The Alpaca Inn is near the mid-eastern portion of the town of Lava Hot Springs, which is located in the south-eastern part of Idaho. It can be found just a short distance to the west of the renowned mineral hot springs, which the city is named after. The Alpaca Inn has 14 different rooms available for guests and there is a ranch on the premises where the owners raise their own alpacas and sell their own alpaca-themed souvenirs. The area is very mountainous and there are a number of hiking trails and camping grounds that can be found in the vicinity.
A total of 14 rooms split between 5 separate buildings make up the property known as the Alpaca Inn. The rooms range in size from one bed and a full bathroom to one large private bedroom, small private bedroom, children's nook, full bathroom, and dining area. Every room carries a rustic and country theme, but they are also decorated differently from one another. As one guest put it, "What is in each room was designed for that particular room."
No matter which room guests stay in, every unit comes with a private bathroom, refrigerator, microwave, hot beverages, personal care products like shampoo and soap, TV, DVD player with DVDs that are free to use, air conditioning, hairdryer, and free Wi-Fi.
The inn itself doesn't serve breakfast as part of a guest's reservation, but the owner has a partnership with a nearby restaurant called Chuck Wagon that offers a discount to those who are staying at the Alpaca Inn. The inn provides on-sight parking for one vehicle per unit, but for patrons with more than one car, there are more parking spots right next to the property. Rooms are available all throughout the year.
According to the owner, the busiest time of the year tends to be summer, during the months of June, July, and August. The hotel requires that guests who book during a weekend must stay a minimum of two nights, including Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday, or Saturday to Sunday. The Alpaca Inn owns a store that sells various souvenirs, such as handmade alpaca hats, scarves, blankets, yarn, and jewelry.
Branching out from the inn itself, guests can find a wide arrangement of things to do in the town. The town has various hiking trails and camping grounds, swimming pools, both indoor and outdoor, and different restaurants and eateries within walking distance. Less than a 10-minute walk to the east, guests can find the very thing that the town is known for, the natural bodies of water that are hot mineral pools. High mountains circle the city in several different directions, with the settlement occupying a small canyon between two mountains, the north one called Petticoat Peak and the one to the south called Sedgwick Peak. Lava Hot Springs is a compact town where most parts of the city are within walking distance from The Alpaca Inn.
The Alpaca Inn owners, Londa and Jody Palmer have tried to create the inn in such a way as to be suitable for visitors of all ages. The property has two garden areas with grass and flower beds that are accessible to every room that can help to highlight the Idaho scenery. One guest said regarding the outdoor area provided by The Alpaca Inn, "Nice little grass area to hand out or play simple games with the kids. Great patio for large families to gather and eat."
While the inn is known for being alpaca-themed, the owners do their best to remain a clean establishment as well. Another guest said this regarding their stay. "Friendly, accommodating staff and clean comfortable accommodations makes it feel like home." Because the property is based down the road from Main Street, guests have mentioned that the area is quieter than other parts of the town.
The small village of Lava Hot Springs has many places of potential interest that are usually within walking distance from the property's location. Lava Hot Springs is a tourist destination, meaning that it contains many restaurants and camping areas, along with more common Idaho scenery like mountains and trails with an abundant amount of plant life. The Hot Spots themselves are easily one of the most common attractions to visit by travelers to the town. Another location recommended by the owners of the Alpaca Inn is the Lava Hot Springs Olympic Swimming Complex, which is just short of a 10-minute walk to the northwest from their property. The swimming complex contains both an indoor pool as well as an outdoor pool with multiple activities for patrons, such as a diving tower, water slides, both curved slides and speed slides, a kiddie pool, a rock-climbing wall, and renovated mineral hot pools. The owner says that the area is a destination town that is family-oriented and "exceptional at helping people relax" during their time there.
Londa and Jody Palmer, both the original owners as well as the current owners of The Alpaca Inn, wanted a change of pace in their careers, so they invested in the buildings on the property and turned them into an inn. The Alpaca Inn first opened its doors to the public just under 15 years ago, back in 2007. Jody and Londa have remained the owners since then and plan on being the owners for a while longer. It was in 2004 that they started raising alpacas as livestock before the inn was ever established.
While the buildings themselves are not very old, the town has been around for quite a few decades. Even before the city itself existed, the natural hot springs are said to have been used by Bannock and Shoshone Native Americans. Lava Hot Springs was founded in 1915 and, according to the owner and some of the locals, has been a tourist destination since the early '30s.
The Alpaca Inn was recently recognized by a local group called Lava Pride, an association of citizens looking to make Lava Hot Springs a more popular landmark and award local businesses for making the town overall better for current residents, both temporary and permanent.
90 South 1st East Street
Lava Hot Springs, Idaho 83246
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Londa & Jody Palmer
