20 Best Hotels in Boulder and North Central Colorado, Colorado

Watch elk stroll past your spacious luxury suite at this smart, secluded spot on the river amid towering pines. All the suites have private entrances, either full kitchens or kitchenettes, private decks, and gas fireplaces. The grounds feature a common gazebo and hot-tub area as well as lovely seating areas along the river.

Built in 1995 with rough-hewn timber, this rustic yet modern lodge is an excellent choice for those who want to be smack dab in the middle of Nederland, 10 minutes from Eldora Ski Resort. Upstairs guest rooms have cathedral ceilings, and those downstairs have gas fireplaces; all are spacious and have coffeemakers, mini-refrigerators, and microwaves. The hotel has a wood-beamed lobby with seating areas, as well as a laundromat.

Secluded in a broad, verdant valley, this deluxe dude ranch offers a smorgasbord of activities as well as plush, Western-style accommodations with wood-paneled walls, beautiful furnishings, and bathrooms with copper sinks and custom vanities. The all-inclusive rates (priced per person) include your own personal horse, fine meals, live entertainment, and a wide range of outdoor activities—horseback riding, fly-fishing, mountain biking, hiking, a ropes course and zipline, kids' camp, and more.

Surrounded by nature, this cluster of historic cottages plus two lodge buildings is at the base of the Flatirons in Chautauqua Park, one of the loveliest parts around Boulder. You can rent the Mission Lodge (named for its period style), rooms in the basic Columbine Lodge (each with a kitchenette), or 59 different cottages. Settle in and imagine life when this community was established—during the chautauqua movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Delve into this charming Boulder village's colorful history on a cell-phone tour, hike out your front door, enjoy a meal in the dining hall, and attend a concert on a summer evening. There's so much to do here, and everything breathes period character and charm.

Quiet and intimate, this impeccably furnished and maintained Victorian inn is just three blocks from downtown. Guests enjoy gourmet breakfasts and can relax in the beautiful library or on the large front porch. Elegant rooms—some with fireplaces and claw-foot tubs—feature stylish, mostly modern furnishings that will make you want to settle in for a spell. The Fuller Suite has a private staircase that leads from a sitting room to a top-floor bedroom, reading area, and bath.

Cute and no-frills, this mom-and-pop motel is adjacent to the Boulder Creek Path near the mouth of Boulder Canyon, far from Boulder's bustle yet a few minutes' walk from downtown. With its knotty-pine siding, red doors, and colorful flower boxes, this motel has a distinctive charm. The cabin-style rooms are simple but cozy (and quiet). Pets can stay, too.

Built in 1920 and on the National Register of Historic Places, this lodge is perched on the hillside overlooking Grand Lake and has 70 cabins, a swimming pool, a hot tub, picnic tables, a playground, and sundecks. The cabins are comfortable if a bit small, with wood-paneled walls and leather couches. Head to the main lodge to feast on breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or simply relax on a porch swing and fill up on what are arguably the best views in town.

This handsome lodgepole-pine structure, which dates to 1915, is tucked on the banks of the Tonahutu River and features seven lodge rooms decorated with antique furnishings. The inn also has historic cabins, suites, and privately owned condos for large groups or families. The romantic Rapids Restaurant has an excellent wine list, creekside views, and local entrées like elk and trout.

The basic, no-nonsense rooms here have comfortable lodgepole beds and showers en suite; rates include unlimited use of the pools during your stay. Reserve the apartment to have after-hours pool access.

This 1909 beauty beckons with a soaring stained-glass ceiling and large helpings of Victorian charm in its gracious lobby; opt for a room in the historic wing, with spacious quarters filled with period antiques and reproductions. The north wing is also plush and comfortable with contemporary Rocky Mountain decor. The hotel has two restaurants: Spruce Farm & Fish features nouvelle farm-to-table-style cuisine, while the Corner Bar is less formal with sports TVs and a spacious outdoor patio. Downstairs, the speakeasy-style License No. 1 bar is always hopping.

This all-inclusive guest ranch offers views of the Continental Divide, complete seclusion, and superb trails. Test your skills as a cowboy on a cattle drive or an overnight pack trip, or try white-water rafting or fly-fishing. Accommodations are in comfortable, carpeted, one- and three-bedroom log cabins fitted with wood-burning stoves.

Families and dog lovers enjoy these comfortable, charming, whimsically decorated log cabins, which have such unique touches as cow-spotted walls, canoe-paddle headboards, and wooden ducks swimming on the ceiling. Guests can cast a line for trout in the adjacent canal, roast marshmallows at the communal fire pit, or fire up the barbecue in the courtyard.

Unwind in the luxury of this classy yet casual hotel and its stellar spa, in a building where the Colorado red-sandstone exterior reflects the local surroundings and the lobby features walnut floors, marble staircases, and a golden onyx bar. Most rooms have mountain views, and all have plush, custom-made beds and slate bathrooms with soaking tubs and walk-in showers. Photographs of Boulder adorn the hotel's walls. Jill's Restaurant and Bistro serves three meals daily, and the T-Zero Lounge offers an innovative martini roster along with live music on weekends. The St Julien is downtown, minutes from the Boulder Creek Path and trails.

Perched regally on a hill, with a commanding view of town, the Stanley is one of Colorado's great old hotels, featuring Georgian colonial–style architecture and a storied, haunted history that inspired Stephen King's novel The Shining. The Cascades restaurant offers lunch and dinner, while the renovated Whiskey Bar serves Colorado's largest selection of whiskeys and scotches and Brunch & Co. in the Lodge offers daily breakfast and lunch. 

Every room at this luxury bed-and-breakfast has its own balcony and views of the High Rockies and Estes Valley and is decorated with an individual theme. The on-site Twin Owl Steakhouse serves up steak and wild game for dinner in a panoramic setting. Unwind at the end of the day in the outdoor hot tub under a gazebo with stunning views.

In a 1923 building that's on the National Register of Historic Places, the boutique Armstrong Hotel (renovated in 2020) offers historic character in the heart of town, including a lobby that charms with its original terrazzo floor, pressed-tin ceiling, and leaded prismatic glass windows. Each room is uniquely decorated in a contemporary Southwestern style, blending comfort, luxury, and charm. The comfy beds are made up with cotton sheets and feather duvets and pillows. Request a third-floor room to minimize noise.

Elegant and contemporary, this downtown inn has a spacious, Craftsman-style great room with warm tones and an inviting stone fireplace, and original artwork is on display throughout the property. Each room is individually decorated, and all have flat-screen TVs and DVD players, and luxurious, high-thread-count, all-cotton linens. Some rooms have Jacuzzi tubs, fireplaces, and balconies. A gourmet full breakfast is included. Guests have access to a local fitness center—and bottled water, organic coffee and tea, soda, and snacks in the lobby.

Within walking distance of downtown, this family-run spot features small but comfortable rooms decorated with Arts and Crafts–style furnishings and locally built custom wood furniture. Relax by the fire pit in the evenings.

This friendly property offers lakeside motel rooms, cabins, and condos, as well as a second block of cabins clustered around a courtyard a few blocks up the road. Cabins are decorated in a Western motif, and most have a kitchen or kitchenette and pullout couch.

Surrounded on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park, this 860-acre family-friendly property has attractive, clean lodge rooms (with either queen, full, or bunk beds), simple cabins for two to four people, and larger cabins that can sleep as many as 88 people. Cook in your cabin or sidle up to the all-you-can-eat buffet. On-campus activities include yoga classes, arts and crafts, ecology classes, minigolf, archery, and climbing.