Alright folks, today I really wanna share how I tackled finding the perfect Ouray bed and breakfast. Man, I thought it was gonna be simple – just hop online, click around, book a cute spot, done. Nope. Way more hassle than that.
The Mission Starts Simple
Kicked things off late Friday night, beer in hand. Typed “Ouray Colorado bed and breakfast” straight into the search box. BAM. Hundreds of results. Cool mountains shots, rustic cabins, fireplace pictures… everyone looks perfect online, right? Total overload.
Started clicking the top links. Got sucked into pictures for way too long. Mistake number one! Should’ve been smarter. Saw this one place, “Eagle’s Nest Lodge,” looked unreal with big windows facing cliffs. Clicked book… “Sorry, no availability.” Ugh. Next weekend? Nope. Month out? Forget it. Struck out fast.
Digging Deeper and Getting Picky
Okay, time for phase two. Pulled up three tabs: my top contenders left. Needed to get real:
- The Sunrise Chalet: Reviews raved about breakfasts. But someone mentioned thin walls. Could you hear the neighbors? Deal-breaker? Maybe.
- Bear Creek Hideaway: Looked super cozy, right by the creek. Awesome. Then I saw the price per night. My eyes watered a little. Was that creek view that important? Budget started screaming.
- Main Street Inn: Location was killer, right in town walkable to everything. Checked the actual rooms… photos felt kinda dated? Hard to tell. Risky.
Started cross-checking these on a couple different review sites. This took forever! Found conflicting stuff. Sunrise Chalet reviewers mostly loved breakfast, but three separate people griped about Wi-Fi being useless. Wi-Fi matters! Bear Creek’s price? Some said totally worth it for the quiet, others called it a rip-off.
The Devil’s in the Details (and Cancellations!)
Leaned towards Sunrise Chalet – ignoring the Wi-Fi worries. Went to book. Got hit with:
- Mandatory “resort fee”? Seriously? What’s that even for?
- Parking? “Limited, first-come-first-serve.” That sounds stressful after a long drive.
- Cancellation policy? You lose the whole first night if you bail within a week. Nasty surprise.
Checked the others too. Bear Creek had almost the same cancellation trap. Main Street was slightly more forgiving. Noted.
Finally Hitting Book
Took a deep breath. Decided to gamble on Main Street Inn. Called them directly – surprise! Got a better rate than the website quoted. Old school trick. Confirmed parking was included and secure. Asked point-blank: “Are the rooms exactly like the website photos?” Agent paused… “Mostly, but Room 203 has the newer furniture.” Bingo! Requested that room specifically.
Double, triple-checked the cancellation policy. One deep breath later, booked it.
The Aftermath
So yeah, what felt like an hour’s task stretched into a marathon. Learned the hard way:
- Never trust the first pretty picture.
- Always, ALWAYS dig into the fees and cancellation crap. Hidden landmines everywhere.
- Calling direct can sometimes score you a win. Be bold.
- Comparison ain’t just prices. Wi-Fi, walls, parking, breakfast quality… gotta weigh it all.
Was it worth the effort? Ask me after the trip! Hopefully Main Street Inn doesn’t disappoint. Fingers crossed.
