The hotel is balanced right on the edge of the mesa so the views are fantastic. There aren't a lot of choice for where to stay if you want to see the park but this hotel didn't make us feel like we were settling. It's not fancy but we felt like we got good value for our money. There wasn't air conditioning in the room but you are up so high that the temperature drops to a comfortable temperature even in August.

We stayed in a Kiva room and the weather meant we needed the heating, especially as the room is tiled with only a couple of rugs. Fine for the summer but when the weather turns it gets a distinctly chilly – it was freezing outside. From reading other reviews it seems that despite the same price for all Kiva rooms they don’t all enjoy similar standards including the view. In the foreground we got a glorious view of the back of the units in front of us and the occupants’ RV. Over the top of the units was a very very ‘Far View’ – maybe the rooms are called Kiva rooms because most Pueblo Kivas are underground and wouldn’t have a view…..

The shower room was very cosy but at least did have a heater otherwise it would have been very cold. There was a lot of evidence of bad ventilation as there was a musty smell and mould. As it has an outside wall it could have a good fan. Nowhere to put toiletries except the floor of the shower. The basin is in the bedroom area but as it’s right next to the door you get a cutting cold draught under the door.

This same door has a glass panel at the top which lets the porch light through all night – there’s no way of turning the light off which would annoy some people and maybe keep them awake. When we checked out we heard one man telling reception he’d climbed up and taken the bulb out and if they wanted it he’d left it on the desk ! He said they were supposed to be ‘green’ so shouldn’t have lights blazing all night and they shouldn't contribute to light polution.

The balcony was tiny and the chairs were cheap plastic ones, well aged and fragile. As the view wasn’t worth looking at we didn’t bother sitting out anyway. Oh, and one of the windows was broken and had thick plastic tacked over it.

On a positive note, staying at the Far View Lodge saves the long drive but if we returned we’d probably stay outside the park. Seems like some of the units are better than others but at $160 a night we had hoped for more even considering the remote location.

The restaurant was excellent but I’ll review that separately.

We spent three days at Far View Lodge at Mesa Verde, and we had a great time. The room was pretty minimalist, but that was what we were looking for. It was comfortable, spotlessly clean, and the view was amazing. We enjoyed deer, rabbits, chipmonks, one coyote and wild horses. There is no TV, no cell phone reception, and wi-fi is only available at the main lodge building. If you are looking for luxury, this is not the place for you. If you want time to conveniently explore one of the most fascinating archeological sites in the country, then accept that there will be some inconveniences, have a good time. The lodge dining room offered first class dining, using local ingredients, with a southwest flair. My husband enjoyed the quail and red chili polenta, and I loved the three cheese chili relleno. Drinks are imaginative and again, use local ingredients (like the prickly pear cactus fruit margarita). We also had a more simple meal (a hamburger for my husband, and yummy corn green chili chowder for me) upstairs at the bar. Lunch at the snack bar at the tourist information center was also very good, and reasonably priced. We enjoyed Navajo tacos there, and with a drink the check was about $16.00. All the employees we met were friendly and out-going, very professional and efficient.

The Far View Lodge is far, far, far from being a great place to stay. We elected to pay extra for a Kiva room, which looks wonderful on the website, credit to the marketing department. On the positive side, it has air conditioning, which helps drown out the noise from your neighbor. The furniture was is nicer as advertised, but when you can’t open the drawers on the dresser because the bed is too close, you question why they put two beds in a room this small. The beds were comfortable, the room was clean. They provide a refrigerator and there is an ice machine located in the parking lot outside the door. We were told that the wild horses have visited the ice machines to cool off. A few of the rooms appear to offer an unobstructed view of the valley below, hence the name far view. Our room had a wonderful view of the building in front of us and the parking lot, another big disappointment from what is advertised on the web. Our building was single level shack, which made I presume made it quieter, but the walls between the rooms were so thin, they let you hear almost everything your neighbor was doing or saying. From the outside you get the impression you are staying in a trailer, seriously, there is nothing attractive about this lodge at all. Some reviews call it rustic, they are being way to kind, this is a review site, not a be kind to the old, run down lodge review. The park is great and well worth visiting, which makes the lodge even a bigger letdown. Unless you want to drive 20 miles, which takes more than 45 minutes down a really winding road, you are pretty much stuck staying here to see the park. National parks are certainly not noted for the highest level of accommodation or for their cost, but I think our park system should consider tearing this one down and starting over, staying in the cliff dwellings maybe an improvement over the Far View lodge.