Our friends in Durango actually surprised us with a 2-night stay at the Rochester-really sweet! It's a quaint Bed and Breakfast 2 blocks away from the main downtown street of Durango (definitely walking distance). What a neat way to get to know Durango history a little better! Although the building is old (built around 1892 I think), the rooms are fairly modern in regards to amenities, but the decor style is old western with a flair of Hollywood! (I think this hotel was a star in some movies.) There are movie posters decorating the rooms and hallways.
The Leland Hotel across the street is owned by the same mom and son team, and from speaking with other guests, Leland accommodates larger parties and has suites. Regardless of where you stay (Leland or Rochester), you eat breakfast at the Rochester.
A few of my favorite things:
Service-- everyone was nice, and the ladies making and serving breakfast in the morning were really sweet and friendly.
Breakfast-- we loved the smell of breakfast in the making wafting up to our rooms early in the morning; although I can see how this could be nauseating to others. They serve warm meals (a different one each day of the week), as well as various muffins/pastries, coffee, juice, yogurt, and homemade granola (made fresh every morning). I'm typically not a granola and yogurt gal, but this was delicious! The granola was yummy and not super hard, like store-bought granola.
Location-- walking distance to downtown. Also, we didn't go snowboarding on this trip, but it's about 30 minutes or so from the ski resort; we saw a few ppl come downstairs in their snow pants, ready to hit the slopes.
Amenities-- we didn't use them but they offer free wi-fi, computer and printer use (I believe-check with the hotel), and the use of bicycle cruisers free to guests! Also, they had Aveda shampoo/conditoner and body soap dispensers in the showers so you don't have to use up your free little travel gifts they leave you!
A few of my NOT SO favorite things:
Bed and cleanliness-- the bed was lumpy and my husband and I had a difficult time going to sleep the first night. Also, when I first pulled back my top covers, I noticed a black smudge on my fitted sheet by my pillow. I wiped at it with my hand, hoping it was just a stain on the sheet, but was able to wipe dirt (or whatever) off of it.. Yuck.. that kind of grossed me out a little and gave me that Ick factor.
Parking-- they tout "free parking" but don't mention that it's behind the hotel in the back alley, and that it's limited. We often had to park about 2 blks away on a residential street to get free parking, which is a hassle in the winter w/ snow.
A little noisy-- Not sure if it was the heater, pipes, or snow melting and drip-dripping outside our window.. but it got a bit noisy when trying to fall asleep. We could also hear the tv next door very, very faintly.
Overall, it was a great experience and we'd definitely recommend staying here to someone else, just to complete their Durango experience!
- Rochester Hotel Durango
