Hotel Paraiso del Oso — Hotel in Chihuahua

I brought a group of 38 Americans, who live part-time in San Felipe, Baja, to tour the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) in April. We booked this tour through Camp David Copper Canyon Tours.||||The El Chapo train ride (6 hours) was great, providing comfort and great views up and down the canyon. They even offered a front view ride from the locomotive... which was exhilarating! ||At the Bahuichivo, Chihuahua stop we were met by Doug "Diego" Rhodes, his son Hugo and the three transport vans which took us to his Paraiso del Oso lodge. ||From the outside, the lodge isn't much... but walk inside and see a most delightful, rustic dining room and meeting place! Native decorations abound, and the bar was the favorite spot of my group (the drinks were stiff, and the motif was very interesting.||||The lodge, with Diego as our tour guide, took us by van up the mountain for spectacular views of the canyon, and since he is very knowledgeable of the area, he provided colorful narrative of it's history. We had been asked to bring some school supplies, and Diego brought us and them to the nearby school. The look of appreciation on the children and teacher's faces made the effort more than worthwhile!||||We returned for a family style meal provided by the staff, with plenty of time to talk to Diego, and his son Hugo, who speak perfect English. We all went to sleep dreaming of Yogi Bear (the mountain silhouette outside "bears" a striking resemblance to him - hence the name of the lodge).||||Morning came, and we were met with a hearty breakfast, and then off again on a van tour of the town, school and Mission. Again, Diego Rhodes has a special relationship with the schools, and supports them in a generous way. The Catholic boarding school was quite amazing... clean, the children well mannered and the dorms and eating facilities rivaled any in the U.S. More supplies were dropped off here, and then we were off to tour the Mission in Cerrocahui. Very interesting, and again Diego provided it;s history.||Afterwards we were back to the lodge, and after gathering our belongings were taken back to the El Chepe train, for trasport farther up the canyon to Tarahumara, near Creel.||||The ONLY thing I didn't like about Paraiso del Oso... THAT WE DIDN'T GET TO STAY LONGER!!||||i whole hartedly recommend you make this a stop, if you visit the...

First off, if you're a strict itinerary, rigid, tied to your iPhone traveler, this resort is not for you.||||If you're an adventure lover, then this is a great find! My father, friends and I stumbled upon this Lodge while touring the Copper Canyon on our dual-sport motorcycles. Tired and weary from the day's difficult riding, the Paraiso del Oso was a sight for sore eyes. As soon as we pulled up the proprietor, "Diego" Doug came out of the Lodge to greet us. He was very friendly and ready to take care of us. After letting us pull the motorcycles into the courtyard (an awesome gesture) and fixing our packs, a cold Tecate (Red) was waiting for us, along with a complimentary Margarita. After a cold beer, Diego Doug took us into the local town giving us a tour of the girls school he proudly supports with his time and hard-earned money. Since we were there to experience the true Mexico, this was very enjoyable. Diego Doug also gave us an in-depth history lesson on the Tarahumaran people, indigenous to the area. After getting back to the resort, we talked and drank by the fireplace until dinner was ready (made by Diego Doug's lovely wife and grandkids). Dinner was great, and we again settled by the fire talking to Doug and his son about Mexico and our collective adventures.||||When it came time to turn in, our rooms had the bare essentials. A bed, bathroom, and wood stove to keep the room warm. No TV, radio, or telephone. Just what we wanted. After a good night's sleep, we woke up to breakfast and a sack-lunch for our next day of riding.||||Apart from the booze, everything (room, dinner, breakfast, and sack lunch) was included in the very reasonable price (less than you would pay for a crummy Motel 6 in the states). If I'm ever in the area again, I will definitely pay Diego Doug and his family...

We spent 4 great days at Hotel Oso and if you are prepared to forego some more conventional amenities, you will have a great time here. The rooms are large and ours had two double beds. The beds were a little stiff so we threw some additional blankets underneath to make them more comfortable. The rooms and the whole hotel are heated with woodburning stoves. We visited in early march and at 1600 meters of elevation, you will need that fire going in the evening and the morning. The staff keeps the wood box full and provide some kerosene soaked chips to start the fire. I find this charming. Other folks might think differently. Getting up at 6AM buck naked to start the fire is an acquired taste. The lobby/dining area has Wifi but the signal did not reach to our room. Again, this was great. If we needed to browse the interwebs, we could but it wasn't available for doom scrolling in our room. There is no cell service in this area. The food was terrific. My wife particularly liked that you didn't have to order from a menu. You sat at your table (ours was in the bar by a beautiful fireplace) and your dinner was whatever the cooks had in mind that evening. I suppose you could ask for something in particular but we were happy to enjoy what was set before us. Breakfast was equally delicious. Hugo, the owner, speaks very good english and was most accommodating. Raul and the rest of the staff have english skills equivalent to my own poor spanish but we all...