Durango Travelodge

Way under-rated! Not a fancy place but a good basic hotel at a great price.

The staff was friendly and helpful; beds comfortable; room and bathroom clean; on Main St. but not noisy. The office and two rooms are on Main in this U-shaped motel. We had a quiet room about 1/2 way back from Main. We rented a car, so all was convenient, but it would be a hike into central Durango. Really liked that the tub/shower and toilet were in a room separate from the basin and counter, which were set off a little from the bedroom. Our room was neither brand new nor top class but very serviceable and inexpensive, not "run-down." We did have breakfast elsewhere. We’ve stayed in top-rated and totally awful hotels. I really thought I was taking a risk with the one-star rating, but this one is a great bargain!

Early August 2008 was delightful with cool nights and sunny days in the 70’s to mid-80’s. (Can recall delightful days there in June as a child, with lots of fruit trees loaded for gorging in our grandparents’ orchard.) This visit we did an in-town, rather serene, rafting trip on the lower Animas, the river of lost souls. For adventure, try one of the other trips. Mild to Wild is great and offers all kinds of trips, including instructions. Keep a bottle of water with you all the time in Durango’s dry and high air. The open air train ride to Silverton is beautiful and fun. Have someone pick you up in Silverton or take the bus back, if you don’t want to spend the whole day train riding. Mesa Verde, about 1 1/2 hrs away, is fantastically interesting, and a splurge for couples at a Kiva room at the Far View Lodge is worth it, with a view of the mesa and wildlife. Dinner there is delicious and relatively inexpensive, with to-die-for creme brulee! A fun night at the Bar D Chuckwagon will leave you pleasantly full and well-entertained by a quartet of funny cowboys. Go early to get your tickets and then ride the kiddie train with other adults and kids for some great views. Biking around Durango is fun along the river and to see residential areas. Main St. has some splendid art galleries, plus clothes, souvenir, and other speciality shops, and all kinds of places to eat. Try your hand at art work; there’s a potential picture everywhere you look, and Goodman’s has the supplies. If you have time, drive up toward Ouray to see some more gorgeous scenery--aspens and evergreens, mountain passes, rivers, and waterfalls. Durango is a bit of Heaven!

Mostly Satisfied

This hotel was clean and the desk personel very friendly and knowledgeable about the layout of the town. The Continental breakfast left a lot to be desired. Also, the rooms are small and cramped. But overall for a night or two this would be a good hotel at which to stay.

Cheap

Cheapest hotel in town that was not a dump. Just your average room no thrills. Old but clean.