Need to know
Rooms
15
Check–Out
10am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
Also
The Seventies-style Stewart House is named for Malcolm Stewart, a Texas oilman who bought the ranch in the 1940s. Today it’s owned by the Nature Conservancy, hence its conservation-minded approach to farming.
Hotel closed
The hotel is closed annually from November to February.
At the hotel
Riding stables, garden, lounge with free WiFi, shop, sun deck, laundry. In rooms: Los Poblanos bath products.
Our favourite rooms
All rooms have a romantic cabin feel – log-lined with beamed ceilings and all ensuite. There are three accommodation lodges, the most secluded of which is Stewart House: this charmingly retro outpost, 1970s in style, is ideal for families or large groups, with uninterrupted dune views, a kitchenette, lounge and pool table. Home to the hotel lounge, affectionately called the snug, the main lodge is handily positioned for the dining deck, too. A third building, the single-storey bunkhouse, is more luxurious than it sounds and has rooms with private entrances.
Poolside
No pool, but a long hot soak in your bath tub should work wonders.
Spa
There’s no spa at the hotel but they can arrange in-room massage treatments at extra cost.
Packing tips
Zapata sends you a packing list of what to bring, from riding helmets to boots.
Also
The Zapata team will call you two weeks ahead to discuss your personalised itinerary. The ranch shop stocks accessories made with Zapata leather, crafted by artisans. This historic homestead, also a working ranch, is not set up for wheelchair users.
Pet‐friendly
With so much livestock at this working ranch, no pets are allowed. See more pet-friendly hotels in Colorado.
Children
Welcome. An extra bed (for under 9s) or cot can be added in some rooms.
Best for
Over 10s are best placed to enjoy the adventures, horseback and otherwise, this rugged ranch affords.
Recommended rooms
Zapata’s Triple Queen is ideal for families of all sizes; Queen Doubles sleep four in two beds.
Crèche
With no childcare on offer, Zapata Ranch is a place to enjoy with your children.
Activities
Under eights can enjoy a led pony ride around the corral.
Swimming pool
The ranch can provide highchairs, and depending on where you’re staying, you’ll have access to a fridge for storing milk.
Sustainability efforts
On the edge of a national park in southern Colorado, the ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed with the goal of protecting and enriching Zapata’s grasslands setting. At the ranch itself, there are no single-use plastics; guests are given water bottles to refill and lunch tins, to avoid using plastic wrap on the trail. As well as rearing beef and bison, Zapata grows organic veg and herbs in the ranch garden and the hotel sources ingredients from Valley Roots Food Hub, which only uses growers and producers who practise ethical and regenerative agricultural techniques in southern Colorado – primarily the San Luis Valley. The hotel is developing a compost system to reduce food waste, too.