Skyland

I see most people writing reviews are hikers, my husband and I were not. We wanted to stay in the park as we were on our way back home to Michigan after being in Virginia for a week. We took one of the lodge rooms at the very top of the property. I can’t begin to tell you what a horrible experience we had! Allegedly this was a renovated room, well renovate it again people. TV was from the 80’s, bathroom was filth and everything needed a good dusting. The worst part was the bugs! Everywhere BUGS! My husband would kill several and five minutes later more would reappear! Because I absolutely hate bugs, I went out to the car to spend the night. Absolutely a horrible experience! As a retired Meeting Planner, I’ve never stayed in such accommodations. My feelings have always been, facilities that collect the kind of money these places command need to deliver the goods. You charge astronomical rates for what you have but you make no improvements to keep up with the times. Where is the money going? Who’s lining their pockets off the backs of consumers? Needless to say, we won’t be back. This place didn’t deserve the one star I had to give it.

Nature’s charm is out in full force at Skyland. Awesome hiking trails and epic views. The rooms are a little small, but they do have air conditioning and wonderful sunsets. If you are using wifi, the signal is a little weak. Dinner in the dining room seemed chaotic; I think they were understaffed. However, the food was delicious. Breakfast buffet was very filling. A nice calm place to stay

I stayed here for a night while in the Shenandoah. The location is for sure convenient (right off Skyline Drive, close to the middle of the park), and there are quite a few nice hikes nearby. I feel that the biggest advantage to staying in a park lodge or campground is its proximity to such hikes/​sites so you can get an early start to your day or catch an evening hike or sunrise (the views of Shenandoah Valley were great here!).
The accommodations were okay. I am by no means expecting luxury, and I understand that the buildings are old and historic. It was pretty quiet when I was there for the night, so that’s a huge plus. But my cabin was pretty dusty and musty, and the bathroom wasn’t cleaned that well. But, I enjoyed a nice bed and hot water shower after a day up and down the mountains! I also liked the little porch/​patio area for some evening relaxation. In addition, check-​in was smooth, and the dining area and gift shop are very convenient.
Overall, a good option no-​frills for staying in the park.

This is not a cheap place to stay, but it’s just great. It’s right on the Skyline Drive in the national park, and the scenery is spectacular. It’s definitely not a modern resort, and if you’re looking for a Hilton, this is not it, but if you’re looking for a rustic, authentic place to stay in beautiful surroundings, this is it. The restaurant was great for dinner, breakfast was just okay. We stayed in the lodge, not a cabin, and the room is very basic but all was clean and the beds were comfortable. There was lots of hot water, and coffee in the room. It’s dated, but that’s part of its charm; it’s not dirty or otherwise run down. Overall it was a great experience and worth the trip.

Spent a long weekend at Skyland which was our first stay at this resort. Rooms were very clean and comfortable. Registration staff and most of the restaurant and bar staff were fantastic. (Saturday night’s restaurant host seemed like he wanted to be anyplace else but there and this sadly showed in his interactions with guests). Ask Erik in the bar to make you a wonderful apple cider drink (alcoholic) called «The Karen» :) Food was pretty good in both the restaurant and the bar. The proximity of hiking trails to the resort is excellent and where we spent most of time despite foggy, cold and rainy weather. Overall would readily return for another visit.

Highly recommended — rooms have *amazing* views of the sunset and valley. TV and other luxuries are relatively basic in the base rooms, but beds were comfortable and didn’t really hear too much noise in the room (and we were staying in the pet rooms).
A bunch of hikes are pretty close by, as is the dining area, which has pretty decent food, but it’ll taste great after you’ve been on a 4 mile hike ;)

We had a wonderful visit at Skyland over Labor Day weekend. I was wary after reading some of the reviews, but I have no complaints whatsoever. We had reserved a «traditional» room, which I was told would have no AC, no ceiling fan, no TV, and the pictures looked like it was outdated. However, we must have been bumped up to a preferred room, because we DID have AC, a ceiling fan, big screen TV, and the bathroom looked recently renovated. The room was clean and tastefully decorated. The bed was comfy. We asked for a mini fridge to be put in the room, which was $ 10/​night. We were on the 1^st floor of the Pinnacles so our view was partially blocked by trees, but the rooms above us had excellent views.
Be aware that the wifi is only available in the lobby. Our room was literally right next to the lobby and the wifi didn’t extend to us. Also, keep in mind the temp is about 10 degrees cooler up in the mountains. You won’t need AC, but you will need a sweater.
The location can’t be beat. It has the best of the wilderness and conveniences in one place. It’s at the highest point in the park so the views are spectacular. It’s near picnic/​grilling areas, trails, and has a pretty good «dining room» restaurant and bar. The dining room is not bad at all, but we had way more fun grilling and picnicking outdoors.
I think staying in the park is the way to go, but the resort is about a 30 min drive from the nearest entrance. It’s a windy road and pitch black at night. But the drive was also really nice because it’s so scenic.
Don’t forget to LOOK UP at night. Stars!!!

We did the «inn to inn» hiking in Shenandoah. We started at Lewis Mountain Cabins, which we enjoyed. We hiked all day to Big Meadows, which we were very disappointed in our room there (separate review). We then hiked the second day to Skyland. Thankfully, we were very happy with our room here at Skyland. The price was exactly the same as Big Meadows, yet our room was so much better. The room was clean, the bathroom facilities worked properly, plus the bed was comfortable, we had a nice patio that overlooked the valley down below. Our only «issue» with Skyland (I say this in jest) was that we were completely beat and our room was about as far away as you can get from the lobby/​dining area, and of course it was down a hill (with switchbacks). And what must go down, must come back up. with a backpack on. We managed to survive (but we were really wishing we had a car by that time) Before the dreaded long trek to our room, it was necessary to stop off in the tap room for a beer and an appetizer. I won’t knock my rating for this, but we were completely ignored by our waitress. We sat there for about 10 minutes with no acknowledgement. I approached the bar to ask if I could just order from there since we weren’t getting service. He pointed out who our waitress was supposed to be (that waitress seemed to be flailing at her job, she never once looked over at us). Another waitress overheard and offered to serve us. Yay! (We tipped her well).
Later that night, we came back to the dining area for dinner. While we waited for our table, I was able to do my souvenir shopping in the gift shop. We were seated next to the window, just as dusk was happening. Our waitress was pleasant and we had a nice evening. By the way, when you check in, they give you a room key with a flashlight on it. This all made sense on our way up and down that hill at night as there wasn’t any lights on the path.
The next morning, after that aforementioned dreaded hike up the hill with our backpacks, we wanted to eat breakfast before our shuttle driver arrived. Though I saw many tables available, we were told there was a wait (?). So we just opted to get something quick at the coffee counter (they had quiche and some pastries).
The Skyland property is very beautiful. Though our Big Meadows room had big issues/​was disappointing, I will admit that their property was even more ‘charming’ and ‘old school’ than Skyland. So in my experience and opinion, just visit Big Meadows during the day, but stay the night at Skyland instead.

Lodging: stayed in one of the rooms, not the cabins. Mistake… the rooms are a row of rooms with paper thin walls, especially not good if there’s a baby in the room next door.
One of the lamps didn’t work and the other had a torn up shade. This was one of the rooms that haven’t been renovated.
Overall, not bad if you’re going hiking all day but you have to sleep there at some point.
Restaurant/​Taproom: Several issues that management should be able to easily correct. The computers weren’t working and the bar was understaffed so it took 15 minutes to get a drink.
Restaurant was out of roasted chicken, blackberry ice cream pie, blackberry cobbler (the most popular menu items), and honey mustard.
Overall, very friendly service but the employees haven’t been set up for success by management due to maintenance and supply issues.

We had visited this resort many times and tried out several types of the accommodations. The title is the result of our recent visit last weekend which varied from very poor to the very best experience.
We were looking for a comfortable room to rest and have a decent sleep following volunteer work and some hiking during the days, therefore we opted for the lower price range (not so low @ $ 137, but a bit more economical than the $ 190 other option). The cabin room description said «Ceiling fans (limited rooms)», so we called to verify we would have one with a ceiling fan — a must even in the cooler summer nights. We specifically indicated we will ONLY book this room if a fan is guaranteed, and after a few holds with the operator she came back and assured us our reservation will be for a room WITH a fan.
Sure enough when we were assigned our cabin on arrival we asked to confirm it had one as was promised, only to be told NONE of these even have one, and since that night is fully booked there was nothing they can do for us.
However, the front desk staff and manager were very sympathetic and eventually the manager offered to provide us with a stand alone fan, and if we were not happy with it an upgrade to a better room the second night. As it was already late in the afternoon, we had no choice but to accept.
The cabin we were assigned, named «Trout», must have been the worst in the resort: even with the fan it was hot with no air flow from outside (although temp was in the low 60’s). Worst yet, we found the room to be completely unsuitable at any rate, let alone at a rate of $ 137: The main door jams, and you need to push and lift to release the lock. It took some time to figure it out — while we are threatened to be locked in this terrible cell. The bathroom door does not have a knob from the inside, so you can’t shut it unless you stick you finger in a hole and jig the handle), the double bed squeaked loudly and had a mattress that was probably as old as the cabin — yes we found a placard on the wall stating proudly that the cabin is over a hundred years old! Great as a historical artifact, horrible for staying as a guest!
Needless to say we hardly slept a wink that night, and the next day was a drag.
However from this point on things took a 180 turn for the positive. The manger, true to her word offered us a magnificent newly renovated room in the «Raven» section, with all of the amenities you would expect at this rate hotel — AC, great comfortable bed, fantastic balcony overlooking the view, a fan, and even TV, although you shouldn’t really watch TV with such beautiful views from the room. Coming from that shabby shack this was like heaven, and we made the most of it recuperating and enjoying our next day’s hike.
So this review is really an average between one star for the first day, and a five stars for the second, but 3 starts is defined as «average» which would really miss the point, hence the 2 stars grade.
In summation: in light of the extreme variation of the accommodations on offer DO NOT to use the national reservation service: rather call the front desk directly — they are knowledgeable and helpful. Also avoid booking «cabins»: «rustic» in this case was merely a euphemism for dilapidated and run down.

Great rooms, great service, and breakfast was surprisingly good for cafeteria-​style. Not a bad price either.

Love that they serve local meats & cheeses. :) didn’t love the flies in the window. :(
Would have given the dining room 5 stars but for the numerous dead & live flies. Diners were swatting flies throughout the dining room. We also loved our Caesar salad with fresh local berries. Just couldn’t with the fly situation. Please install some light traps! Our waiter was great and so was the rest of the staff but I have to think their tips are affected because management isn’t addressing the fly issue.

Nice time with beautiful view. We were in preferred room on first floor and there were bugs in the room, including centipedes. But otherwise we had a wonderful time and the dining room was cozy and nice. Great overnight from DC.

I was in one of the rustic cabins. Great place to stay while in the park. Our room appeared to be newly renovated with a cabin feel. The bathroom also appeared to be renovated, although it had a low flow shower head that I wasn’t a big fan of. The room was clean, and the staff was really nice. There is a back porch area behind each room. No tv (which I thought was a plus) and no in-​room wifi (another plus), although you can get wifi at the main office building which is open 24 hours.
The only downside is the buildings were constructed without insulation between the rooms, so the pleasantness of your stay has a lot to do with your neighbors. First night was crying babies, second night was silent and peaceful, and the third night lots of talking/​laughter til midnight.
I would definitely recommend staying here despite any drawbacks. Either stay in the park, or drive approx 20 miles to the nearest hotel.

Have to do apples to apples here — you can’t expect a park lodge to compare to a nice city hotel. So I’m only comparing Skyland to the places I’ve stayed in Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and the like. And I must say — the comparison isn’t favorable.
First, what’s good. The location within the park is central, so you’ve got easy access to Big Meadows and popular trails like Limberlost (good for kids!) and Hawksbill. Stony Man couldn’t be any closer. The view from our room was phenomenal — a glorious sunset panorama and our room (like all, I believe) came with a private balcony. And — although I prefer to go off-​the-​grid when visiting parks — I was pleasantly surprised to find cable TV in the room and a pretty good cell signal. No WiFi, but that’s as it should be.
Now, the bad. By my lights, an incompetent cleaning staff. We arrived after 2pm to find out our room still wasn’t ready and wouldn’t be until after 4pm. The front desk staff was struggling with English, so communication was difficult, but that’s not their fault. Ok, no big deal — we did another hike. But upon collecting our keys and getting to the room, we found that it had barely been cleaned since the last tenants left. Three of the four pillows in the room had no pillowcases, the bathroom was a mess, and there was a disgusting used ear-​plug sitting on the bedside table. Not a great start. The room itself was fine by park lodge standards — very very dated with dark wood paneling that was cracked and missing in some places, worn, dirty carpet, and old, less-​than-​comfortable beds, a very basic, well-​used bathtub, but good hot water. Not luxury by any standards (the view notwithstanding), but for $ 103 a night, not unreasonable for a stay in a national park. We weren’t there to hang out in the room much anyway.
The other big disappointment was the restaurant — we ate in the sit-​down area, not the sandwich café or the taphouse. The menu was limited but tempting — at least verbally. The food itself was nowhere near as good as comparably priced and styled food in the other major parks. My wife got a roast chicken that was ok, but my pork loin with cheesy grits came out as a tasteless pork chop with rubbery vegetables — not what was listed in the menu at all. More annoying, my toddler’s bowtie pasta came out as linguine — which is much harder for a toddler to eat. I didn’t bother complaining to the waiter about my meal — I’m just not that guy, and I didn’t think it was his fault — it was the kitchen’s. But I did express my frustration about the pasta, at which point he said «yeah, I’ve complained to the kitchen about this in the past, but I’ll try again.» It’s good to know he’s raised the issue, but why didn’t he bother telling us about it when we ordered? — we might have picked something else. In the end, it was all way overpriced and underwhelming, and the service was extremely slow, especially given the fact that there were several empty tables.
Non-​camping lodging choices in Shenandoah are really limited, but we might try our luck elsewhere next time — perhaps in one of the gateway communities like Luray. And we definitely won’t bother to eat at that restaurant again — total ripoff.

My husband and I booked a rustic cabin and we couldn’t have been more pleased. The cabin was clean and it didn’t smell. They provided fresh towels, soap, lotion, shampoo and toilet paper. We had our own small porch as well. Aside from the fact that it got a bit cold at night since there was no heat, the entire experience was something I will never forget and we both look forward to doing it again soon. I do wish the bed was a queen and not a full, as it was a bit small for my husband and I. All in all, the cabin stay was wonderful and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We did not want to do a preferred cabin, as they look just like hotel rooms and are not nearly as fun. We were not disappointed!!!

Ever since DAH took over management the restraurant has gone in sh… the food is terrible. They are spending a lot of money on renovations taking away the rustic charm. They should put there in a better chef and quality food.

Best place to stay on Skyland Drive! The rooms were nice and had a great view of the valley. We were close to the restaurant which had awesome food, and a nice patio to kick back and enjoy a cold drink. Can’t wait to get back a stay longer. This was a one nighter on a longer trip.

I’ve been here three times now, and when I don’t stay I stop in for a bite to eat whenever I’m hiking in the park. The rooms are not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but who expects that out here? It’s a national park. The rooms look dated and may be pretty basic, but they’re quaint and clean and very conveniently placed if you’re spending vacation inside the park.
I always eat in the mountain room after long hikes. The food is simple but really satisfying after 12 miles of walking. I’ve always had good, friendly service. On occasion, staff here has gone out of their way to help me. I mean way out of their way. Nice people here. I love this place, they are good to hikers. I’d recommend to anyone.

Skyland resort in shenandoah national park is a wonderful place to stay. My brother and I were on a road trip when we stayed here. We got in pretty late (about an hour before the bar closed). They were happy to help us and serve us food even though we were so late. The views from the rooms are absolutely breathtaking. The next day we woke up early and headed to stoney man for a nice hike and more beautiful views. Everyone at the resort was so helpful and explained the best places to go hiking. After we left, we were back on the road and I realized I left my shoes in the hotel room. They found them (I spoke with Mckenzie and cheryl). They were so nice and offered to mail them back to me. I will most definitely stay here again. We drove by the cabins which look pretty awesome. I recommend this place to everyone!!!

The room had nice mattresses on the queens, hooray!
The room, food and service is below average.
Had some weird policy about using your debt card.
Staff very nice, untrained.
You go there for the great outdoors, which is, need I remind you, outdoors…

Loved the stay at the resort within the Shenandoah National Park. The setup is simple! The dining room is where you eat all the meals if you are around. Dinner is served until 9:00 pm but there is a wait, so get there a bit early.
Breakfast lay out is amazing too! Kids have the kids menu to pick from or the breakfast buffet. Everything on the menu is phenomenal. People are nice and service was excellent!

Room had a nice cabin like feel to it. Very appropriate for the location. It wasn’t too cramped with two beds, small table and dresser. Heater kept us warm enough through the night while everything outside froze, including our car. Room had a nice big window facing the wilderness which we were only able to see the morning we left. Even then it was a bit too foggy to see farther out. The bathroom had dispensers for hand soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash.
Very limited cell phone reception at this resort and at Shenandoah but the television reception in the room was good. Wifi is available at the office and dining room area. No phones are available in the rooms but the resort info guide in the room stated that wake up knocks can be requested in lieu of the usual wake up call. Did not request that service but it nice of the resort to provide that service. Especially since it can be cold and icy in the morning and some of the rooms are far from the resort’s office.
Overall a nice place to stay at at Shenandoah National Park.
Service at the front desk was great. Employees are helpful and courteous.

Wifi wasn’t working when we arrived. None of the staff could answer any of our questions or give clear directions to other buildings on the premises.
We went early in the season, so it appears most of the staff we encountered were new hires. I overheard one staff member say, «I haven’t even been trained yet». It showed.
Accommodations were low quality.
Nice scenery, but I’d probably try staying somewhere else next time.

I’ve stayed at Skyland several times over the years. I don’t have any horror stories, but I also don’t have a lot of praise.
Skyland has a few styles of accommodations, ranging from quite rustic cabins to reasonably modern rooms (ie., with a TV). All styles are basic and at least a little rundown.
I stayed in a cabin once, but I doubt I will again. The bed was very old and quite uncomfortable and the bathroom was virtually non-​existent. I’m not sure if it had an air conditioner, but the heater was a tiny electric thing on the wall that was insufficient (I was there in early May and it was still very cool at night).
Most of my stays have been in their standard rooms that are in the long buildings by the hotel office. These rooms are better than the cabins, but still very basic. Expect a reasonably clean room, no telephone, no TV, low water pressure, and a somewhat uncomfortable bed.
Although my review isn’t exactly glowing, the reason I stay at Skykand is it’s inside the park. Watching the sunset from your room’s balcony or the restaurant’s patio is very nice. Having only a short drive in the morning to watch the sunrise is also great.
Being inside a National Park I don’t expect or need a really fancy place. I would appreciate if Skyland wasn’t as rundown as it is, but I also very much appreciate its location.
I’ve never eaten in the restaurant, but I have in their bar. I don’t know if it’s still this way, but you used to not be able to order from their entire menu at the bar — which I found strange and unfortunate. It’s a basic little bar, but it’s nice to grab a few beers and a hamburger after a day of hiking in the park. They also have live music every night (usually a local folk or bluegrass band).

I’ve been to Skyland many times over the last 25 years or so. Trout Unlimited occasionally used their meeting facilities for an annual meeting and awards banquet. I’ve eaten here on and off over the years when coming back from a trout fishing trip or traveling down Skyline Drive.
The one thing I’ve not yet done is stay over night at the Lodge — which is on my list of things to experience. I stopped in here this past Friday during my visit to the park. It was raining and blustery out — I stopped in to look around Skyland and visit the gift shop/​convenience store.
I ended up buying a cool Minnetonka leather brimmed hat to keep the rain out, and a couple of pieces of home décor — rustic looking votive candle holders — each holding up a translucent leaf in front of the candle — in colors reminiscent of Autumn.
The little old lady working the counter was a real sweetie. She went to great lengths to wrap up and secure my candle holders to protect them for the journey home.
The dining area was pretty busy when I arrived — I eyeballed a menu to see if anything appealed to me — but the truth was I was not yet hungry. I love the ambiance of the place!