It was a really small room but it served its purpose. We wanted to stay inside the park and not have to drive up and down the mesa while there. This is the only hotel inside the park. Ryan slept on a sleeping bag in the floor. We had a nice balcony, cool 68 degree weather, and all the PBJ you could eat.
Like I said the room was small with only double beds and the bathroom was tiny! We weren’t inside the room much as we spent most of our time hiking and exploring. The views were superior, and seeing the pueblo people’s kivas and dwellings were worth the small room.
The only downside to the park was when we decided we needed an actual meal instead of PBJ. We tried the Far View Terrace for a late lunch. It was SO expensive. A sandwich meal (panini or cheesesteak, chips, drink) or fancy flatbread pizza was $14 (times 5). Since there’s only 2 places to eat they definitely overcharge. I highly recommend NOT eating there. There wasn’t much to choose from and it the food was mediocre. The workers were super friendly though! The kids ended up not even eating most of what they ordered because it was Greek based (go figure in an Indian-based park). After eating PBJ for days the meal was a let down and not worth the money. There was another restaurant inside the park but the kids would not have eaten anything on the menu. Plus they are only open at dinner and most items were $24-25 each (times five). Chris and I would have loved to have tried the authentic food.
Overall, Mesa Verde was somewhere everyone needs to see. The Balcony Tour video is coming up tomorrow. All five of us give it a TEN!
To recap:
- Stay at the Far View Lodge for convenience
- Bring your own food or pay for mediocre overpriced food
- Book a ranger-guided Balcony House tour or other cliff tour
- Hike into the canyon and bring plenty of water (Petroglyph trail was awesome)
J
Five Barefeet 