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Black Dog Inn – reviews, photos

2.5 of 5
650 South Saint Vrain Avenue, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO 80517
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Black Dog Inn
Black Dog Inn
Black Dog Inn
Black Dog Inn
Black Dog Inn
Black Dog Inn
Ranked #11 of 26 Estes Park B&B and Inns
4.5 of 5 stars 65 Reviews
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65 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Simsbury, Connecticut
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Great Service”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 January 2012

We were there Mother's Day weekend. It was a beautifully "quiet" weekend. The staff was superb! They suggested places for us to go for dinner since we had just come from a CU graduation earlier in the day. All suggestions were outstanding! Even better -- the breakfasts at the Black Dog! Such care and personable service made for a memorable weekend.

We rented one of the lodges and were pleased with the amenities. There were games in the closet we could play . . . gourmet kitchen utensils - if - we had chosen to use the gas grills to cook out.

We enjoyed perusing the town of Estes Park, but were happy we were "outside' the very midst of the town.

Lovely area and we would go back again!

  • Stayed May 2011, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask pcolantonio about Black Dog Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Denver, Colorado
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“lovely!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 January 2012

Super clean, cozy. We stayed in Mummy Mt. and really enjoyed the space. It is like a studio with a separate living area. Just and FYI-TV is small & high. You can watch from the couch, not from the bed. We were really glad to have the microwave & little frig. Breakfasts were yummy. Sherree was very nice and the cook, Heather, is a stitch. We'll be back.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask McB4 about Black Dog Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Omaha, Nebraska
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
“Snowed In, But Satisfied...”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 December 2011

My boyfriend and I stayed for two nights just before Christmas. Initially it was a bit difficult for us to find, but once we did it was really nice. Sheree greeted us and immediately made us feel at home. We stayed in the Sundance Suite. The hot tub and fireplace were of course the best parts of the room. The rest of the room was great, too. It was very clean. The view was okay, and the breakfast wasn't bad. There was a snow storm, so the usual cook didn't make us breakfast. Sheree recommended we eat at Orlando's Restaurant (located above The Wheel Bar). The woman who was supposed to make us breakfast was at that restuarant. She felt bad about not cooking for us earlier in the day, so she bought us a piece of pie for dessert she made. The food at Orlando's was delicious, and the waitress was a lot of fun. We had to check out of the room early the next day, so Sheree made sure we had cookies to take with us since we would miss the next day's breakfast.

  • Stayed December 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Tammie H about Black Dog Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Kansas, USA
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Black Dog Inn, Estes Park”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 September 2011

My adult son and I spent two nights 9/24 & 25/ 2011. We stayed in Twin Owls. Nice, spacious and clean - the hosts were helpful. This is a good location for much of the activities in EPark. This unit had one bathroom with a shower and two sinks; the master bedroom had a jacuzzi tub.

Room Tip: The unit next to ours had two bathrooms.
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  • Stayed September 2011, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask cam330 about Black Dog Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Kansas City, Missouri
1 review
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Completely disgusting and disappointing experience. Avoid at all costs.”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 September 2011
2
people found this review helpful

When we first arrived we immediately noticed that the room smelled like poop and rotten meat. Upon closer investigation we discovered that the "dog run" attached to the cottage was actually full of dog poop and bags of dog poop, strewn around the ground, and piles of trash. The tiny fenced area was actually a catchall for junk, trash, and worst of all, something somewhere that stunk of rotten meat and was attracting HUNDREDS of flies.

The refrigerator didn't work, the toilet wouldn't flush, and the cottage was still 94 degrees at 10:00 at night. We had to avoid opening the doors and windows on 1 side of the cottage to try to keep the smell and flies from the junk area from coming into the cottage.

After 1 night we packed our things back in the car, and I approached the owner, Sherry. I told her about the rotten smell, the dog poop, the piles of trash and junk, the out of order frig and toilet, then asked for a refund for 1 of our 3 nights. I thought this was a MORE than fair offer, since I'd still be paying for 2 of the 3 nights I'd booked in this trash can. First Sherry repeatedly insisted that the reservation system wouldn't allow her to give me a refund on any of the nights. I finally pointed out to her that as the owner it IS within her power to give me a refund, to which she finally was forced into some honestly and said she wouldn't do it. She did offer us a different room but after that experience we weren't about to stay another minute.

As a side note: I find the descriptions on their official website to be misleading. The property is described as being "snuggled amidst towering pines and aspens", but is actually adjacent to a hotel and the small backyards of some homes. As I mentioned, the dog run is actually a tiny storage area full of junk and trash, and poop, apparently. This is the kind of dishonesty I wish I would have known about before giving my money to these people.

I have a very difficult time believing this many guests had 5 star experiences at this place. I smell a rat, or god knows what.

Room Tip: I wouldn't choose any rooms at this trash heap. The owner is dishonest and intentionally mislead...
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  • Stayed July 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask GalaKC about Black Dog Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Carlos1955EstesPark, Owner at Black Dog Inn, responded to this review
24 September 2011
These guests arrived 2PM, 2 hours earlier than check in. Since we had the cottage ready, we happily accommodated them and showed them their cottage.
We always go with our guests to show them the features of their place.
Sheree went with them inside the cottage to show and explain all the features available to them. Sheree did not notice any mal-odors, the guests did not mention any concerns about odors.

They had brought their dog with them, they were shown the privacy fenced in dog run that they can let their dog out from the french doors in their room.
We did have to clarify that it was just a dog run, not a personal patio to sit out in. Yes, there are flower pots on a shelf at the end of the run. The other dogs who visit have never minded the flower pots.

At that time they were delighted with everything and said it was perfect.

We do know that they were hoping to escape the heat wave in Kansas City.
Unfortunately, we were having a heat wave here as well. They were unhappy about the weather. We cannot control the weather. We can and do provide fans, open windows to allow breezes to flow through.

Carlos & Sheree were available to talk with the entire day and through the night.

Nothing was ever said.

We had no indication that they were unhappy until they didn't show up for breakfast the next morning.
Sheree went to ask why they missed breakfast, the answer was that the husband had told his wife that there was no room in the dining-room.

There was plenty of room and two settings with juice, water & fruit sitting waiting for them to come sit down and be served their main courses.

At this time our guest mentioned that the dog run wasn't clean, refrigerator not working and toilet not flushing. Sheree, being concerned started to go right over to check into the problems. Our guests acted nervous and didn't want Sheree to go and check these "problems" out.
Sheree went anyway. The only "mess" in the dog run were 3 baggies of dog dropping in the container from their own dog. The refrigerator was running and holding a very cold temperature. The handle of the toilet had stuck and needed jiggling.

Sheree wishing our guests to be happy, offered to put them in an upgraded pet friendly cabin at no extra cost.

At this time it was obvious that they were trying to think up excuses to find a way out of the reservation policy.

If there had really been a problem or if they had really been disappointed upon arrival, or the first few minutes after arriving that is the time to speak up and resolve the situation.

Now it seems they are on a smear campaign. They are writing to every review place with inaccurate accusations. I'm not sure what's going on in their lives to have them take their anger out on us.

We do have an excellent reputation with our guests as all the other reviews reflect.
She seems bent on questioning all those people's integrity that wrote good reviews.

What's that saying? The whole world can't be wrong.
Carlos & Sheree
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Additional Information about Black Dog Inn

650 South Saint Vrain Avenue, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO 80517
Price range (per night):* INR12,806 - 15,658

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