Far View Lodge Mesa Verde Mesa Verde National Park

We stayed here on Monday, September 13. First of all, yes you are at an altitude of over 8,000 feet! Like some of the other reviewers we really had no idea that it was this high or was accessible only by a narrow winding road through the mountains. Luckily we allowed enough time to make it there about an hour before dusk but you would not want to drive up there at night. I think the experience of being that high and the incredible view is worthwhile, you can watch the sunset or sunrise, also if you want to get up early and hike; you're already there in the park. But otherwise: Rooms are in prefabricated buildings and although somewhat updated don't quite seem comfortable. Shower is absolutely tiny like you might expect in a motor home. We were in a "Luxury" room on the third tier of rooms and basically looked at the building and parking lot below us - you could sort of see the "far view" off the balcony if you tried.

If you have stayed at National Park lodging, you know the rooms are shabby, the carpet dirty, the bathrooms small, etc. That's not why you go to the park. The views are beautiful, the rangers intelligent. When we were there, the restaurant was closed for a special event, and the only place to eat was the bad cafeteria at the Visitors Center. Don't miss Mesa Verde Park, but consider staing in nearby Durango and coming over for a day trip. Make it early in the day, though, because you wouldn't want to drive down the steep roadway at night.

We stayed for one night and it was a memorable visit. The rooms are only average but after reading guide books and reviews it was about what I expected. However, the beds were extremely comfortable and the room had all the standard amenities (except for a TV but that is advertised).

The evening meal was superb - just about the best we had in 8 days in the Southwest and we always pick our restaurants carefully. I was a little worried that the quality would be compromised because it was so late in the season but that was not the case. Nothing can compare to watching the sunset over Mesa Verde while sipping a nice glass of wine and enjoying a lovely meal. The breakfast buffet was average.

I do think there should be more information given at booking about getting to the lodge - I didn't realize that we would be required to drive up a steep, winding road for at least 20 minutes to get to the lodge.

There are actually two different Far View Lodges: the one that exists in reality and the one that exists only in the imagination of the hotel's sales literature. Reading the motel's web site, one expects a comfortable lodge with outstanding views from every room and an excellent accompaning restaurant.

We booked one of the nicer kiva rooms for a 2 day stay and instantly, upon seeing the room, cancelled the second night. We would have cancelled the first night if we weren't facing a 45 minute drive down the mesa in the dark and an ensuing search for a last minute room in neaby Cortez or Durango.

First, only about 1/3 of the rooms have a really good view. Our room had a view of a parking lot, a road, another motel unit, a brightly lit Pepsi machine and beyond all of these, about 1/3 of the view was of distant vistas. The motel is built on a hill on 3 tiers, with each of the upper 2 tiers having the kind of view which we received. Many views were actually worse than ours. Only the bottom tier rooms have unobstructed views. And all of those buildings have only smaller, older rooms. The rooms were poorly maintained and dirty with big stains on the carpet, swayback beds and tiny bathrooms with discolored caulking and super noisy fans. The balconies are small and unsuitable for sitting. It's basically a poorly maintained 1950's motel. There are no public areas for viewing. The "upgraded" room which we had was upgraded in the sence of having perhaps 10 square feet more room and a bathtub/shower instead of the tiny, dirty shower stalls of the basic rooms (we looked in one while the maid was working).

We had dinner at the wildly overpriced restaurant attached to the motel. Although the types of food were exotic (elk, quail, prickly pear jelly), neither the preparation nor the service was high quality. We paid $90 plus tip for a very dissappointing dinner for two. The restaurant didn't even have a good view because the architect had placed a joint on the picture windows exactly at eye level so that you have to duck down to see out (yes, all the windows are like this).

ADVICE: We didn't realize how long and steep the drive from the entrance to the park up to the mesa top is. It is 20 miles of steep, switchback, 2 lane road, ascending over 1000 feet, which takes at least 30 minutes to navigate and which you definitely don't want to have to drive at night. If you want to visit Mesa Verde late in the afternoon and stay up here, this motel is your only choice. Staying on the mesa was spectacular in a certain way, mostly because the site is at its best at sunset and in the early morning light. But don't make a reservation here unless you are prepared to stay in a dump for the priveledge. Also, Mesa Verde is at a very high altitude--8000 feet. It was so high up that my husband felt kind of winded and wasn't able to walk more than 50 feet without getting exhausted. If you get sick up here, there is no easy or fast way down, so if you have any health problem you might be better off staying in Cortez or Durango. If I come again, I'll stay in Cortez at the Holiday Inn Express or Comfort Inn and plan to leave the mesa about 3:00, still getting some good views of the ruins, but paying a whole lot less for a whole lot more comfortable lodging.

This lodge is set over 8500 up a steep winding road in some spectacular countryside, the view cannot be beaten. However we expected a little more. This was the most expensive by $30 of 4 hotels we stayed in whilst touring the area. Rooms are simple and clean but nothing special to write home about. My inlaws had booked a more expensive room - a Keeva and at check were told they would not be getting this room as they were sold out despite them booking 3 months in advance. The reason - they had asked for AAA discount so they were given the cheaper room!

We just got back from an overnight stay at Far View Lodge (9/8/2004). Although it's not "city-slick," its a very special place. We had a Kiva room which featured authentic Native-American furniture and linens. Shortly after we arrived a breeze crossed our room (that happened only once during our stay) and I told my husband it felt like the spirits of the people who used to live in Mesa Verde.

If you do nothing else when you're there, eat dinner at the Metate Room. The food is absolutely outstanding. My husband had the steak; I enjoyed the turkey roulades. The food isn't prepared or served better anywhere. We passed on the drinks at dinner and opted for iced tea and no dessert, and our bill was about $45. Later in the evening we went to the upstairs outdoor lounge to study the sky in planetarium fashion (a glass of wine there was $4.50).

While there are no TVs in the rooms (there is one in the upstairs lounge) there are now phones in the rooms (in the Kiva rooms, at least). There is nothing not to like here. Next time we go it will be for more than one night.

The food was really great and not overly expensive. We had dinner for 2 adults with 2 drinks, and 1 child. Each of us had dessert. The bill was around $90, which we thought was reasonable.

The surroundings are very pretty and the the view was spectacular.

First of all there is no A/C, which is a problem if you come from a climate where you are used to climate control like the deep south. I also never seen on their web site that A/C was not available. They should make it clear that there isn't any. But I have to say if you can deal with no A/C, I would recommend this place because of the awesome location! You are in the heart of Mesa Verde National Park. There is wild life outside your balcony with breathtaking views. And while the rooms are rustic, they are like most hotel rooms (just no A/C, TV, and telephone). The beds are comfortable and the rooms are clean. All in all for the price ($100 and up) it would be worth it if it had A/C.

We have stayed here twice in the last 2 years and can't wait to come back. The rooms are simple and nice; no phone, tv or other distractions from sitting on the deck looking a hundred miles off into the distance. Dining at the Metate Room for dinner is pricey, but absolutely wonderful, in our experience. Interesting offerrings on the menu, and they were prepared perfectly. Don't forget to visit the bar and patio up on the roof. Cafeteria style meals are available in another building. The variety pleased all six in our family. Each meal was prepared fresh and was wonderful. We will come back again and again.

I stayed at the Far View lodge with my wife on May 31st, 2002. There are several different buildings some with better views that others. There is no air conditioning, phones, TVs or ceilings fans in this hotel! I was hanging out at checkin and 3 or 4 people came down to complain about the lack of these things so be prepared for it to be hot and muggy in your room. The bed I slept on was very uncomfortable (springs in my back). It was the worst I've slept on in a very long time.

I enjoyed the far view visitor center and having a drink on the roof in the evening though.

I think for the what you get (views, good location) the place is still over priced ($118 for 'deluxe room' for 2 people)