River Run Village by Gondola Resorts

We felt at home on vacation here. The beds, couches, and chairs were all comfortable, and every room had box fans, which was a big plus for me since most of us need fan noise to sleep. My little travel fan just doesn’t cut it. The place was nearly perfect for what we wanted. It had a full kitchen with almost everything needed to make meals, Roku TVs in every room, board games, a community pool and hot tub, and free shared firewood. It was a great VRBO at a very reasonable price. Parking was the one big downside. We rented a unit advertised for 12 people, but the complex allowed only one vehicle. We would have happily paid extra to bring more cars, since not everyone could arrive in one. The only workable choice was the conference center across the highway. You can walk there through a tunnel, but it was still a hassle, so we shuttled each other back and forth every day and night. Daytime parking was free, but overnight cost $25 per vehicle each night. The company’s customer service didn’t know of any other free overnight parking, and we couldn’t find an option we felt comfortable with. We didn’t want to risk getting towed. Even after paying for the conference center, we had to leave the cars out of sight and hope they were still intact the next day. Break-ins aren’t common in the mountains, but they’re a real problem in Denver, so it stayed on our minds. This was the only negative part of the stay, but it ended up being a big one. A heads-up at booking, or before the first day, might have kept this at four stars. I hope the parking details help someone else.