El Rancho Boulder Motel

Definitely five stars. I wish I could take this super-​clean, friendly little motel with me everywhere I go. We enjoyed our stay so much, we even gave them a box of vanilla meringues, as a thank-​you, to serve with their morning coffee service.
Price, including tax, with AAA discount: $ 93.
Negative: No exercise room. Positive: Lovely, charming neighborhood for taking a walk or jog. Also a very inviting, well-​kept, outdoor pool.
Negative: No free breakfast. Positive: Morning coffee, freshly brewed, starting at 6:00 am, in the lobby area. Also, a wonderful diner next door, the Southwest Diner Restaurant. My kids raved about the food (deservedly so). Try their banana bread, potato pancakes, and omelettes.
Negative: No fancy interior decorating. Positive: All the comforts of home, super clean (I had absolutely zero allergy reactions), super friendly people. Also fridge, microwave, and counter space.
Negative: WiFi was very slow. Positive: It was free, at least.
Like I said, I loved this motel.
Allergy tip: I sleep on an air mattress wherever I go, and use my own sleeping bag, too. So, I didn’t try the beds. My family said they were okay, not the most amazing, but definitely good enough.
The overall experience still justifies five stars, in my opinion. My family thinks maybe four stars because of the WiFi and slow internet, but the spaciousness and cleanliness deserve extra credit. Five stars. We were in Room 8, and I highly recommend it.

Charming 50’s-era motel. We had a first-​floor room with no one above us — very quiet. Furnishings are pretty dated, but to be expected. Pool was heated (not overly so) and a welcome relief after a long drive. Cons are that beds are extremely firm and need to be replaced. Also, while central, AC is noisy and not very cool. All in all, a decent experience. I would not return, however, unless mattresses are replaced.

Fabulous quaint hotel. People were friendly rooms clean! I would stay here everytime im in the area. No noise either. Nice coffee service in patio as you enjoy fresh morning air. I loved it

This place was completely pleasant! Remember, it’s a motel — not the Bellagio… Other Unilocalers who have knocked it for the lack of amenities & continental breakfast should shell out a few more shillings and stay in a hotel, if that’s what they’re expecting!
We stayed for a quick overnight visit to Boulder City, and were pleased with this place. It’s classic & vintage, but kept impeccably clean. The AC blew cold, there was a nice flat screen TV, you could park right in front of your room, and the bed was big & comfy. All we needed for the night!

What’s not to like about this darling hotel? Upon check in we were handed an actual room key (I can’t remember the last time I saw one of those).
Rooms were clean, pool was fun (though chilly in April), and it’s in a great location. Very quaint and I loved the morning coffee. :)

We stayed here on May 1^st & 2^nd and were very pleased with the accommodations and the staff’s ability to help us when the a/​c conked out the first night. Things can happen and so when we called close to midnight, they had someone come right out and try to resolve the issue. When they could not get the issue resolved they switched us to another room. When we needed an iron and a hair dryer, they had one we could borrow. The rooms were clean and spacious.
The view from our room was lovely. The pool although ice cold was refreshing, clean and well maintained. Fresh coffee was available every morning and the staff was very pleasant. We would most definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to friends.

Clean, spacious, friendly, comfortable! This place is awesome!
I normally don’t stay in one of a kind places but this is better than most chains! The manager was very friendly, let us examine the room before booking and was very helpful.
Upon seeing the room I was blown away. It was like a little apartment! So cute and spacious. The door opened up into a spacious room with two queen beds. The bathroom was at the back of the room with a large tub and shower. It also had a large sink with a lot of counter space.
Hidden away was also a kitchenette with a small stove, sink, refrigerator and microwave with a little table and chairs as well!
The main room had a small table and two chairs.
The best part was a ceiling fan and lovely window overlooking the pool /​common area.
The beds were older and kind of saggy, but everything was very clean and well kept and smelled amazing. I had stayed at a Ramada Inn and Days Inn before this and this room beats both of those hands down!
The rooms fill up fast as by about 7pm local time the «no vacancy» sign was lit. But this place is worth it. A little apartmentesque place that is very clean, quiet and well kept.
It’s older so not too many plugs, but free wifi.

LOVED this spotcant wait to return and great price.

I travel through this area regularly for work, and I’d never stay anywhere in Boulder City other than El Rancho Boulder. I’ve stayed here at least three times in the past two years, and it has always been great.
Last week, I’d been camping out in the desert for days. I called enroute around noon and said, «When’s the earliest I can check in?» The guy said, «I can check you right now, if you want.» Bless you, shower-​providing motel man!
The rooms I’ve had have had mini-​fridges and microwaves. I don’t know if all of their rooms have them. The quilts on the beds are wonderful, if a bit threadbare. Definitely ten steps up from your typical plastic-​feeling chain motel bedspreads. The list of rules on the door is a good cultural introduction to the area, as well.
When I was there last week, my sink wasn’t draining. I used the bathtub instead, because I’m adaptive like that. When I told the guy at the desk about the clogged sink when I checked out, he thanked me sincerely for telling him about it, without any implication that I’d been the one to clog it up.
I love this place, and I’ll stay here every time I travel through Boulder City.

I do not understand the positive reviews I found online on this motel. It is brick and has some curb appeal. However, our room looked like it must have looked when it was built in the 50’s. How many negatives are there? No coffee in the room. They do not even have cheap morning plastic wrap pastry for the road. The smallest refrigerator and microwave I ever saw. A 20 year old small CRT TV. The shampoo and soap are in bulk dispensers. And, when you make a reservation you have to cancel at least three days in advance or they charge you the full rate. In addition, the room rate is about twice what it should be given the amenities. When I was there; the parking lot had about four cars in it. This is a declining motel with old furniture and carpet. It smells like the carpet has been in the rooms for 25 years. Other than the smell, it was relatively clean. Still, in my opinion, any positive reviews on this place have got to have been submitted by the owners’ friends and family. If this motel was completely updated with a 36″ flat panel TV, better cable, new carpet, etc.; it would be worth exactly what they are charging. As it is, they are overcharging by twice. There are several other places to stay in Boulder City. I will try all of them before I stay here again.

Went here for a stay-​cation to get out of Vegas. The room was very clean and had a nice pool area with BBQ’s. Friendly service, we’d stay there again.

Highlights —
Location is superb.
Very quiet rooms well insulated
Large rooms, great AC — good for family’s, clean
Kitchenette’s — like actual rooms, not just a built fridge and microwave. 3 burner stove, oven, microwave, table chairs etc.
BBQ’s @ the pool that work
Huge clean pool, complimentary pool towels
Lots of 1^st story rooms make loading and unloading really easy
Boat parking and hose hookups for washing
Good coffee
Wifi
Staff is great, very nice and accommodating
Not so highlights —
Decorated in 1965 — kinda adds to the charm
Carpet is beat
Mattress’ are hit and miss
Pricing is on the high side but decent places are really hard to find in Boulder
Kitchenette’s help to get the family fed and on the lake quickly.
Great place to unwind with a beer around the pool and BBQ after a long day on the lake.

We recently stayed 3 nights in their 3 queen suite, which has 2 queen beds in the main room and a separate bedroom with one queen bed, a sink and a small fridge as well as a built in desk. My husband and I were traveling with our 3 teens so this separate room became our oasis. The suite was large, CLEAN and comfortable with emphasis on the clean. The bathroom was very clean and the bath towels were generously sized, soft and fluffy The rooms have comfortable and homey cotton quilts with matching shams instead of standard bedspreads and the beds are surprisingly comfortable. The room has a small fridge in the main area as well as a microwave. There is a ceiling fan in both the main room and the «suite» room. They have a table set up by the office for free (and delicious) coffee in the mornings. The housekeeping staff was friendly, pleasant and efficient as was the front desk staff. We didn’t use the pool but I did check it out and it was sparkling and clean. We plan to stay at The El Rancho Boulder on our next visit in August.

I stayed here the other day with my boyfriend as part of a «Leaving Las Vegas”-style debauched bender. You know, where Nic Cage and that hooker get wasted by the pool, and end up breaking a bottle and getting kicked out?! That was almost us!
When researching motels in Boulder City, I chose this one based on Unilocal.But I feel the other reviews are overly effusive. This place ain’t THAT cool! No jacuzzi, no coffee makers in the rooms, weird fat lumpy pillows, and an a/​c that only has 3 settings: Lo, Med, Hi… and Hi wasn’t even very Hi. For $ 65/​night, ya think they could do better!
The desk clerk was kind of a snarky jerk, too. In his defense, he’s probably just sick and tired of all these Vegas hipsters coming down to booze it up and take Instagram photos of his marquee, which is already so Instagrammy (see pic) that if you DID try to take a pic of it with Instagram, you would probably implode or be sucked into some kinda hipster wormhole!
On the plus side, it is a quaint, atmospheric place for a hooker and an alkie to shack up for a weekend… it being within walking distance of all the local bars and restaurants. The room was clean, the bathroom was clean, and the water pressure/​temp in the shower was excellent… just right for washing off the booze-​soaked ennui after my little staycation was over.

Clean, big, well operating, family owned, friendly, highly recommended by locals and other local businesses, conveniently located to the touristy and older part of downtown and the newer supermarkets on the other side of town. All of this is in walking distance if you choose. A very nice pool. Fast and free internet connection. Drive right up to your room. Beds are soft and have wonderful quilts. Yes, I suggest you stop here. I would have liked a laundry facility on site as I live on the road, but found one at the friendly Sands just a few doors down. I found peace here for a weekend while working on a huge research project and paper and got to explore the quaint Boulder City and impressive Lake Mead in my spare moments!

This place was great. The room was super clean and comfortable. They didn’t have the standard slightly gross motel comforters but instead had quilts on the beds. They also have free wi-​fi and a pool. We didn’t use the pool but it certainly looked clean. It wasn’t very expensive and we were able to walk a few blocks and get dinner. A great find in Boulder City.

We stayed one night when we were running the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam half-​marathon. A lot of places in this area seemed run downed but the El Rancho was a pleasant surprise!
We felt very welcomed, it was clean and the king-​size bed was super comfy! The people working at the front desk were really nice and extended the late check-​out so we could come back after the half-​marathon to take a shower and relax for a bit. We didn’t get to enjoy the pool, but it also looked very clean and well maintained.
If we come back to this area we would definitely stay here again!

My husband, 9 year old daughter and I stayed here October 15 – 17 2010 for a BMX race in town. I was a bit hesitant at first due to the name and pics online, but I booked it anyway.
Driving into Boulder I was a bit apprehensive as all the hotels I saw looked shoddy. I was grateful when I spotted the sign to El Rancho and pulled in. The minuet you pull into the parking lot you know you are in for a nice surprise. It is very well kept and the landscape guy out front putting up Halloween decorations made us smile with a wave and a hello.
The lobby is small but cozy. My daughter loved the Halloween decorations. The ladies behind the desk were super nice and very efficient. They joked around with us and were not stuffy like most hotel operators. They even offered us directions and «good luck» when we told them we were looking for the BMX track.
Walking into the room was great. The room was clean and smelled clean as well. The nicest touch was a quilt and matching pillows. The bed was super duper comfortable. The room also had a ceiling fan which I have never had in a hotel but I LOVED it! It kept the room nice and cool, even a bit cold at night, which I love! It was 97 outside but in the room it felt great!
The bathroom had a window which was nice as well. There was a fridge and a microwave in the room, one of the reasons we booked.
The pool was a bit chilly, ok, downright COLD but clean.
After hearing some of our friends and fellow BMX riders talk about their rooms, we were happy to have booked here. I told them of our room and we all agreed that come next BMX race weekend, we will all be booking here.
The best part? Sunday morning when I woke my 9 year old up at 6:30 she stretched and said ‘mommy, cant I sleep longer? This hotel feels just like home”