The Domes — Hotel in Monticello

We were really looking forward to visiting The Domes on our way home—a final fun stop to wrap up our trip. It's always a bit of a downer when vacation ends, and we wanted something exciting for our older kid (and us) to look forward to on the long drive back. When I first came across this place and saw the great reviews, I was genuinely excited to try it out.

Unfortunately, it seems we happened to stay at a rough time for Dome #6. Several things were broken or not functioning properly. Three of the six chairs—including both cozy-looking armchairs inside and one of the outdoor chairs—were damaged and basically unusable. One of the lamps had a USB port that had been broken for quite a while; it looked like it had started melting into the plug. We unplugged it right away for safety.

It was advertised that CPAP machines could be used and that there would be a fridge, which was important since we had medication that needed to be refrigerated. Sadly, the power went out in the middle of the night, rendering the CPAP unusable. Thankfully, the medication stayed fine. But with the power out, we also lost running water.

There were a couple of things that were on us and didn't factor into our overall rating, but might be helpful for others traveling with young kids (ours are 4 years old and 14 months):

The ladder: If you have small or accident-prone kids, the ladder in the dome may not be the safest option.

The propane heater: While it worked, it made us nervous. It sits on the floor and naturally caught the kids’ attention since they’d never seen one before. We had to be extra careful to keep them away from it.

On the positive side, the owner was kind and very responsive. He mentioned that the broken chairs and the battery (for backup power) were already on the fix list, and the new battery had been shipped.

The concept of the domes is really unique and has a lot of potential, but unfortunately our experience didn’t quite live up to the excitement. I sincerely hope the owner considers pausing bookings for Dome #6 until these issues can be fully addressed. It would make a big difference for future guests to be able to enjoy the space as advertised, safely and...

Do not let photos fool you.

1. when you first enter it is so hot you think you have entered the pits of hell. Even though they know you are coming they do not turn on the air conditioner. It took 2 hours for it to be bearable in there and that is after i called and asked for a fan. They brought a small loud work fan. We had to buy one in town.
2. NOT a queen size bed. This was a full at best. My husband and I have shared a queen most of our marriage and this my friends was NOT a queen. We both fell off multiple times.
3. Coffee machine only worked on its terms when and if it wanted to.
4. The pictures make it look like the chairs and fire pit are right outside your dome. They are not. They are a long walk away from your dome and shared by all.
5. The furniture is rickety and dangerous. We prayed the chairs don't break when we sit in them. The Bunk was so bad that we had my son take the mattress off and sleep on the ground.
6. The cleaning crew did not do a good job. The fire alarm was disassembled and placed on a table rather than hung up on the wall. We counted 3 dead crickets and multiple mouse poops. 7)The bathroom was ridiculous. The shower curtain did not close properly so water got all over the floor. There is nothing to clean that up except the 4 AND ONLY 4 towels you get the entirety of your stay. So now my towel is used to clean up wet floor where the mouse poop is. The toilet takes 4 times to flush!
7. Ration or bring your own supplies. We had 4 people staying 4 days and got one roll of toilet paper, 3 bottles of water, 4 coffee pods, 4 towels, one shampoo and one bar of soap.
8. Location was nice with wildlife coming to visit however the road to get there is full of trash. Think vertical tub in the middle of the property. Gives a poor impression to begin with.

Overall more camping than glam. For the price you would expect much much better. I was truly disappointed in my stay. It was not worth the cost or the extra hour...

We booked our dome months ahead of our visit to Monticello, with high hopes of a nice experience. On arrival, after navigating the muddy, bumpy roads to arrive at our rented dome. Immediate feeling of a haphazard construction of the general site and grounds. Pipes sticking out of the ground, wires strung across the ground in half finished state. The dome itself was decent but showing signs of age and neglect. Our traveling companions didn't realize their dome, although advertised as, 1- bedroom , one bath, are in reality a single bed in the dome, and the assigned bathroom is a 60 foot walk from the dome, with a required code punch to enter. The website does not mention this, and frankly, it's misleading. Our dome was heated by a stand alone propane heater you'd buy at home Depot. We tried to stay, but I'm asthmatic and the non-vented heater was pushing me into a severe reaction. We pulled the plug, if you will, and got a room in town. Texted the number given on check in day, why we were leaving. ZER0 response from management. Therefore the one star review. Great potential for a cool place. Domes 1-5 are set pretty close to one another with so-so views, and parking is about 400 feet away down a bumpy rocky drive. Other domes have nice views and sites are spread a good distance from one another. The current website is basically vague and somewhat misleading about parking and bathrooms that are separate from the domes. Maybe someday a new owner will take over and be more professional about this concept. Update 10/22/25...I spoke with "Mark" as I questioned the billing method, which is split in half and charged on separate dates. No issue there, did explain that we couldn't stay there because of the un-vented propane heater. He never offered an apology or a refund of any type. I also sent an email concerning our dissatisfaction and have yet to receive a reply. Avoid this venue, totally not worth the money. We ended up in a very nice hotel in Monticello for...