Neon Cowboy Roadhouse + Hot Springs — Hotel in Alturas

DO. NOT. STAY. HERE.

People giving this place 5 stars are either friends of the owners or insane. I've seen cleaner bus stops. We arrived here after dark. It was hard to find seeing as how there is no sign marking where it is. After driving around the dark parking lot we realized the office was where a few people were hanging out half dressed. They guy seemed pretty drunk and had trouble finding our reservation.

Whatever amenities you think this place has simply don't exist. The bar has been "under renovation" for at least two years from what I gathered from other reviews. There is no restaurant, or lounge, or really any kind of common area other than the lobby where small frogs and large insects gather around empty beer cans. You'd probably feel more comfortable at the bar from The Shining. The pool is kind of cool I guess, despite the overall grossness of whatever coats the bottom of it. We got handed a room key and went in to check it out. We got the room next to the ransacked garbage can. Gorgeous.

To say the room was unclean would be a gross understatement. What parts of the carpet that weren't about to start molding had food on them, which was molding. Found myself a goldfish cracker and a french fry for dinner. The room did come with a refrigerator and microwave located under a lamp that contained the corpse of every fly that had ever entered the room. I was worried that I didn't have enough toenails in the room but my worries faded away when I noticed the bath mat contained a variety or someone else's. We all opted not to shower.

Sheets completely stained and were full of hair (dog, cat, human, goat, hard to keep it all together) and some splashes of random body fluids. We gathered our sheets and went to the front desk. The guy at the desk was very nice and apologetic, handed us some new sheets and we went back to our room.

One of the sheets had a live stone fly folded into it. We decided to put that sheet outside. Another was covered in what we determined to be strawberry scented lubricant. (These were the "clean" replacement sheets we were given remember) we went back to the desk to try again. Guy wasn't around and we found him in the pool. He apologized again and we got some more sheets. The ones that weren't wet were about 50/50 on stainage. I guess you could say we made it work for the night?

In the morning we come to find that they are actually charging us more that what we booked it for. Amazingly that wasn't their fault. This place isn't worth $20 a night, let alone near $100.

Do yourself a favor. Don't embarrass yourself by...

I just moved to the area, and was driving around on a solo “scouting trip” while the wife and kiddo were otherwise occupied. I stopped by here because I had seen so many contradictory reviews about this place, heard there was a new owner renovating it, and I was intrigued. I was not disappointed. Gary (? I think) the handyman for the site, gave me a great tour, and I was able to see the geyser go off (see photo).

First on my tour was to check out the pool, which felt hot tub hot, pretty warm. No, I didn’t get in, so take my hand sample with a grain of salt. Area looked clean, and the hot spring pool had the green algae growing in it as one would expect from natural waters of this kind. The area is sheltered and is semi-open to the setting sun.

Gary (and I’m sorry if I’m misremembering his name) then showed me the amazing new redwood bar they have recently installed as they renovate the lounge area. It is going to be AMAZING. See photo. Little details include outlets under the bar with USB charging plugs, etc. A nice modern touch to a historic place.

I also got a view of the renovations in the bathrooms near the lounge area, which include chalkboard paint panels to accommodate the wall-scrawling habits of patrons. Looked fun - no photo, you’ll have to see for yourself.

I asked about all the digging and trenching going on around the property, and it is two things - installing irrigation for a small lawn area being put together on the southwest side of the hotel area, and propane lines to bring the propane system up to code. The latter will also be able to provide propane to the north porch of the building, where views over the “reflecting pool” will allow visitors to watch the geyser go off while enjoying propane-fueled fire pits, or possible BYOBBQ grills, or more.

I was impressed with the creativity and vision of the folks working to renovate this amazing historic building. Though I did not stay the night, I wanted to add to the discussion here and let folks know that this property is on the up-and-up and a worthy destination, with what looks like a very bright future! I will be returning with my family next year and look forward to seeing more progress in the...

Stopped here because no one else in town had room for us. Was unable to enjoy the hot spring because I did not bring my swimsuit. Can’t wait to come back!!!

Pros: Dog friendly, with a pet fee. There are farm animals roaming free which guest can interact with: chickens, ducks, goats, pig, farm dogs. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. Bathroom in the rooms are clean Water pressure and temperature in the rooms are great. Each room has a microwave, mini fridge, WiFi, and Dish TV (Dish is prone to being sketchy when the weather is poor) Rooms are large, with high ceilings. Place is under construction, so it will be even nicer in the future. Natural geyser spouts about every 90 seconds. Room heater/air conditioner works great. Beds are comfortable, but not ideal for an extended stay. Each has 2 pillows. Door has both a knob lock and a deadbolt.

Cons: Place doesn’t have name on property, and it looks in shambles so wasn’t sure we were in the right place. Lots of mud, and potholes, in the parking lot. Room decor is out dated. Air conditioning/heater is outdated. Some Rooms have carpet, which are outdated. Room 55 smells terribly of smoke and perfume, but room 45 did not (we were moved without a problem). Manual key to open door. Pool looked liked it needed to be cleaned. There is a light outside each room, which can not be turned off. So sleeping with curtain open is not an ideal option. There are no vending machines, ice machines, or food service on the premises, nor within walking distance. Walls are thin so you hear another rooms shower and voice muffled.

Sure this place isn’t perfect, but it is worth the stay (and the 9 hour drive). I can’t wait to see what the new owners do...