Have you been aching to stay at a place that screams "AMERICA!"? Do you get tingles when Sam Eagle shares his "Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America"? Well, do I have the place for you! Meet the Idaho Potato Hotel in Boise, Idaho. You can stay INSIDE a potato, in the middle of farmland, while petting Dolly, a dairy cow, and waving to the Air Force as they drive by (they wave back!). If that doesn't make you patriotic, then nothing will.
When we pulled up to this giant tuber, Dolly immediately ran up to us and showed us where her snacks were. There is a stand of cow snacks, a scoop feeder, and an eager-to-eat-those-snacks Dolly. Once you've given her those delicious pellets of cow food, she will let you pet her, brush her, hug her, and talk to her. She's the BEST little gal this side of the potato field.
Once you've been able to peel yourself away from this gorgeous little lady, it's time to step inside of the baked 'tater. I don't know what I was expecting it to look like on the inside, but I did NOT expect pure luxury. The walls are bright white, the floor is hardwood with a beautiful geometric pattern, and there are hints of blush throughout. It's modern meets boho-chic meets mashed potatoes. There's an antler chandelier over the bed that makes absolutely no sense, and yet fits perfectly into the décor. Looking back towards the front door of this scalloped potato, you'll see glass mini-fridge, a sink, a kettle, the cutest and most sophisticated set of mugs I've ever seen (my Disney princess, Star Wars, Christmas pug mug collection is quaking), and beautiful bamboo lights. Once you're inside, it's hard to remember that you are in the depths of a massive tatie.
We found a record player with a pretty large collection of 70s and 80s albums, along with one Taylor
Swift album. A pretty rad mix, if I do say so myself. This was actually our first time using a record player. We immediately bought one the following day and we now have a ridiculously large vinyl collection that we are running out of room for. Also, any time a place asks us what they should add for their guests I always pause to act like I'm thinking and say "hmmm....I think a record player would be nice!". It's always followed by a squint of confusion from the host and then I go into the long story of how our love of records developed from this potato and they quickly think I'm insane. (But, really. You guys should add a record player to your space. I stayed inside this potato once that had the COOLEST record player and we were just jamming out and then the Air Force drove by and they all waived and...)
Next is the bathroom. Oh, this bathroom is one I dream of CONSTANTLY. It's a few steps away from the potato and is in a mini
silo. Walking inside, you're transported to a jungle-like spa. You can sit
on the porcelain throne with a beautiful backdrop of plants. You can't really see them when you're on it...but if someone comes in, you'll probably look cool. There is a colossal
basin tub with a bath salt bar and an electric fireplace!! I have NEVER seen a bath salt bar, but I immediately fell in love.
We've been to the potato twice now: once in the scorching hot summer and once in the freezing, single-digit winter. I can tell you that no matter the weather, it's pretty warm in the steamy potato, but very comfortable. I can also tell you that if you need to make a 3 AM trek to the restroom, Dolly will moo at you, which is actually pretty comforting because it's a little terrifying being out in the middle of Idaho farmland at night with nothing but the soft glow of the military base as your nightlight.
If you are looking for a place to stay in Idaho, look no further! Check out the Big Idaho Potato Hotel on Airbnb.
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