You didn’t end up in Telluride by accident. No matter where you’re coming from, this place requires intention. The best way in? A flight with Denver Air Connection to Telluride Regional Airport, one of the most scenic descents in the country. As the jet skirts just above the Rockies, expect sweeping views of snow-dusted ski mountains and the dramatic Black Canyon of the Gunnison, where the cliffs drop even steeper and deeper than the Grand Canyon in parts. Once you’ve arrived, an hour-long drive brings you to the gates of Dunton Hot Springs, a retreat that blends five-star indulgence with frontier spirit, drawing travelers who crave something less polished and more profound. Once a 19th-century mining town—and briefly, Butch Cassidy’s hideout—the property has undergone continuous renovations starting in the ’90s that respects its roughhewn past while layering in new textures of luxury that feel anything but generic.
Owners—and husband-and-wife— Katrin Bellinger and Christoph Henkel have poured decades of creativity into transforming Dunton into a place that hums with life and memory. The original cabins still stand, their timbers weathered by time, but step inside and you’ll find fires crackling in cast-iron stoves, tubs drawn long and hot, and shelves where contemporary art books sit alongside dog-eared novels. Nothing feels staged. Each room holds the kind of texture that can only come from a life lived slowly.
Just beyond the cabins, a former Pony Express building—relocated from Colorado Springs—now serves as the yoga studio and spa. Here, transformative flows and massages go beyond physical release—they restore something elemental.
Among the cabins, the old Dunton Store holds a quiet kind of allure. Out back, a private hot spring bubbles just steps from the deck, where the land stretches wide and open before giving way to the snow-capped silhouette of Wilson Peak. On clear nights, the stars spill across the sky in an otherworldly sweep—the same constellations that once guided miners, cowboys, and drifters who moved through these mountains when the only map was the sky and the only sound was the wind.
Meals unfold in the saloon, where the worn floorboards creak with history and the scent of woodsmoke lingers. Butch Cassidy’s initials remain etched into the bar—a rough mark from a rougher time and a relic from his days on the run. Nowadays, the long communal table invites a different kind of presence—not a place to hide out, but to show up, swap stories, and connect. It’s these unforced conversations and shared slow meals that shape the soul of the place. The kitchen, recently renovated to open up to the dining room, adds to the rhythm—the low hum of something being made with care. For those seated at the chef’s counter, it’s dinner and a front-row seat to the craft.
Dunton’s story doesn’t end in the valley. High above, in Telluride’s Mountain Village, the brand has extended its vision with Lumière—a slope-side retreat that swaps frontier grit for a quieter kind of refinement. The design nods to Northern Italy, the service is so intuitive it feels almost unseen, and the comforts are the kind that make you exhale the moment you arrive. It doesn’t feel like checking into a hotel; it feels like being handed the keys to someone’s impeccably designed alpine home, where a fire’s already going and the wine’s already poured.
Since acquiring the property, the Dunton team has reimagined the restaurant as a relaxed gathering place, flowing from a fireside lounge onto a flower-framed patio, their appeals dependent on the season. There’s a pool, a cold plunge, a sauna—and just enough bustle to remind you you’re not completely off the grid. For those who want to experience both ends of the Dunton spectrum—the wild, off-the-map spirit of Hot Springs and the alpine ease of Lumière— transfers are arranged with the same seamless attention to detail. One day you’re soaking under the stars, the next you’re skiing home.
Together, Dunton Hot Springs and Lumière are two chapters in the same story—rooted in place, rich in character, and made for those who seek something quietly extraordinary.
Discover more things to do in Telluride in the print issue of Denver Life Magazine available at local newsstands or subscribe to the digital version.
