Comparing Hostel Room Types

Three ways to sleep at the Vail Valley’s only boutique hostel, and an honest guide to picking the right one for your trip.

Quick answer: At The Bunkhouse in Minturn, Colorado, solo travelers usually pick a pod in the 30-bed Main Bunk Room for the most bang for your buck. Small groups, and couples do best booking a whole semi-private room (the 4-person Buffalo Room or 6-person Bear Room) behind a locking door, with more floor space to stretch out. A dorm bed in one of those rooms suits anyone who would prefer a smaller, quieter shared room than the main bunkroom space.

Every bed at The Bunkhouse is a twin-XL, think of the length of a king size bed, for the extra leg room. Taller guests need not worry! We provide fresh linens, and daily housekeeping services. All room types provide guests access to our fully stocked kitchen, amazing deck, and fire pit. Also included in your nightly rate is gear storage. What changes from room to room is how much privacy you get, who you share with, and how much floor space your gear gets. Those three things decide which room is your best choice. With staff in bunks strategically placed throughout the building, we have safety and security on lock!

We opened The Bunkhouse in Minturn in 2016 to give mountain travelers a cozy place to sleep, hot showers, and good company without the exorbitant hotel prices of Vail. We love our guests spend their money on their cool adventures instead. Here’s how each option works, who it’s best for, and a quick way to decide.

The three options at a glance

The Bunkhouse has three rooms, and they can be booked three ways: a pod in the Main Bunk Room, a single dorm bed in the Bear or Buffalo Room, or a whole Bear or Buffalo Room for your group (Our Rooms).

	Pod	Dorm bed	Semi-private room
Where	Main Bunk Room	Bear Room or Buffalo Room, one bed	All of the Bear Room (6) or Buffalo Room (4)
Beds in the room	30 pods	6 or 4	6 or 4, all yours
Who you share with	Up to 29 other guests	Up to 5 or 3 other guests	Only your group
Your private space	An enclosed pod with a privacy curtain	Your bunk, surrounding by privacy curtains	The whole room, with a locking door
Built-in features	Reading light, fan, USB and electrical outlet, lockable storage drawer	Newly enclosed twin-XL bunk; outlets and lockers in the Buffalo Room	Same as dorm bed, plus extra floor space
Bed type	Twin-XL	Twin-XL	Twin-XL; Buffalo Room bottom bunks can convert to a king if entire room is purchased
Best for	Solo skiers, riders and backpackers	Travelers who want a smaller room, but more floor space	Couples, families of adults, ski crews of 4 to 6
Social level	Highest	Medium	Your crew, plus the common areas

All pricing is per person/per bed, and changes by season and day of the week, so check live rates for your dates.

A closer look at each option

The Pods: Main Bunk Room

The pods are The Bunkhouse’s signature: 30 hand-crafted, wood-built bunks in one large room, each enclosed with a privacy curtain. Inside, you get a reading light, a fan, a USB and electrical outlet, and a large lockable drawer under the bunk. The design is built to reduce sound, and the Main Bunk Room is the one room with air conditioning.

What it’s like: With 30 pods, this room contains the most beds, but once the curtain closes, the space is yours. You can read, charge your phone and repack your daypack without anyone watching, and your valuables stay locked within arm’s reach. Quiet hours from 9PM to 9am are strictly enforced.

Pick a pod if: you’re traveling solo, you want privacy without paying for a room, or you’re new to hostels and want an easy first step.

Think twice if: you’re a very light sleeper, or you’re traveling with a partner who wants to share a bed. One pod sleeps one person. Note: complimentary ear plugs are available to all guests.

The dorm bed: one bunk in the Bear or Buffalo Room

Book a single bed in one of the smaller rooms and you’ll share with a handful of guests instead of a full bunk room. Both rooms have twin-XL bunks that are now enclosed with privacy curtains, extra floor space and a locking door. The Buffalo Room adds lockers for valuables and USB and electrical outlets.

What it’s like: slightly quieter and calmer than a 30-bed room, with fewer comings and goings, and you gain extra floor space for stretching out, and extra gear.

Pick a dorm bed if: you’re solo with more gear than fits around the pod, or you prefer a small room to a big one.

The semi-private room: book the whole Bear or Buffalo Room

Reserve every bed in a room and it becomes your group’s private room behind a locking door, with the full hostel common areas outside it.

The Buffalo Room, “The Convertible Quad” (4 beds): the two bottom bunks can be converted into a king bed on request when your group reserves all four beds. That makes it the best Bunkhouse option for couples, or two couples traveling together.
The Bear Room, “The Six Pack” (6 beds): the right size for a ski crew, a bachelor or bachelorette weekend, or a family of adults. The Bunkhouse is ages 18 and up.

What it’s like: a private room for your group at a per-bed price, with the kitchen, deck, and fire pit a few steps away when you want company.

Pick a semi-private room if: you have 2 to 6 people, you’re a couple who wants a shared bed, or your group has a lot of gear.

See all three in our gallery.

What every room includes

Whichever room you choose, the bed price covers the same Bunkhouse amenities, so you’re never trading away the basics to save money (Our Rooms).

Sleep: twin-XL beds, free linens and towels, daily housekeeping, radiant heat throughout the building.
Get ready: private male and female changing rooms and showers, hair dryers.
Eat and drink: a 24-hour, fully equipped self-service kitchen, an outdoor grill, a free cup of local coffee or tea. The Bunkhouse is now a BYOB estabishment.
Hang out: a gas fire pit, a spacious front deck and a community lounge.
Gear and car: free ski storage, free parking and free Wi-Fi. We are also on the free bus route.
Security: 24-hour secure access with security cameras. Staff bunks throughout the building, and owners who live on property keep the climate comfortable and mellow.

That shared core is why the room decision is about privacy and group size, not comfort. A Pod guest, and a Buffalo Room group mingle in the same kitchen and swap the adventure stories around the same fire pit. Our hostel vs. hotel guide goes deeper on why that matters on a ski trip.

Booking tips for getting the room you want

Book direct. Reserving on our booking page shows every room type side by side, and you deal with us, not a third party, if plans change. Booking on our website typically saves around 15% on your nightly rate.
Groups: book the whole room in one reservation. The Bear and Buffalo Rooms only become semi-private when every bed is reserved for your group.
Couples: ask for the king when you book. The Buffalo Room’s bottom bunks convert to a king on request, and your group must reserve all four beds to make the request.
Book early for peak weeks. With only two smaller rooms, they’re the first to go over holidays and big snow weekends. Vail Mountain targets a Nov. 13 opening and Beaver Creek Nov. 25 for the 2026/27 season (Vail Daily).
Bringing a lot of gear? Every guest can use ski storage, but if you’re also hauling bike boxes or camera cases, the extra floor space in the Bear and Buffalo Rooms helps.
Not sure? Contact us with your group size and dates and we’ll point you to the best fit.

First time staying in a hostel? Read what to expect when staying in a hostel for the first time before you arrive.

FAQ: Rooms at The Bunkhouse

Does The Bunkhouse have private pods?

Yes. The Main Bunk Room at The Bunkhouse in Minturn, Colorado has 30 hand-crafted pods, each with a privacy curtain, reading light, fan, USB and electrical outlet, and a lockable storage drawer. Pods sleep one person.

What’s the difference between a pod and a dorm bed?

A pod is an enclosed bunk with a curtain in the 30-bed Main Bunk Room. A dorm bed is a curtain enclosed twin-XL bunk in a smaller room, the 6-bed Bear Room or the 4-bed Buffalo Room, with fewer roommates and more floor space.

Does The Bunkhouse have private or semi-private rooms?

Yes. Groups can reserve every bed in the 4-person Buffalo Room or the 6-person Bear Room to have the room to themselves behind a locking door. Bathrooms and showers are shared, in private male and female changing rooms.

Is The Bunkhouse good for couples?

Yes. Couples can book the Buffalo Room, whose two bottom bunks convert into a king bed on request when the group reserves all four beds.

Which room is best for a group of friends skiing Vail?

For 4 people, the Buffalo Room; for 5 or 6, the Bear Room. Larger groups can combine a whole room with pods in the Main Bunk Room.

Which room is quietest?

The smaller Bear and Buffalo Rooms have fewer guests and locking doors, so they tend to be slightly quieter. The Main Bunk Room pods are built with a sound-reducing design and privacy curtains; complimentary earplugs are provided for light sleepers in any shared room.

Are linens and towels included in every room?

Yes. Every bed at The Bunkhouse is a twin-XL with free linens and towels, and every guest has access to the 24-hour kitchen, free coffee, ski storage and free parking.

How far is The Bunkhouse from Vail and Beaver Creek?

The Bunkhouse is at 175 Williams Street #102 in Minturn, about 3 miles off I-70 and roughly a 10-minute drive from both Vail and Beaver Creek (See more location details here).

The bottom line

There’s no wrong room at The Bunkhouse, only a better fit. Solo and social: grab a pod. Solo with extra gear or a preference for a small room: book a dorm bed. Traveling as a couple or a crew: take a whole room and make it yours.

Whichever you choose, you get the same warm, clean, comfortable base camp, minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek, at a price that leaves room in the budget for lift tickets, trail days and après. Explore our rooms or reserve your stay.

The Bunkhouse is the Vail Valley’s only boutique hostel, at 175 Williams Street #102 in Minturn, Colorado, about a 10-minute drive from both Vail and Beaver Creek.