Stayed at this hotel for the 2011 Camel Races. I had spent a night there earlier in the summer. In my two stays at this hotel I have had NONE of the problems experienced by several other reviewers.

The Silver Queen Hotel is an old historic hotel built in 1876, and is right in the center of town. It's NOT a hotel for all tourists. If you want to watch television stay somewhere else. If you want to telephone you'd better bring your cell phone. If you have trouble with stairs, you should find street parking in the back (B Street) and book a room on the second floor. It's tricky going up the spiral staricase to the third floor rooms with baggage, at least for me it was, not to mention the fact that the hike kind of wears me out at the altitude of 6200'!

The rooms I stayed in (Room 6 & 8) were clean if a bit spartan. They are not decked out with ornate antique furniture but Terri, the housekeeper and sometime hotel clerk and bartender, is a wonderful lady who did her best to make sure my stays were comfortable and enjoyable. The rooms with clawfoot tubs have the tubs right next to the beds which I found a bit jarring, but the rooms I've stayed in had showers and were located in the bathroom or "Water Closet" as they are referred to here. Room 6 was the better room as it has a window facing B street. Other rooms without windows can seem quite spooky (the hotel is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Virginia City) and the lighting is not great, but then I'm not one who wants to spend a lot of time in a hotel room. The walls are thin and noises from other hotel guests can be distinctly heard. In fact, after my first night I went down to the bar and was greeted by Connie, the owner, who had remembered me when I checked in the day before. The first thing she asked me was if any of the the other guests had been too rowdy the night before. I said there was a group that was a little on the noisy side but they really didn't disturb me much. I appreciated the fact that she asked me. It showed me she seemed to care about her guests. Since my rooms were in the back of the hotel I didn't hear any of the street noises one might hear in the front of the hotel facing C street, although the town generally quiets down after 10:00 except on weekends in some of the bars like the Red Dog Saloon, which is far enough away as not to disturb anyone at the hotel.

Don't expect coffee or a continental breakfast in the morning as this hotel doesn't offer them. They do have a really great bakery next door that opens at 6:30 a.m., has great coffee and the best croissants I think I have ever had!

Another plus for this hotel is the fact that they have a Wedding Chapel (they had at least three-count'em three-weddings during the Camel Races) along with a minister if you're thinking of getting hitched. Also "Ghost Tours" of the town can be arranged at the hotel and usually start in the hotel's bar. The tour, incidentally, is a lot of fun even if you're not a believer.

You can get full breakfasts just down the street at the Palace Restaurant or The Sawdust Corner (both open at 8:00 A.M.). For dinner, at least during tourist season, the best restaurent in town according to the locals is the Del Rio, but The Sawdust Corner and Palace Restaurants also serve dinner as does a chinese restaurant. During the tourist season they all seem to close at 8:00 P.M. so you may want to plan on an early dinner. If you get stuck, The Red Dog Saloon also has a Pizza Parlor which seems to stay open later and their pizzas are excellent!

All in all I really enjoyed my stay at the Silver Queen. Although in my opinion the best hotel is town is still The Tahoe House, the Silver Queen is a worthy dowager with much history and I would have no problem staying at this hotel again-but not on the third floor please!