The Sunset Chalet at Sweet Surrender Ranch

The Sunset Chalet commands spectacular ridge-top views of the Montezuma Valley, Mesa Verde National Park, and Sleeping Ute Mtn., and is just a 10 minute drive from the park. The Chalet offers free Starlink WiFi, free EV charging, an outdoor spa hot tub, a campfire pit and wood stove with free firewood, A/C and heat, a loft queen MBR, a 2nd queen bedroom, 3 full bathrooms, 3 TVs, free Dish Network, a PlayStation 5 and games, a fully stocked kitchen & coffee bar, and a deck, patio and courtyard. The space - The Sweet Surrender Ranch was named after the 1970’s Bread/David Gates song by the same name. The Sunset Chalet has the good fortune of its main viewing window wall facing southwest—so wonderful sunsets are readily seen from the great room, deck and hot tub, patio, and courtyard. The Chalet has 1,700 square feet across three floors—a master suite loft, a main floor, and a partially finished walkout basement. There is also about 900 square feet of deck and patio space, and a nice gravel courtyard with a campfire pit. We are excited to offer more luxurious and attractive amenities than most airbnbs in the area. These amenities include a private, beautiful 6 person Artesian outdoor spa hot tub open year-round, two indoor whirlpool (jetted) bathtubs, three full bathrooms, both a covered concrete patio and a massive redwood deck, a substantial coffee bar with complimentary k-cups and Nespresso pods, a clothes washer and dryer with complimentary detergent, an exotic wood stove with viewing window and complimentary firewood, an outdoor fire pit, gas grill and courtyard, an asphalt driveway, a unique ridge-top location with extraordinary views, two sofa-beds and two queen beds, bidets on two toilets, a travel crib and high chair, whole house evaporative air conditioning, electric baseboard and propane heating, Dish Network satellite TV service and Roku internet streaming, public water service and public electric service supplemented by our own solar energy generating equipment, three smart televisions, 150 to 450 mbps WiFi internet service thru Starlink, a state of the art Honeywell security alarm system and outdoor surveillance system, an electronic keypad entry system, an electric vehicle charging station, a trailer-friendly driveway, and hiking trails. These amenities are blended seamlessly into the Ranch and Chalet. The Ranch is nestled peacefully among the pinyon, juniper and scrub oak on a ridge 900 feet above the Montezuma Valley floor. The Ranch is comprised of 10 acres, a number of outbuildings and the Chalet, all of which are smoke/vape-free and pet-free, except of course for bona fide federally certified service animals. If you intend to smoke tobacco or cannabis products, we kindly ask you to book another bnb. Emotional support, therapy and comfort animals are also prohibited if law and Airbnb rules permit the prohibition (we strive to keep the Chalet allergen free). The Ranch also borders approximately 2,000 acres of wild lands which can be used for hiking. In December 2023, we installed a new Artesian South Seas 735b deluxe series 6 person spa hot tub on the deck (see photos). So now, after a busy schedule, you can relax in the warm glistening water and indulge in stargazing from the spa! We keep the spa open year-round so our winter guests can enjoy the exhilarating experience of snow falling while relaxing in the spa. There are marked trails around the property for hiking or OHV use; however the trails are rough, hilly and strenuous so caution must be observed—but you can always enjoy the hot tub after a challenging hike!! There is a hospitality guide in the Chalet that includes a rough map of the trails. The hospitality guide also has detailed information about how to operate the Chalet’s systems such as heating, cooling, the spa, the whirlpool bathtub, and the catalytic woodstove. The Chalet is decorated with a variety of southwestern and western art, including Dine (Navajo) hand-made wall rugs and sand art, and locally crafted metal artwork. An Anasazi kokopelli sunset graphic is our signature logo. The loft/master bedroom is open to the first floor great room; there is no door (see photos). However the opening is not large and the custom crafted aspen bed cannot be seen from the great room so guests using the loft do have substantial privacy. There is a pocket door to the loft’s toilet and shower area that affords complete privacy when using those facilities. The loft/master bedroom has an extraordinary hand-carved aspen bed with an oversized olympic queen mattress (six inches wider than a standard queen). You will also find a delightful two person whirlpool bathtub, a standard shower/tub, toilet/bidet and a double vanity. There is also an aspen chest, two small closets and a small smart TV. Guests have access to 200 channels on the Chalet’s Dish Network account, including local channels and some movie channels. Internet streaming services are also available through ROKU. The main floor has a small second bedroom, second full bath, full kitchen, western themed dining/game table for four (a portable fifth chair is also available), exquisite coffee bar, and great room with sitting area and wood stove. The second bedroom has a queen bed, chest of drawers, a small smart TV, and a bifold door closet. The second bedroom is small (see photos), but guests using the second bedroom do have their own private full bathroom. Heating is thermostat controlled electric baseboard. Cooling is with a permanently installed roof mounted Breezeair evaporative cooler. A large capacity water heater ensures hot water for everyone in your party. Supplemental heating and ambience is available from an attractive soapstone wood stove from the Soapstone Company of New Hampshire, U.S.A., and a beautiful direct vent propane faux wood stove in the unfinished basement from world renowned Vermont Castings. A new LG high capacity clothes washer and dryer are available for your use in the partially finished walkout basement and complimentary detergent is provided. We also have a sitting area in the basement and a large screen television with a PlayStation 5 game console and a few games. A full size sofa bed is available in the partially finished basement, and a 4 inch topper mattress is also provided for increased comfort. There is a third full bathroom in the basement that is now completely finished. It has a standard size Jacuzzi jetted bathtub, a single vanity and sink, and a toilet. The water supply is public, but the public supply is enhanced by the Ranch’s own filtration system and pump. This gives the Ranch better pressure and flow than the public water direct. While still not on par with urban areas, our guests generally find the water pressure and flow to be satisfactory. In the well-equipped kitchen and coffee bar you will find both electric and stovetop tea kettles and a Keurig k-Duo coffee maker which has both a carafe and k-cup capability. Our European guests may prefer the three espresso machines we provide—a Nespresso Vertuo pod brewer, which can make regular coffee, espresso, cappuccino or latte, an electric espresso/cappuccino brewer, and a traditional stove top espresso brewer. We also have a French press and a pour over brewer. And to go along with the coffee makers, we provide the most popular ground coffees including Starbucks, Gevalia, and Colorado’s own Boyers, as well as whole bean coffee, K-cups, Nespresso Vertuo pods, sugar and artificial sweeteners, non-dairy creamer, single serve non-dairy creamers, hot chocolate K-cups, and a variety of teas. Some decaf coffee is also provided. We even provide a burr coffee grinder and a variety of Torani liquid syrup sweeteners for your coffee and tea. We try to stock some microwave popcorn for our guests as well. What could be better than having your morning java on our sunny deck under a crystal blue sky—perhaps even while “soaking” in the views from the hot tub! Guest access - Guest access instructions will be messaged to the guest about one week prior to their scheduled stay, or at booking if the stay is less than a week away. The Chalet is the only living quarters on the Ranch—it is not a guest house that shares the Ranch with another home. You therefore have complete privacy. Two neighbors’ homes can be seen from the Chalet but they are not close enough to impact your stay. The Chalet has two finished floors consisting of a loft and a main floor. There is also a partially finished walkout basement used for Chalet storage and supplies that guests may also use to access the patio and the clothes washer and dryer. The basement also has a finished full bathroom with Jacuzzi bathtub, as well as a sitting area with a sofa bed, a large screen TV, and a PlayStation 5 game console. Guests may use the bathroom and sofa bed as needed, and guests may also use the sitting area to watch TV or play one of the PlayStation games that we or you provide, understanding of course that the basement is not yet a completely finished space. A large deck is also available to guests, as well as a gravel courtyard next to the patio. The concrete patio has a propane gas grill and plenty of seating. A firepit is available in the courtyard. Dining tables are available on the deck and patio, as well as inside the Chalet. Guests will have the entire property to themselves. As stated above, there are no other living quarters on the Ranch. There will be no hosts, owners or other guests on the property while you are here. Entry into the Chalet is made using a coded deadbolt/camera keypad on the main door. The code will be provided to you one or more weeks before your arrival. Additionally, there is a new Honeywell security alarm system. You will be given your own temporary code and instructions so that you can arm the system as you like. Our guests rarely use the security system. Guests can have packages delivered to the Chalet by private services such as FedEx and UPS. However, the U. S. Postal Service does not deliver to the Chalet. Any packages sent to a guest by USPS will be undeliverable. There is no guest access to the Ranch’s mailbox. Other things to note - The Sunset Chalet has more luxurious amenities than most other bnbs in the area. We are the only bnb in the Mesa Verde area to offer a year-round outdoor hot tub and a level 2 EV charger! According to our information, we also have the fastest internet service of any bnb in the Mesa Verde area, using Starlink, with download speeds often in excess of 250 mbps, and as high as 450 mbps, and latency usually about 21 to 25 ms. Kids and adults can explore the wilderness bordering the Ranch and look for deer antlers that have been recently shed! However, especially in autumn, black bears will be foraging and so guests must remain vigilant. There are no grizzlies in Southwest Colorado, but there are black bears and even rare sightings of mountain lions. Guests may want to carry a bear repellent spray, and we usually provide such a spray at the Chalet—it is also available in Cortez at Walmart and most outdoor and firearm stores. Of course, no one should ever approach a bear or other wild animal. And usually if a bear notices a human, the bear will run off immediately. We do also have walking sticks and bear bells and a special electric walking stick in the Chalet that can apply an electric shock to an animal. If used, be very careful not to shock another guest in your group. We ask our guests to refrain from smoking tobacco or cannabis products while at the Ranch, because the Ranch is smoke-free. Animals (including pets, ESAs, and therapy/comfort animals), are generally prohibited on the Ranch; however to the extent that law provides for the allowance of service animals, we do so, subject to certain appropriate conditions. Guests who violate the no-smoking or no-animal rules will be asked to leave and billed $500. Guests with service animals should inquire about our house rules governing service animals. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the applicable federal regulations, the Ranch requests guests to inform Ranch staff of the tasks or work the service animal has been trained to perform; if the handler fails to do so, the animal will not be permitted on Ranch grounds. We don’t ask departing guests to take out trash bags, strip beds, clean dishes or do laundry. No departure chore lists at the Sunset Chalet! We know guests are often hurried on checkout day, and we don’t want to stress you out. We ask only that during your stay you deposit trash into the indoor and patio trash cans provided, and not leave any trash lying around indoors or outdoors. In winter we generally provide a bucket of salt snow melt that guests may apply to the walkway to the main door and on the deck to the hot tub. Our snow removal team only responds to snows in excess of 2 inches. Anything less than that can be addressed as needed by the guest with the salt we provide. We also have a few snow shovels, including an electric shovel/blower that guests may use for snow less than 2 inches. Unlike a hotel, we don’t have an on-site maintenance department. Renting a country vacation home carries with it a bit more responsibility of the guest to take some initiative. Things like bringing in firewood (that we supply), opening and closing the hot tub cover, and addressing very light snows are just some of the things that guests must be willing to deal with, in exchange for this kind of vacation home experience. At departure, dirty dishes may be left in the kitchen sink or may be placed in the dishwasher, but guests need not start a dishwasher cycle—our staff will do that during the cleaning process. There should be plenty of “essentials” at the Chalet including toilet paper, paper towels, bath and hand towels, miniature soaps and shampoos as well as coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. On occasion we may provide a bottle of wine or champagne, though not always. We give active duty and disabled veteran military discounts of 10% off the nightly rate. Guests must let us know if such a discount applies and may send us documentation through the platform. We sometimes give discounts for week long stays. We have a travel crib/bassinet and a high chair available but they will not be set up unless specifically requested. The travel crib and high chair will be stored in the Chalet however and may be set up as needed by guests at any time. The Ranch is trailer friendly. A gravel loop driveway supports the main asphalt driveway so no backing up is ever necessary. If towing a trailer, turn left onto the gravel loop driveway after entering the Ranch on the asphalt driveway. The loop winds around and intersects the main driveway facing back towards the entry gate. There is a 30 amp RV type receptacle at the end of the loop driveway (and another 30 amp receptacle on the Chalet itself). We now have a NEMA 14-50R 50 amp., 240 volt receptacle for level 2 EV charging and a portable 40 amp (9.6 kw) charger with both J1772 and Tesla connectors. The portable charger should facilitate overnight charging. Wireless Internet service is provided by Starlink and as noted above, generally provides download speeds from 100 to 400 mbps, though speeds over 400 are sometimes seen. Every party is gifted one beautiful Chalet coffee mug, a customized deck of playing cards, a Chalet note pad or a Chalet keychain (See photos.). Take one home and remember Chalet sunrises and sunsets as you enjoy your morning java or indulge in a little poker. If you have an RV (motorhome or camping trailer/5th wheel) and need a break from the RV park, we have an RV dumping station for your black/grey water tanks you may use while staying at the Chalet. The Ranch’s electrical power is supplied by the local utility. However, the Ranch also has its own solar power generating equipment. There is also a new lithium iron phosphate battery bank that provides backup power to some essential circuits in the case of a power outage. Guests should be aware that June is cedar gnat month. From late May to early July cedar gnats abound in this area and on the Ranch. Mostly a problem in direct sunlight during daylight hours, the little buggers can be quite annoying. We provide face nets and gnat repellent (both deet and picaridin) for our more sensitive guests. There is a very nice X-country ski area (Chicken Creek) about 30 minutes away. There is also a regional downhill area (Hesperus) also about 30 minutes away. Hesperus has alpine ski rentals. The major ski resorts of Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) and Telluride are approximately one and a quarter hours away. We use scented cleaning and laundry products in the Chalet and on guest sheets and towels. We don’t however use plug-in or other types of air fresheners. The Southwest Colorado air is generally quite pleasant and can even be aromatic at certain times of the year, with natural pine scents from the indigenous trees. Previous guests may have used nut products in the Chalet.