Columbine Inn

I try to plan my timing on trips west and then back east side I can spend a night here. Clean, friendly, beautiful setting, quiet with no big chain attitude. Very comfortable bed. Sam is a delight.
There used to be a hot tub but they have replaced it with an outdoor patio complete with grill. Good move!
Thanks for another good night’s rest.

I’m a Unilocaler… so I was Leary when I booked the last room and got #28. Pillow top bed was comfy — no bed bugs were found. With 1980’s décor and worn carpet it was a nice place to stop on the way to Telluride.

Room 28. Bedbugs. Filthy. Bedspreads smelled of greasy hair and unwashed bodies.
The cute neon sign is a false indicator. I like dive hotels. But this is a dump. And the beds smell exactly like that. The carpet is rotting in places. We planned to stay here on 12÷26÷15 but we left after spending 30 min in the room. Owner refused to refund and did not ask what our issue was.. .Stay away.

The room was warm and comfy and just what we needed after a long day. I would recommend this place and definitely stay here again.

I had an amazing experience at Columbine Inn. I was staying in Idaho Springs prior to hiking a 14er (Bierstadt) the following morning. Columbine was only about a half mile from downtown Idaho Springs and only about a 40 min drive from the trailhead in Georgetown. The price was right and so I booked. When I arrived, I was greeted by a very friendly staff person and was checked in. The room was beautiful and quite large. I had a private bedroom with a large comfy bed. The living room offered a futon, gas fireplace, and led in to the kitchen. There was a full kitchen area which would be great if staying multiple days. The best part was the room with the full size hot tub and sauna. Everything about my stay was great and if I my husband had been with me, I would have thought it to be quite a romantic place. I would definitely stay here again the next time in Colorado.

I was pleasantly surprised with this quaint motel, I called to check availability and Sam answered calling me by name. He had two rooms left and 4 hours later we were checking in. The property has a great outdoor hot tub and adjacent patio was warm and inviting; the hot tub was a toasty 103 degrees! What I most enjoyed were the sheets and bedding, not your usual run of the mill white cotton reeking of sanitizer from a commercial laundry, but soft sheets and pillow cases just like home. The room was decorated in a whimsical eclectic décor with something to look at on every wall. There was a kitchenette included however there were no additional amenities such as plates cups silverware or cooking utinsels. There was a microwave, refrigerator stove top and a dinette for two in the room along with a coffee pot.
I only have two suggestions for this wonderful location.
* Provide additional amenities in the kitchen, doing so I’d also increase the price of the room. (provided insurance regulations allow)
* Place an air freshener in the room, my only negative is the room was musty upon entry. I realize with the river close by and monsoon season in full force, closed up areas do begin to smell this way. A trip to the local supermarket fixed this, I bought an aerosol air freshener and a candle. Problem solved !!!
I highly recommend this location for an overnight or extended stay, I will definitely patronize this location again! :-)
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Just what we needed after a few nights of camping. Relaxing, clean, friendly service and the price is just right! Great value, great location, and customer service you can’t find anywhere else! Would recommend to anyone!

Homey feel, CLEAN, quiet, and comfy beds. What more do you need? I have had some poor experiences with the big chains during my stay in colorado; this was a very pleasant change of pace. Management was friendly, even as we rolled in pretty late. Highly recommend this gem of a motel.

I originally posted a review on Trip Advisor for 3 stars and I will leave it at 3 stars even though managements response to my review was unprofessional and honestly, a blatant lie. It’s shame. I didn’t even give my stay a bad review. I merely offered constructive criticism and provided information that other guests may want.
Here is the review I posted on Trip Advisor:
Remember to Pack Soap
Our stay cost us around $ 99+ after tax for an overnight stay in a room furnished with 2 beds. FYI we had our two dogs with us.
The beds were comfortable. The owner was pleasant and the inn was quaint. We appreciated having outside room access.
My husband and I usually never dish out that much money on a hotel. So we expected to have things available to us that are always provided at much cheaper places. There was no hand soap. There was no ice. If you are planning on staying here be prepared to purchase those items.
Management responded to my review claiming we only told him we had one dog. That was quite amazing to me seeing that we told him we had two small dogs. He even saw them! I remember when we walked our dogs and he advised us to stay away from the area at the other end of the site because there was a large dog there.
He also said there was soap. His response surprised me. Why would anyone lie about soap? It’s not the end of the world. Yet he fails to acknowledge that maybe the room wasn’t 100% ready. It wasn’t a big deal but he sure made it one by calling his customer a liar.
As far as the ice goes, he claims they have it in the office. My husband said there was no ice so he can debate that one with him. Who knows? Maybe there was ice and management didn’t take the time to inform him of that. We have been on the road many times, and he has always managed to find it on his own.
It’s disappointing that a person can lie so easily without even considering that his response is what will end up deterring people from visiting his establishment. I’m honestly still quite shocked at his response. He seemed like such a nice man in person.
You’ve been warned. If you don’t think this hotel is a palace you’ll get a nasty reply when you write a review stating what it really is — an average hotel set at a pricey rate. It’s cute on the outside, good if you’re just looking to crash (most hotels in the area are the same price) but bad if you expect to be treated honestly, with a measure of respect. They’ll love you if you give them top marks though! In the end, it’s your call & your money.

Fell in love with the room immediately. The pricing is affordable, actually pretty cheap for the quality rooms. Decorated with very home-​y paintings and the warmest, softest suede blankets on the bed. The kitchenette is adorable and efficient. The best part is the heated floors :) no cold toes on the bathroom floor!
Would recommend staying here anytime!

Clean, comfortable, nicely appointed rooms. The bedding was so warm and nice. Free wifi and cable. I needed a handicap access room, which they had, and a handicap shower chair, which they didn’t so they Bought One that day for me to use. Really excellent customer service.

Very nice motel with nice, clean and nicely decorated rooms. The owner was nice and accommodating. Free hi speed wifi.

Windblown and disoriented, we showed up at dusk in the middle of a pretty severe monsoon, unsure of what town, state, or even what island we were on.
Sam had a nice room with a king bed for us-​almost like he knew we were coming. We both found his dry wit very becoming. Our room was clean, comfortable, and well appointed. And everything worked!
After preparing a couple of martinis in the kitchenette we even began to feel civilized again.
Sam and his wife, Illeya (sp?) are very nice people and good hosts. Sam recommended a coffee shop down the street as we were departing the following morning where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast before continuing our journey.
We’ll stay again!

If you don’t expect too much this is a good place. The room was actually quite pretty and comfortable. It’s very close to Smokin Yards BBQ which I recommend without hesitation. Actually I enjoyed my stay here.

Cute, quaint & quiet… the best way to describe this place! The bf and I planned a holiday weekend in Idaho Springs with my sister and her bf. When looking for a hotel in town, I was a little leery about booking this place with only five previous reviews. However, I just had a feeling it would all work out.
I booked my king room online. I knew this place was tiny when I had to pay with PayPal. I actually had a little problem with PayPal charging me twice, but the helpful owner remedied the issue and had my card credited within 24 hours of my identifying the problem after booking.
As far as the room, it was cute. The country/​Native American decorating style made it very homey. Our king room had a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, sink and stovetop. We did use the fridge and it was a nice convenience. However, if you plan on using the rest of he kitchen, you would need to bring your own cook materials — pots, pans, utensils, etc.
We stayed two nights and it was pretty quiet. The second night the power went out around 3 – 4 am. It was a good thing we set our cell phone alarms, as we had an early morning drive to Denver to catch a flight back home. Obviously, this had nothing to do with the property. All in all, it was a good stay and I would definitely recommend this place!

We found the inn, right off I-​70, after 9 p.m., and the friendly, helpful owner gave us one of the 2 rooms still available. The fact that this place is filled 350 days a year tells you what to expect – clean rooms for a fair price, nice furnishings, and adequate extras – microwave, minifridge, coffee pot, iron & board, tv, a/​c, and wi-​if (although we couldn’t access it in our back corner room). A good-​sized grocery store is just down the block.
Great value.

My husband and I like to travel to the Idaho Springs area because, well, where to start. This small town is far enough away to feel like a getaway, yet it is close enough to Denver and the airport to not feel too secluded. It is a great area for hiking, whitewater rafting, ATVing, ziplining and relaxing. I love the downtown area, it is one street long and has an awesome, mountain village kinda feel to it.
When we travel here we like to stay in the area, and when we do we stay at the Columbine Inn. Is it fancy or in any way, shape or form reminiscent of a chain hotel/​motel? Not at all. It is an Inn, and that is just the place to stay in when you’re visiting an area like this (which is said with love).
The Columbine Inn is a quaint little ‘village’ of cute, light yellow buildings which are set up in a U shape. Sam, the owner is a wonderful host and sweet as can be. The rooms are very clean, and the shower is nice. It has good water pressure, and myself and my stepdaughter deemed it the best shower we’ve found during our week long roadtrip. The linen on the beds is super soft and the towels in the shower are matchy-​matchy with the décor (browniepoints for that!).
In the immediate area you will find a McDonalds, Carls Jr, Safeway supermarket and gas station. Free wifi is available on the premises, and supposedly the floors are heated.
Besides regular rooms there is also two types of cottages available, both have a full kitchen and one of them fits more people than the other.
Though the Inn is located right off of the road, you will not hear a thing. We cranked up the heat, snuggled in the soft and comfy bed and enjoyed a great nights rest. We will be back!

I absolutely love love love this place!
Our trip to Colorado was quite spontaneous so there was little time to plan this-​that-​and-​the-​other. Finding this little gem in mine country was one of the best thing that could ever happen to our trip!
$ 75 per night. Two queen size mattress, a futton, microwave, small fridge, nice flat screen tv, blow dryer, and an ok size bathroom and closet — which seriously, we didnt come here for a jacuzzi! And did I mention this is a weekend price?
Quick tip: book by calling them directly! The lady that helped me was so lovely! IThey are more flexible with their policies and prices if you speak to them directly. If you book it through their website or a third party vendor, they cant be flexible … but through them, they have complete control of the transaction. I called them only to ask specific questions about their location, etc. and through this, I had the pleasant surprise of knowing this little secret … and now, I pass the savings to you!
The place is an Inn … not a hotel or a motel … but an inn … so dont expect any rock star accomodations! but the people that owns this place were so charming! (which I believe is the lady that booked me over the phone. and her husband who checked us in) … you would feel like youre spending a night at your super awesome grandmother’s extra house who is not only super sweet, but she also tells you about the best places to drink and to hang out with your friends. We felt so at home that we even folded our blankets the next day! Haha.
If your GPS treats you well, then you should only be about 10 – 15 minutes away from Black Hawk. 1 hour away from the airport, and pretty much about 30 – 45 minutes away from all other major destinations such as Golden City to check out the free Coors Brewery Tour, Look Out Mountain, and Buffalo Bill’s grave and museum. It is also within 45 minutes away from the Red Rock Ampitheater, and also about 30 – 45 minutes away from Downtown.
Columbine Inn is located in a small lovely mountain town. However! I found two liquor stores right next to the Inn. Also, your regular fast food joint which is McDonalds … they have a small grocery store next to it as well, and a I encourage you to drive through this one street town to truly appreciate how beautiful this place is.

This small motel is very nice looking from the outside and appears to have decent clientele. The room we looked at was well cared for, with new fixtures in the bathroom and plenty of poster art and other fluff on the walls. Bed looked old, but sheets were nice. Towels were very nice.
So, why a rating of terrible? The owner kicked us out because he could not get his wifi access to work.
Really.
After arrival and unpacking, I fired up my laptop and was able to log on to their network using the supplied password. My computer showed it was connected to their network, but the network was not connected to the internet. I’ve seen this before a hundred times (I do IT for the little company I work for, design and implement our company website, and also deal with anything computer related at home) and usually a router reset will solve the problem.
I went to the front desk with my laptop and spoke to the owner’s wife, who was unsure how to reset the router, her daughter knew a bit more and checked my laptop but also could not get connected. I asked if there was any way they could find out how to reset the router, and they went and asked the owner who came out and seemed to be happy to oblige.
After waiting awhile in the office with still no internet access on my laptop, my husband arrived and stayed in the office talking to the owner’s daugher while I returned to our room to get my smartphone. I figured I’d be able to trouble shoot the problem to see if it was my laptop or their system.
I arrived back in the office to find the owner red-​faced and yelling at my husband, saying there is nothing wrong with their internet service, that I didn’t know how to run a computer, and that he did not want us staying in his hotel. I was shocked, as was my husband. The owner went on to say that my husband had been rude to the owner’s wife (my husband had not even been in the office when the wife was there) and that was why he was kicking us out.
We received a refund on our credit card, packed up, and left. Both completely stunned and embarrassed by this turn of events.
A week later, after discussing the situation with each other and friends, we still couldn’t figure out what we did wrong. Now, reading other reviews online, at least I realize it wasn’t our fault, the owner is simply crazy and does things like this often.
If there was any way to stay here but avoid the owner completely then it would be a 3.5 star location, but since there’s no way to know what could set him off and get you kicked out, I’d avoid this place at all costs.

Old fashioned motor-​court style inn on the main street of Idaho Springs. This inn, while being older, has been kept up well, and it is evident that the owner takes pride in his business. I felt that the price of the room was reasonable, and it was much less expensive than other hotels in the area. Since it’s right off the main road, there is a lot of traffic nearby, but the inn itself feels secluded in the way that it is set back from the road, and the landscaping.
The room was somewhat worn but clean. Everything worked well (coffee machine, A/​C, shower). There were four extra pillows for each bed along with a second comforter — not that I needed them — but it is an indication of how the owner is trying to keep the place classy. It does have wireless internet access, but you need to ask the desk for the password.
Overall, I recommend this inn.