At $225.00/night, this is a perfect example of taking advantage of the supply and demand issues in Durango. Although this is a nice hotel, consider staying at the Historic Strater Hotel with more character, comfortable rooms and less $$. The rooms at the Double Tree are not worth the money they're charging.

Over the 4th of July holiday, my family of four, my sister, and our two dogs, stayed at the Doubletree in Durango. I made the reservation for two connecting rooms, river side of the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, we were told that we wouldn't be able to get connecting rooms until the following day. Choosing not to move rooms in 24 hours, we went to our rooms, a short distance from each other, disappointed that we couldn't share the space! We were very pleased, however, with the views of the river from our 2nd story balconies.

The hotel decor is somewhat outdated but heck, you're in the country! Lots of oak panelling, dark green, mauve colors. Front desk staff seemed proficient, a little robotic, helpful, but not warm. Same with housekeeping. Room decor was very average; nothing memorable. There was a big smudge of dirt on the one of the curtains...kinda gross. Pillows were amazing! And lots of 'em, too! No one in the family had a problem with the beds.

The restaurant experience was interesting. In the actual restaurant, the wait staff was quite bad. They seem so unhappy! But the manager is very friendly! There is so much more better food in town; so use the restaurant just for convenience. The patio bar, however, had excellent service and was a fun place to hang out. Good music played there, while we watched the bicylcists ride by on the riverwalk.

For 4th of July, we found out where the fireworks were going to be set off...right across the river, from the hotel. Its like we had front row seats! We were so excited that we would be able to sit on our balconies to watch the fireworks! But alas, there were a couple big trees in the way, so we joined the masses and layed on the grass, next to the river, to watch the display right above our heads. It was a long and beautiful fireworks display! (If you want to watch the display from your hotel balcony, get a river side room in the middle or north section of the hotel.)

For the dogs, the front desk clerk gave us doggie biscuits upon check in (and cookies for the humans!). Because of the location, there were miles of River Walk to take the dogs for exercise, etc. The only problem we encountered was when the dog barked at the housekeeper, she wouldn't clean the room, even though he was in a crate. I guess I understand, though.

What we loved best about the hotel, was its location. Its right where the 550 and 160 meet (convenient to Mesa Verde, ski resort, etc) Walk two blocks and you are in the thick of downtown Durango with all the great shops and restaurants. And again, you are right on the river. Watch the rafters and tubers go by during the summer, marvel at the chilly beauty of the river surrounded by snow...Walk, run, ride alongside.

What a great location in a beautiful town. We only stayed at the Doubletree one night, but because the room was so good, and the setting for the hotel so nice, we seriously considered extending our stay here. The rooms are spacious and clean, the beds very comfortable, and the bathrooms large...somehow we ended up with the ADA room, so maybe the bathroom was even bigger than normal. The room was large enough to also have a desk (with free internet...a nice plus at any Hilton) and two sitting chairs with table. Our second floor room also had a balcony, with a very nice view of the Animas River. If you are going to stay here definitely try and get a room on the river side, either second or third floor. It's worth the extra charge.

The hotel also has a nice indoor pool and spa, a fitness center with about five machines, a bar/lounge, and a restaurant. There is also an outdoor eating area along the river (open Tues thru Sat). It's a very nice spot to sit with a drink and just watch the river and the many rafters float by. And of course, the D-tree gives out those delicious cookies upon check-in (but maybe those are only for HH club members?).

The hotel is about two blocks from downtown Durango and the railway station. We also considered staying at the General Palmer, which looks like a nice place. The Palmer is right in downtown, bit since the D-tree was only two blocks out, and right on the river, we opted for the more serene setting...and glad we did. Albertsons store is a short walk away, in case you might want to pick up some snack foods, or libations to sip on your deck. There is also a river walk close by...but I'm not sure how far the walk goes.

This place is great. When we return to Durango, this is where we will stay.

We are currently on our last nite of a 3 nite stay at the Doubletree. As HiltonHonors members we were upgraded to a huge suite with a king sized bedroom, living/dining room with a sofabed and a big bathroom with a jacuzzi. As a family of five this was a perfect setup. The hotel is walking distance to everything in downtown Durango and has a big Albertson's supermarket right next door. The indoor pool is small but my kids loved it. We had breakfast in the restaurant included in our room rate. The food was just OK. If it wasn't included we would definitely have eaten elsewhere. The staff is friendly and very helpful. While we were here we did the train ride and a short rafting trip. The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was a great experience. We sat in an open gondola. The views were great but we did get covered in little black specks. Make sure to bring sunglasses, even for the kids, as the cinders can get in your eyes. We did the train going and the bus coming back which I highly recommend. Today we did a two hour raft trip with Durango Rivertrippers. They were very professional and we all had a blast. If you stay at the Doubletree you can walk to their office. After the raft trip you can buy a cd with pictures from your ride...totally worth the $25 fee. Durango is a great place to visit with kids. We hope to return someday.