Dream Catcher Inn

My friend and I stayed at the Dreamcatcher for 2 nights, and it was a lovely experience. Donna, our host, helped us identify hidden hikes in Zion, served hearty breakfasts and made our stay comfortable. We had the Fall room with shared bathroom which was super clean. The room itself was quaint and beds were comfy. And the location was just 5 min out of Springdale and 10 from Zion - away from the crowds. It served as a nice quiet retreat, which is just what I wanted. I only wish it had a TV in the room to veg out, but there was one in the common room. And some tea/chai as well. Good stuff.

If your idea of charming décor is Laura Ashley-meets-Home Shopping-Network-meets-angel-tchotchkes-and-artificial-flowers, then the Dream Catcher Inn is the place for you, especially if you're looking for an innkeeper with serious control issues (think Martha Stewart on a *very* grumpy day). For us, the overall feeling of the Dream Catcher was that our presence was a grudgingly tolerated (they'd taken our money, after all) imposition. Sure, the place is super "cute" and super clean (to within an inch of its life), but don't come looking for human warmth. At these prices, meanwhile, there is absolutely no excuse not to offer wireless service (the Inn has a website, so there's obviously internet connectivity in the building); and the refusal to provide a bag check (we showed up 4 hours before the extremely late 4pm check-in) is unpardonable. Note: we weren't asking to check-in, just to leave bags somewhere so we wouldn't have to take all of our belongings into Zion, where you are required to park in a distant lot and ride the shuttle. No dice; couldn't be done. I imagine we were the first guests in the entire history of the Dream Catcher ever to make such an outrageous request (and she certainly seemed offended by my bringing it up -- in fact, there is essentially no flexibility at the Dream Catcher about *anything*; do it like the Fraulein says do it, or the answer is either no or, "Yes, grudgingly, and we'll be charging you extra for that." Truly, it's obnoxious). Oh and P.S. - they don't take cards; it's cash or nothing. (And sure, every dime is surely being reported to the IRS.) Meanwhile, you'll need to make breakfast reservations (and if the time you'd like isn't available, tough -- no flexibility, remember?); the breakfast itself is certainly well prepared but hardly generous, and the sorbet/fruit granita glop that they so proudly offer to accompany the waffles is foul. There's also a bit of a rush because the next shift is coming in -- no dallying at the D.C. breakfast table, kids. We only saw the room we were in, of course, but it's fairly clear that the pictures (at least of that room) on the website are misleading: it's a smallish room, and the photographer was standing either well out in the hallway or in the closet to give the sense of spaciousness that the photo conveys. Finally, before you book here, think about whether you're really "Dream Catcher" material. Our room was decorated with a painting of the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City (if you're a gay couple, that's a little like being a black couple and finding a portrait of the Imperial Wizard on your bedroom wall). Our breakfast company was a high-up executive for a major health insurance company and his stay-at-home-wife. Her conversation included the irresistibly charming story of how, last time she was in Italy, she spent $1400 on a Fendi purse (show of covering her husband's ears when she mentioned the price) but, giggle giggle, isn't it ironic, she actually didn't find it all that practical and now uses her $20 purse instead. His opening gambit at breakfast: How about that Facebook IPO? That's not the Dream Catcher's fault, but those are the Dream Catcher's people. If you're not one of them, you're just going to find this place annoying, if not downright insulting.

We stayed a night here a couple of weeks ago. The inn is warm and welcoming. We stayed in the Winter room, upstairs with a private bath. The bed was comfortable and the inn was very quiet. The room was done in blues, pinks and mauve-very 1970's décor and could perhaps, use some updating. It would be nice to have had a lamp behind the second rocker, as it was too dark to read in that corner. Donna, the innkeeper, was gracious and welcoming and had good recommendations as to where to eat in Springdale. Springdale is a really nice little village with wonderful places to eat. In fact the grocery there, Old Sol Grocery Store is fabulous! They have a wonderful deli and prepared food to take out. Breakfast was excellent and we had French toast, fruit and scones! Yummy! Took our glass of wine out to the Gazebo and enjoyed the views.

Stay away! When I made my reservation, I was informed that they had a 14-day cancellation policy. I canceled my reservation well in advance of the 14-day period, and I was informed that they would be charging me a $100 cancellation fee to off-set their "hardship." I cancelled my reservation in accordance with their policy, and they they try to make up new policies on the fly to get money out of me! Please Zion NP visitors...stay elsewhere!