On our recent trip to Telluride, we stayed at the Mountain Lodge Telluride hotel. Although it bears the nameTelluride, the hotel is physically located in Mountain Village and has wonderful views. As I mentioned in my last post, we wanted to experience a hotel at the higher elevation of Mountain Village, and the town is only about a 15 to 20-minute drive from Telluride.
I first came across the Mountain Lodge hotel on the Visit Telluride website. After looking through its photos, we liked the rustic charm of the hotel and the spaciousness of its rooms. Now that Sonny JJ is a lanky teenager, we definitely feel a greater need for more personal space.
The lodge offers various accommodation types: small rooms with a bedroom and a bath, ideal for a couple overnighting. Their suites include a full kitchen and vary from a Junior Suite with a kitchen to one-bedroom with a full kitchen. A separate bedroom with a full bath upstairs completes the two and three-bedroom suites. Two-bedroom condos and deluxe condos are also available and offer about 1000 sq ft of usable space. Luxury log cabins with an array of bedroom options are also available. In short, there’s something for everyone! We chose the two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen.
When we arrived, the valet service was not operational (it resumed two days after our check-in). But there was hardly any crowd, and we checked in quickly, with the lobby being empty. Our assigned room was in the Prospect Creek block across from the main hotel. We had to use the keycard to get into the building. The lobby had a couple of chairs, but we met no one going in and out.
As promised by the website photos, our suite was spacious. The small foyer had a sturdy seat next to the door that doubled as a catchall for any items that we carried in. A small coat closet across the door held an ironing board. The full kitchen had a four-burner range, an oven, and a microwave above the range. A large, clean fridge, dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, and kettle made up the rest of the kitchen. I found sufficient pots and pans to simplify our meal prep and cooking. A small cutting board, Chicago Cutlery knife block, colander, tableware, glassware, dinnerware rounded out the rest of the amenities.
A small table and four chairs completed the dining area which separated the living area from the kitchen. We enjoyed our breakfasts here every morning and a simple dinner at night. The living area had a large stone fireplace set into the wall separating it from the master bedroom. A leather sofabed with center and side tables, a comfy chair, and an ottoman made up this area. A TV was mounted above the fireplace, a bit higher than would be normal for most. But we only occasionally watched TV, so it didn’t bother us much. The living room led to a small balcony with two chairs and a small table. And superb views of the surrounding mountains and glimpses of the Gondola cars as they sped by. We could hear the stream rushing by at the property’s bottom, which added a soothing element to the serene location.
The master bedroom had a king bed. The fireplace opened onto the living room on one side and the bedroom on the other, which seemed a smart way to share energy. A timer helped to manage the fireplace safely. There was a large chest of draws on the inner flank of the fireplace in the bedroom. And a large window that opened onto the same view as the balcony. On the other side, a small closet with a laundry basket and bathrobes was situated across from a single vanity and sink. This area led to the tub with a stand-in shower. There were adequate towels and basic amenities for the stay.
A set of stairs led up to the second bedroom from the living area, which in our case had two double beds, side tables, and another chest of drawers. A full bath was available here also. The view through the skylight of the mountains was fine., although the skylight glass could have used a thorough cleaning. Daily housekeeping was not provided, but we could call the main office for whatever needed to be refreshed, like towels, amenities, etc. An on-site grocery service was also available.
We had free access to WiFi. Breakfast was not included in the room rate. There was a free shuttle service to the Gondola, the Village Market grocery store, and the Mountain Village Core area. The View, the lodge’s bar and grill, was open to limited service. The outdoor heated pool and hot tubs were open, and we took advantage of the seating around the pool to enjoy a fine lunch from the View, appropriately named for the scenery around. I did not spend much time exploring the rest of the main building. All parking on-site was valet, and a charge of $20 per day was added to the daily rate. However, during the off-season, there is no charge for parking.
The Village Market was next door, and we bought fruits, snacks, light dinner and breakfast staples, milk, etc., on the first full day we were there. We enjoyed the variety of cheese they had but also the Baked in Telluride bagels and bread. But their freshly squeezed orange juice stole the show. It was naturally delicious, not overly sweet, and perfect to refresh us on a hiking trail. It was a big hit with all of us! The Gondola station was in the same complex as the Village Market, a short 3 to 4 minutes walk from the lodge to hitch a ride. The website describes many amenities for winter travelers like ski-in and ski-out accommodations, ski storage, rentals, etc.
Due to COVID, our interactions with the staff were at a minimum but adequate. The staff replenished our supplies in a timely fashion. The one meal we had at the View was flavorful. The boys chose the veggie burger while I had a couple of soft tacos. The drive-up area outside the main lodge was small and could get crowded in the evening as visitors returned to the lodge. But we were encouraged to leave the keys in the car for the valet to pick up and park.
Overall, we were happy with the lodge’s location, the size and spaciousness of our room, and its amenities. Its proximity to all the places we wanted to visit was another plus. I would definitely consider staying here again. And perhaps enjoy the View in a fuller fashion.
Mountain Lodge Telluride is located at 457 Mountain Village Blvd, Telluride, CO 81435.
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