Lake View Lodge

My mother and i stayed here for a night before I was to depart for my solo trek on the John Muir Trail. The place is simple, if you expect things to be super fancy then you will be disappointed. The front desk warns you at the time of checking in that the WI-​FI is not very good and that there is a local bear that wanders around so DON’T LEAVE FOOD OR DRINKS in your car. Bed was comfortable, but actually anything is cozy when I was mentally preparing to be on the trail for a couple of weeks.
The place was clean, front desk was helpful. I did have to go outside to use my phone because I didn’t have service in the room. Honestly I wasn’t planning on some super fancy place just a bed, coffee maker, clean sheets and towels. Some folks expect the four seasons in a small town and those folks need a reality check. So, if you don’t mind a vintage looking room which gives it character and charm then you will be content just as we were.

we traveled most of the day headed towards yosemite. stopped in town to get a room for the night front desk guy was super nice and helpful. the room was very average but clean. the Internet was painfully slow and the selection of channels on the TV were very very slim. it was mostly quiet with no other issues. please update your Internet speed and TV selection

Don’t pay attention to the bad reviews about this motel. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s clean and comfortable. The staff is very nice. WiFi doesn’t work, and it’s pricey in high season, but it’s a good place to stop on your way up or down 395.

Be careful, the people who run this place are dishonest! I tried to book a room there, but never got a confirmation email. I then tried to reach the hotel on the phone and even sent a fax (which was costly, as I don’t live in the US), and didn’t get any answer. I booked another hotel in Lee Vining, thinking this one was probably full or perhaps shut down. However, these people charged me money for the night they never confirmed I had booked. I called them immediatly after realising that, and the manager sent me a mock confirmation email and went as far as blaming me for not having tried hard enough to contact them (the thing is, they don’t even have an email address written on their website). After long, tense negotiations, she consented to refunding only half the money for the night, saying it was usually not her policy, and not the policy I had agreed upon (how could I have agreed upon it if I didn’t receive anything from them?). I’m apparently not the first one to have had this kind of problem with this hotel. Don’t make a reservation there, they’ll try to rip you off!

One star for terrible plumbing and ancient linens. First and foremost, an unadjustable shower that blasts water in a region that is concerned about the water level in Mono Lake is unbelievably clueless! PLUG IN OWNERS! Your hotel is wasting water EVERYDAY. In addition, every water faucet was very difficult to turn on and adjust. Both sinks had hot water that was literally scalding. My mom actually burned her hand just testing the water. Plus, she could not turn on the water in the shower. The faucet was so tight that it had to be leveraged on just to get it started. The 2 sinks were nearly the same with the knob being very tight. Terrible maintenance and hardware. Finally, the linens are so ancient they could be carbon dated. Bed sheets were thin, dingy and stained. Towels were very rough and just plain worn out. All of the linens in this place need to be set on fire. I won’t return to this hotel.

The place is ok, but it’s costly, with no continental breakfast or free coffee… they do have a coffee shop, which is probably why no free coffee. Oh, and btw, don’t accidentally lock yourself out of your room, they don’t have a spare key, and you sit there, on a Friday, waiting for the manager to come from home.

This place was lousy. If you come here for the lake view don’t bother. It’s a tiny dot of the lake that you can see better from the store across the street. The rooms are dated but that is not the worst. The shower pressure is low and the temperature switched from hot to cold back to hot during the entire shower. They don’t give you extra towels (to save water) but you have to flush the toilets several times because they don’t flush right. The internet here is really weak. They have wifi but it is also very weak and drops a lot. This all would not be so bad but I just stayed in a hotel for nearly half the price in Sonora that was a lot more amazing. It is not worth the cost of the room at all.

Came in very late, staff was super kind and the room was big, clean, great heater, no bugs, and with a TV, fridge, and microwave.
definitely a place I’d return to

Very deceptive practices run by this shady hotel. they will take your reservation and charge you full even if they know that all the roads to their hotel are blocked. unsuspecting and new tourists can be easily fooled.
if you talk to them about this, they will say we should have known ahead that the roads are closed. Well… then why did you accept the credit card inthe first place?

We love this place! Beautiful grounds and an even better view! Lots to do in the area: fish, hike, explore… etc.
we have created many great memories with our family and love their 3 bed family unit (rm. 50 I believe).

Appearances May Be Deceiving
We stopped by after a spur of the moment trip to Yosemite in late October… Nice looking motel from the outside, lots of cars in the parking area, clean room on the inside… Room #17. Besides the leaky shower head that sprayed water all over the bathroom. All seemed great after a pleasant greeting by the young man working Saturday night at the motel. Took showers… after wrapping the shower head with a towel to prevent full bathroom spray down mode. Settled down to sleep. A half hour later is where the appearance changed! Let’s just say that the motel has a rodent issue. There was a mouse or rat living in the wall right behind our headboard. All night long the little guy went about his noisy business… ALL NIGHT!!! We basically got no sleep. The next morning we went to check out and inform them about the rodent issue.
Well, the girl working the office in the morning… Needs some serious training in customer service. Apparently, as you will find out later in this review, she is a crystal clear reflection of the management. Well, she didn’t give a damn about the rodent issue even though the people behind us, also checking out, complained about the same rodent. All she could say was that she would inform the manager. Not even a simple, logical… «I’m so sorry.» We left our number and asked for the manager to call us. After realizing that the management here doesn’t empower their employees in any sense of the word, we drove up to Bridgeport for breakfast (btw, Hays Street Café is yummy) and then onto Bodie to visit the ghosts of miners past.
Monday… No call.
Tuesday… No call.
Wednesday, my wife called. «I’m sorry, the manager just stepped out.» No call.
Thursday, my wife called. «Oh yes, the manager will call you back today.» No call.
No more calling this waste of space motel since now it’s become a waste of time. Instead spend time on review in Unilocal and Trip Advisor.
Simply, in one word, the owners of this motel SUCK!!! They have no right to be in the hospitality business. Besides the young man, the night we checked in (kudos for this guy), this motel doesn’t even have a clue of the basics of hospitality, more specifically customer service.
After the National Park Service shut down the Curry cabin area in Yosemite after a few people died from the hantavirus a few years ago, you would think that the management would care about a rodent issue. Mind you… PERMANENTLY shut down the area. We went to Bodie the next day… It was less of a ghost town than the Curry cabin area. Before, you say that we should toughen up and just deal with some country mice… We live in the Bay Area. Can you say pesky roof rats? Well growing up in the local mountains in the Bay Area, we know how to deal with rodents and to take them serious with the potential presence of hantavirus in the Western US. Acknowledge their continual presence over time and then run down to Home Depot to get your favorite pest abatement method.
Weeks later… Not even a peep.
Simply avoid this place due to the lousy management.
Ooo Ooo

The rooms are like from back in the 50’s. One of the last hotels seemingly to be using old keys. Everything inside is dated. The room is clean and the bed is comfortable. They claim they have high speed internet, but because of the location Wi-​Fi is marginal at best. Parking is easy and usually near your room. The hotel is built on a hill with different levels. If you stretch your neck, you can see Mono Lake.

Totally not worth the price, but it was the last available room in town. As with another reviewer, asked for a AAA discount, he said it was included. You can’t have built in discounts and then advertise discounts on top of that, it’s not the point of a discount. But, alas, we had no other option. $ 150 for two beds and a bathroom. Water sprays everywhere when you turn it on and tastes like copper, so buy a bottle to use when brushing your teeth. Not much to do in Lee Vining except for Mono Lake, I would advise skipping through it, if possible to avoid the outrageous rates they charge, Mono Lake isn’t worth the prices you’re going to pay in food and hotels. Just stop for an hour and keep going to Yosemite.

The only place near Yosemite with reasonable rates and clean rooms. Bonus points for being extremely conveniently located next to a restaurant, bar, sporting/​camping supply store and grocery store. All within a short walking distance. We never had to drive anywhere.
What they lack (no pool, slow wifi) they make up for in quirky and cozy design elements such as the beautiful gardens they maintain with views of Mono Lake and plenty of areas to lounge and take a breather. The room had a fridge, cable tv and was a lot cleaner and nicer than I expected at just $ 120 a night during Yosemites peak season.
We’ll be back next year! The price is right the location is fantastic and the rooms won’t make your OCD alarms go off! (I still wear socks no matter what hotel I’m staying at.)
A GREAT place to prep for exploring Mono Lake and areas around or in Yosemite. We used it as a «Pit Stop» for our backpacking trip. I’d tell you where we backpacked but it’s a local secret :)
Highly recommend this hotel if you’re not too picky and expect a luxury experience at a bargain rate. This is as close as you’re gonna get to a nice hotel near Yosemite without breaking the bank.

The cabin was OK but the promised wifi was non-​existent. On other trips, I would have insisted to get a refund, but I was already settled in and it wasn’t as critical a need as it usually is for me.
They make a point of advertising this on the front of their building, they should deliver wifi for their entire property.

I stayed at the motel in the middle of April. Tioga pass was closed so the town was pretty empty. But those there were locals and everyone knew each others name it seemed. Very peaceful place. The one convenience store that was open had hot soups and lasagnas asking with raw meats for cooking, fine cheeses and a good selection of liquor beer and wine. The motel was clean, bed not extremely comfortable, and the Wi-​Fi did not work in my room. I also didn’t have good cell phone signal. I know it is remote but throughout the rest of the town I had great signal. Okay-​ish price around 100 during the off season.

Super clean place
Prompt service
Rooms were up to date although tv was dated
Big rooms and good value
Saw either a coyote or a wolf in the middle of the night walking around

Super clean and well appointed, we enjoyed our 2 nights at the Lake View Lodge. The grounds are nice too, with well manicured garden areas throughout. Lee Vining is a convenient town to explore Yosemite from, as well as Mono Lake. Would definitely go back!

There aren’t a lot of options for staying in this town so you’re stuck paying whatever price the hotels are charging, so price not being a factor, this was a great little place to stay. The people at the front desk were very courteous and the place was clean and quiet.
The highlights, that inspired me to write a review, are the hotel grounds and the coffee shop. They have at least 3 outdoor barbecues for guest use, plenty of seating areas and outdoor tables overlooking Mono Lake and the valley below. We found it so nice that we decided to whip up one of our camp meals instead of waiting forever to be served at the town’s only restaurant. BTW, I recommend if you are going to go out to dinner that you drive to the Chevron dining room about a mile south of town. Huge, good looking meals, in a 50s travel atmosphere and lots of (safe) people watching.
In the morning, we went to redeem the voucher (we were given at check in) for a free coffee. What stood out is how much effort someone put into decorating the place. It may not have been my style, but it was nice to see someone put a lot of effort into turning this place into a pleasant spot to sit down and enjoy your coffee. There were even coffee aficionado magazines fanned out on one of the tables. We walked into the the smell of fresh baked blueberry scones (a food I only enjoy when sot and warm) and decided it was such a nice spot, we took our drinks there instead of rushing off to the car.
Anyway, as I drove away from that pleasant experience, I thought, this place deserves a review!

Lakeview lodge is our favorite place to stay when we go up for June Mountain trips.
Lee vining is a dead town with nothing open past 8pm which kinda sucks, but lake view lodge provides large sized rooms, standard amenities all at a relatively low price.