I get up to Salida once or twice a year, and stayed at this motel two or three times. It was clean, neat, quiet (although that depends on which room you have; it's on a fairly busy road), and the maintenance was good.

However, the last time I stayed there I requested a no-smoking room, but when I opened the door I was hit in the face with a blast cigarette smell. I went back to the office and told them about it. The owner (?) apologized and said that someone had not honored the non-smoking sign. She said that she'd take care of it, and she ran an air purifier in the room for the rest of the afternoon. This helped some, but the smell had permeated the bedspread, curtains, rug, etc., which she didn't (or couldn't) change, so when I came back that evening the room still smelled of smoke. She didn't offer to give me a different room -- although they had vacancies when I checked in -- and by the time I got back they were full. I didn't want to go out searching for another room in the dark, so I decided to tough it out. But the smell penetrated my suitcase and everything in it, so when I got home my clothes, shoes, etc. still reeked of smoke and I had to launder or air out everything.

I realize that the management couldn't prevent someone from smoking in a non-smoking room. However, when I request a smoke-free room, that's what I expect, and I feel that they should have given me a different room instead of making a half-baked effort to deodorize the smoky one. I haven't stayed at the Aspen Leaf Lodge since.

I'm a single woman traveling alone. I've stayed at this hotel three times since 2002. Each time I receive exactly what is promised: helpful owners, comfortable accommodations, reasonable pricing, and a feeling of safety. (The hotel has demonstrated that it doesn't allow problem customers to stay very long. ) I will be visiting Salida at Christmas, 2006, and intend to stay at the Aspen Leaf! What better endorsement! Thank you. Nancy McGuffee, Tulsa, OK

We have stopped often at the Aspen Leaf Lodge over the past ten years. The rooms are always clean and warm. It is a great place to stop for a skiing holiday at Monarch Pass. The hot tub is always welcoming after a hard day on the slopes. The management has always been polite and responsive to any requests we have had. For a beautiful mountain town this is the best place to stay.

My family and I stayed at the Aspen Lodge over Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time. What it is, is a family-oriented loy-key place. The employees are so friendly and genuine that by the time you leave, you are calling them by their first names. The service is top-notch. What Aspen Leaf is NOT, is a place for richer people who are used to silver lined plates and roads paved with gold. This is a MOUNTIAN lodge, and it is a little run down, but not the point of repelling from all it has to offer. No, t.v. but plenty of entertianment: racketball court and game room, swimming pool and hottub, horsebackriding,scheduled events over the holidays, a cowboy band, bar with pool table... it all adds up to a very relaxing stay.