facials and reflexology.
Meals are taken family-style in a former saloon and dance hall. The menu is based on seasonal ingredients, featuring fresh seafood, produce from the on-site garden and meats raised by the resort’s neighbors. Appetizers might be crab cakes and griddled rabbit brochettes; entrees include bourbon-maple glazed pork tenderloin and citrus-encrusted Alaskan salmon.
Of course the fine dining and extravagant extras come at a price. In the summer and fall, prices range from $300 to $475 per person per night depending on the size of the cabin booked (winter and spring prices are about $25 per person cheaper). The fee includes accommodations, three meals daily, use of hot springs and gathering rooms like the library.
Personally, I’m eyeing the romantic “Hide Out in Wild West Luxury” package, which is three nights’ accommodations, a bottle of wine from a nearby vineyard, in-cabin dinner one night, a sixty-minute massage for each person, and a cozy robe to take home. That package starts at $1309 per person in the fall.
Perhaps I need to start saving my pennies.
