We have resided in a variety of rentals in the Salida area over the last three years. We stayed at River Rock Retreat for about seven weeks, cooking most of our meals in the house. The owner and manager, who acquired the property early in 2022, are very nice and it was easy to get in touch.
We enjoyed our stay. This property has tremendous potential, some of which remains unrealized.
The location is lovely – quiet, peaceful, and surrounded by nature. A pair of robins raised their family in one of the piñon pines in the front yard and deer often visited in the early morning. The house has abundant outdoor seating on three sides, so there are many pleasant spots to perch and enjoy the solitude and the sounds of the river. The property boasts about 1000’ of Arkansas River frontage that can be accessed down a set of steps. The river is gorgeous. The eastern (downriver) side provides the easiest access for fishing. We caught several nice browns and rainbows there. The owners have herbs growing in front of the house and lovely flowers on the porches. The TV in the living room worked great, even for casting shows not available on their service; internet is available, but slow by city standards.
There were some disappointments, particularly for an extended stay. Be prepared to supply your own drinking water. The management said that the water tasted funny and provided a four-gallon container that we refilled when necessary. We also bought ice and used bottled water to cook. The property needs work; for example, the sprinkler system was under repair while we were there, and the grounds suffered from lack of water. The kitchen is small and under-equipped for an extended stay. The bedrooms are spacious, but have no windows, only a sliding glass door opening at the front of the house, so there is little cross-ventilation, and you could not hear the wonderful sounds of the river from the bedrooms.
The owners are working hard to get things fixed, but this also meant that there was less privacy than we have been used to at other rentals. We enjoyed our stay - being on the river in a peaceful location was wonderful. However, we would not again rent River Rock Retreat in its present condition at the current price.