Relax & reconnect with nature in our off-grid, 100% solar & wind powered A-Frame cabin set 8,400' high in the beautiful foothills of the Wet Mountains! Enjoy awe-inspiring night skies, dramatic sunrises/sunsets, & quiet not found in the city. Retreat in the uniqueness of our A-Frame cabin w/ a loft, queen size bed, full bath w/ claw foot tub, full kitchen, & large deck for stargazing/yoga/chill time.
Unplug from life's craziness to relax & enjoy!
P.S. We're 21+ cannabis/mushroom friendly!🍄🤩
The space
Welcome to the Red A Chalet, Colorado's top retro inspired, off-grid A-Frame rental! Check out our reviews and see for yourself!
Why Choose Red A Chalet? Exclusive Features Await!
Experience a stay like no other at our off-grid A-Frame retreat! Unplug in style with no cleaning fees, jaw-dropping stargazing views under certified Dark Skies, and the purest well water straight from the earth. Sip on locally roasted, organically grown Peregrine coffee stocked just for you, and for our 21+ guests, enjoy our organically grown cannabis as a special treat, we love sharing our home grown harvest with those who partake, just ask!😁 Powered 100% by solar and wind, this sustainable escape offers peace in nature—far from the chaos, close to the stars. Your mountain sanctuary starts here!
When you stay at the Red A Chalet, you will have the opportunity to experience awe-inspiring views of the Milky Way with light so bright it can cast a shadow! You'll enjoy constellations not able to be seen anywhere near a city, innumerable stars, and full moons so bright you can read a book under its light. If you cannot recall the last time you saw unpolluted skies, be prepared to be overwhelmed. Our local community is one of only a few, certified Dark Skies locales (& the 2nd highest) in the world. In the nearest town of Westcliffe, you can schedule a private evening at the Smokey Jack Observatory for even more dramatic stargazing.
In addition to experiencing the wonders of the night sky, you will relax and hear the sounds of nature. With around 260 sunny days, you are likely to wake up to bright blue skies, and birds singing songs. You may even be lucky enough to see one of our local golden eagles, falcons, or hawks circling the skies (we provide binoculars for use during your stay). Or you might see our local mule deer herd, which can be as large as 40, eating grass right outside the cabin. You can also walk to the front of our 10 acre property for beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Our vision is to have an experience that integrates the simplicity of our natural surroundings with low impact living. The property is a continual work in progress converting a former animal ranch to a sustainable vacation rental. Therefore, you may see ongoing projects (any potential disturbances would certainly be paused for your stay) on the property, such as the building of our new geodesic dome, or other home renovations.
As the A-Frame is powered by 100% renewable energy via solar panels and a wind turbine, all electricity is available per the power generated by the sun on any given day and/or as the wind decides to blow. While we have a relatively large solar array & battery system, the amount of electricity can range from essentially unlimited during high sun periods, to a small trickle or even none on very cloudy or stormy days. We obtain running water from our well, which is also powered by solar, as is our water heater. We have a secondary vintage hand pump well (good for workouts and relating to your grandparents) 😉 for any instance in which water is required and none is available in the house.
You can view your stay here as a traditional cabin that has the added luxuries of modern living when the Sun and Wind decides it to be the case. ;)
If you cannot be without the 'creature comforts' of the city, we highly advise against booking with us. Staying out here in the off-grid mountains means being willing to adapt to changes, in rarer situations like extreme weather and limited amenities, as part of the experience.
Please be sure to be prepared for adverse weather and limited/no power as a worst case scenario. Your stay will be an experience in living in accordance with nature and this can be a challenge to some, especially if there is an expectation of unlimited power and on-grid climate control settings (aka no air conditioning!😉). Also, please note that power availability into the night via battery power is much more limited during the Winter when the sun sets ~4:20 vs as late as ~9pm in the Summer, ie shorter days mean there is less time for the sun to charge the batteries. If you have any questions about a potential stay, please do not hesitate to contact us directly and we will be more than happy to assist! :)
The cabin is comprised of a full bath, kitchen, living room, bedroom loft, and an extra large deck for stargazing, meditating/yoga, eating outside, and just general chilling. The bathroom has just been renovated and consists of a refinished antique claw foot bathtub with shower handle, new low flow Toto toilet with heated seat, and new Duravit sink. The kitchen contains a refrigerator with freezer, a small energy efficient Wolfgang Puck countertop oven, two burner electric stovetop (primarily for use during sunlight hours), french press and drip coffee machine, Berkey water filter, and kitchen sink. We also have an all-in-one LG washer/dryer for clothes cleaning. Outside, we have a Weber charcoal grill for use except for periods of county wide burn bans or some of our very high wind days. And for backup purposes, we have a two-burner propane camping stove when electricity is not available for cooking, for which we provide the propane.
The living room has a wood burning stove, which is the primary heat source for the cabin and will be invaluable on cold days and nights (so will extra warm clothes and blankets). You can also do simple cooking/warming up of food with our iron skillets on top of the wood stove itself. We will provide you with wood during your stay to help keep you cozy, except for the Summer months.
There is also a full size convertible sleeper sofa with soft linens and two extra pillows. A 43" 4k energy star Smart tv (includes Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube & Netflix) with a standard hdmi cable for connecting devices. You can also stream directly from your device using our Chromecast device. Or listen to our vast collection of vinyl on our record player. We also provide a small Bluetooth radio/speaker for your use.
We do have internet with speeds of around 10Mb/s. However, there is no reliable cell service at the A-Frame and the closest, reliable cell service is located in the town of Westcliffe (~25min drive), including free public wifi on Main St and at the Library.
The bedroom is accessed by a narrow staircase, originally from a boat's cabin. The loft bedroom has a queen sized Tuft & Needle memory foam mattress for relaxing into a quiet night's sleep.
Lastly, please note that we do not charge a traditional cleaning fee, and instead only charge a small $30 fee to help cover the cost of cleaning supplies, unlike most Airbnb rentals. Therefore, we simply ask that all guets clean up after themselves and leave the cabin as it was found, meaning putting things back in their place and wiping surfaces/floors of excessive food crumbs and stains. However, we do not require washing of any linens and towels, they can all be left in their place. We simply ask that you keep this in mind when booking a stay as the cabin is actually our home when not renting. We also do not allow pets in the cabin. Finally, commercial video/photography of any kind is expressly prohibited without our prior written consent and can be grounds for immediate removal and possible legal action if prior written consent is not obtained. Thank you! 🤗
Interested in hosting on Airbnb? Use our referral link and earn $48 after your first booking!
https://www.airbnb.com/r/amiller242?s=68&t=1w1c0j
Other things to note
We do not allow ANY pets in the cabin. Any animals brought to the cabin will be cause for immediate cancellation of your reservation, without refund, and you will be asked to leave the premises immediately. A cleaning fee of $200 will also be charged. We only do this because we have, unfortunately had a couple guests ignore our pet rules and still bring their pet.
Commercial video and photography are expressly prohibited on the property and in the cabin without our prior written consent.
And under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is our charcoal grill to be moved off the concrete pad that it sits upon. Placing it anywhere else, especially on the wood deck or on the grass, is very dangerous and could easily start an uncontrollable fire. Moving the grill away from its concrete pad is grounds for immediate cancellation of your reservation and immediate removal from the property. The threat of wild fire is too great out here for such behavior.
We do not charge a traditional cleaning fee, unlike the majority of Airbnbs, and only charge a small $30 fee to help cover the cost of cleaning supplies. Therefore, we kindly ask all guests to leave the cabin as it was found. If the cabin is left extremely soiled or dirty, requiring extra cleaning beyond normal, a minimum cleaning fee of $100 will be charged, and more may be charged in a more extreme situation. In other words, stains on linens & towels, trash/food laying around on the floor, and unwashed dishes piled up, etc...would be a scenario for charging a cleaning fee.
Our A-Frame cabin is located in an unincorporated area of the county and is ~7miles on dirt roads to the nearest highway. And due to the lack of street lightning, and very limited to no cell service of any kind, it is encouraged that you check-in before sun-down; however, you can certainly do so at night, simply please be prepared. Also, if the roads are dry a 2wd vehicle is no problem and typically the roads are plowed very quickly after a snowfall since we are right off of county roads. Thank you!
