Columbine Cabins — Hotel in Grand Lake

We arrived after a long day of hiking happy to see such a cute and cozy little place awaiting us in our favorite little mountain town. Everything seemed fine at first. Three beds. Full kitchen, the works. We were happy to find a great place for such a great rate and spoke of returning over and over (we are frequent visitors of GL). However, after coming back from a sunset walk around the lake, I returned to my sleeping friends and to unfold the sleeper sofa is be using for the night. The sofa was filthy. Looked as if juice and soda had been poured on it then dirt rubbed in on top. I took a breath and unfolded the sofa and to my relief, found decent bed that looked much newer, however there was still a mattress pad on the bed that looked to be from the previous user. A little gross but not a huge deal to me, so I just stripped the bed and went to the directed location to retrieve sheets, but to my chagrin, there were no more sheets, only mattress pads and a blanket and lots of dirty pillows. So I retrieved my bed roll from the car and laid down to go to sleep. I didn't even think to call the office because I was not the one who booked the room and did not have the number, plus my friends were sleeping. During the night, I was awoke multiple times to the sting of biting bugs and the next morning I discovered welts all over my body that had not been there when id showered the night before, after my walk. I checked thoroughly once again for bed bugs and found no trace so I chalked it up to oak mites. They were also biting my ankles in the bathroom that morning. I was literally watching as these welts would pop up after the bite. So we decided to pack up and move on to our next spot and to bag our belonging that had touched that bed, just in case. That morning, my friend who booked the room saw my welts and suggested we let the owners know. I tried calling twice with no answer. There was a sign on the door of the office that said the office manager could be reached 24/7 But we could not reach her. We were lucky there wasn't some sort of emergency. We cleaned up the cabin, left the problem sleeper sofa open and left her a kindly worded note about the issues and asked that she give us a call back at her convenience. As we were leaving, we went to take out the trash and discovered there was no key to the dumpster (a $45 fine of the trash isnt taken out) and had to bother other tenants to use theirs after we couldn't get ahold of thr manager again. It was 8am at this point, a bit late for there to be no manager on property. It seemed to us that if a place was going to charge a fee, they should make sure before each new tenant arrives that there is a key or risk giving the impression of a money scam. So after quite a bit of unnecessary trouble, we were ready to head out. We were not anticipating what would happen next. When Lori, the office manager called us back, we had a very pleasant conversation but we were already on the road and pretty deep into wilderness so it wasn't long til I lost service and lost her call. When we came back to service and before i cpuld have a chance to call her back, we discovered that she had left a nasty review on my friends ab&b account. She accused us of wanting free rooms (something that was never mentioned once in any of our notes or messages nor our phone conversation. My friends and I even had a conversation in the car about how we just wanted her to know so it didn't happen to anyone else) and told my friend that if she wanted the Ritz- Carlton, that she should have stayed in vail! I was befuddled that a resident and business owner of Grand Lake would want to deter long time patrons away from her town or that a business owner from GL would attack my friend in such a manner. To date, we still have not asked for anything free, just that she resolve the issue for future patrons only to be met with instant unprovoked hostility. We love staying in grand lake and spending lots of money supporting the locals in this little town we love and were surprised and disgusted to be...

4 stars for the price. Stayed in Big Horn Sheep. Housed 6 people for 60$ a night. Please read in full honest review.

TL:DR: For 6 people, coming to $10 per person per night, you cannot beat it for the area. Offers you a place to sleep, electricity, and internet connection, a place to cook and sit down. Great place for people who are looking to be active during the day but want a place to rest with amenities for a great price

Pros: Excellent location, especially for the price. Grand lake is a beautiful town to walk around it, and the cabins are right at the end so you get a perfect loop. Again location, 5 min walking distance to “James Something Lake View” which is a view of the lake and the mtns, but about 10mins for High Point Park. Perfect for picnics and sunrise/sunset. Although no pristine, has a picnic table and grill in the middle. I would eat breakfast and see the mtns in the morning weather. 1 min walk from a market to get food. However the market is clearly from the 90’s and sold me matches that expired 1 year ago, and it may be a bit expensive, the convenience is great. Close to Granby for fast food and larger items. Host was very kind. Naturally I was cynical based on the run down appearance, but she seemed very genuine and down to earth, willing to make it work. Since it was a great price and sick location, I agreed that it was minimal requirements Good wifi speeds. I forgot exactly but I think it was like 15 down 5 up. Quiet area, at least when we were there for 3 days

Cons: Interior is gross but bearable for the price. Burnt cigarettes, food, hair under blankets, old bug bed stains. However the pillow case and sheets smelt and felt clean, and did have a bed bug repellent. Mattress and couch pull outs hurt your back. Bathroom is small, could not sit facing forward on the toilet. Only way to access the host is via calling, of which if she is already on the phone it does not indicate you and you may be calling in vain. Main room had no electricity (although she said she was trying to fix it) Hottub was never on, I can’t say it was gross, but no one was ever in it. To go to the other section of Estes it is either through Black Hawk and a 2 hour ride, or through trail ridge road which is closed majority of the year. Make sure you check if the road is open!!! We did not and it sucked, but it...

My husband and I stayed here from Monday night 8/18 into Thursday morning 8/21 in the Elk cabin.

Upon arrival the owner/host started rattling off the rules AND gave us a book of said rules, which after a long drive - it seemed like a bit much. Honestly just let guests read it on their own and ask questions later. You better follow the rules upon check out or you will face cleaning fees.

The cabin is very basic. You get a small bedroom (kudos for a comfortable queen bed), decent living space, small kitchen and an even tinier bathroom. I would not stay here if you have a group bigger than 2 people. I’m not sure if there are other cabins for larger groups, but if there are, those would be more suitable.

Even as a petite female I had a hard time maneuvering in the bathroom. I was always running into something. The shower is convoluted, you have to set it just so in order to get a decent temperature. One wrong move and your water is super hot. Or freezing cold.

There is no air conditioning. Keep that in mind if you come here during the warmer months. You want air conditioning? A/C means opening the windows and use the fans. Once it cools off at night it’s not bad but during the day in summer with 80 degree heat, it’s a bit brutal.

If you have a lot of smart devices you will struggle to find enough outlets to plug everything in.

Hot tub is nice, you may have to drive a bit for a restaurant downtown but there is a grocery store literally next door and is within walking distance.

One thing I didn’t like, and I didn’t know until we arrived and got settled is that there is a trailer park directly behind the property. Only one night I heard noise from behind the property but it was okay other nights. If that makes you feel uncomfortable I’d check out other cabins in Grand Lake.

A decent stay, relatively comfortable, would’ve liked a bigger bathroom and air conditioning. Could’ve done without the...