Heritage Inn

It was late and after driving for hours and we finally arrived in Idaho Springs… We went to 3 or 4 motels all of which were booked and we came across this motel.
Pros: large room, mini fridge, tv w/​cable, coffee maker, microwave, patio area with table and chairs (which we didn’t get to use, we checked in late at night and check-​out early in the am), roomy bathroom, continental breakfast included oatmeal, bagels, danish, coffee, tea, juice and yogurt — not much, but better than nothing.
Cons: room not very clean, lumpy mattress (we didn’t get a good nights sleep), slight odor in room, no windows to open just patio door (which was ok but we didn’t want to leave the patio door open all night, it would have been nice to have a window to crack open).
Overall, this motel was sure not worth the $ 100 we paid for for the night. We were desperate and tired of looking. For the accommodations and for the overall feel of this motel the rate was too high. They could have made this up by providing a full breakfast, at least… ah, maybe not…

Ok. Look around at Idaho Springs. Its kinda rough and worn out. So there is a clue you won’t find a sparkling hotel. Most all of them look old and worn out just like the town. Once you have accepted that go find the best looking worn out hotel. Heritage is worn but not too bad. Looks like a diamond in the rough compared to all the other ones. Check in was a breeze and the staff was friendly and helpful. I had read all the reviews on my phone prior to walking in so I was prepared for the worst. Got a non smoking room and it kinda smelled like either musty dust or old stale smoke. I couldn’t tell. It had old carpeting and a 70’s feel to the place. The mattress was hard as a rock but did the trick for one night. Parking was good and it was a quiet night for a Friday. There wasn’t any hotel hooligans running around. So for a worn out old dump it wasn’t bad. I would stay there again someday.

The location of the Heritage Inn is quite lovely, especially rooms overlooking the creek. However, the room accommodations are very tired and that is how I’m feeling after sleeping on a lumpy, springy mattress here. The room we had featured a queen-​sized bed, a fireplace, microwave, minifrig, and coffee maker. The hotel also has free wireless internet. All of this sounds great and would have been great if sleeping had been more possible. I don’t understand why a hotel that charges over $ 100 a night for a smallish room can’t keep the beds in working order. I checked the tag on the mattress we slept on and it is a vintage May 1998 model. The mattress was basic when it was new, so it likely exceeded its life expectancy about five years ago. The décor of the room is dated. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the room hasn’t been redecorated since the place opened. But I would have happily overlooked that if the mattress had offered me a decent night’s sleep.

4 *s «Yay! I’m a fan! « — This place is lovely. 4 years ago, I made reservations at this place (with only a little research under my belt) and when we drove to this place, I was skeptical. I mean, it’s right next to a gas station! But after that initial, «oh no» feeling, my boyfriend (born and raised in Colorado) and I got attached to this place and we have been here 4 times during the month of August for the past 4 years! We always get one of the many rooms that has a balcony with a view of the creek and we always leave the glass balcony door open in the evenings so that the soothing sound of the rushing water puts us to sleep (if the hot tub in our room doesn’t do it). A mile or less away, there is downtown Idaho Springs that offers a plenitude of dining options. Most recently, boyfriend and I got to take one of those cheesy «Old Tyme» photographs at a place called Maggie’s and chatted with the friendly owners of that place. Heritage offers rooms, according to what we have researched but never experienced, that have fireplaces, which would be nice in the future to research. Driving around Idaho Springs, I saw that there are places that offer gold-​panning, rafting, and mine-​exploring experiences. During our most recent stay (August 2009), we found out that they have a computer in their lobby that is FREE for staying guests to use and the friendly female employee at the desk let us print out our boarding passes without a printing fee, which was a wonderful welcome change from other hotels I have experienced that charge you stupid fees for whatever minutes of internet access and any print outs. Service has always been good and I look forward to returning again. In the past 4 years, so far, our rooms have always had a private balcony to the creek, microwave, coffee-​maker, mini-​fridge, and hot tub (love that hot tub!). This place does offer a complimentary Continental breakfast of yogurt, coffee, danishes, and juices (apple and orange) but nothing to really set your alarm for. I’d go to the local places for breakfast if I were you (just not Jiggie’s, unless they have improved from our 2007 experience). BTW, if you are looking for a vending machine with snacks in their ice machine room, don’t bother. Just walk next door to that gas station, the one that made me feel initially iffy about the place 4 years ago, but has everything from Advil to Krispy Kreme donuts.