We stopped at this lodge to visit Mono Lake and were quite disappointed with it. It looks nice on the pictures but actually feels more like an old motel. It's also right on I-395 and 2.5 miles away from Lee Vining, so it's the worst of both Worlds = traffic noise + non walkable. The view of the lake is nice but again scarred by I-395 right in front of you. The onsite restaurant is also overpriced so we ended up going to town. The beds were comfortable, but the traffic noise again was bothersome and the old building was poorly insulated. It also got very hot inside the room (much more than outside somehow even with windows opened) and there are no A/C. Would recommend to skip this one.
Review Source:We stayed two nights at the lodge. We enjoyed the location and many things about the place. It was clean and adequate, especially given the small number of choices in the area. I was not expecting a luxury facility, but $244 for a two night stay is not an insignificant cost and I did expect a few of the following.
The wi fi signal didn't adequately reach our room. It was only usable from the porch by our iPhones and our iPad which was very inconvenient and not as expected when they advertise internet access. My lap top computer did work inside.
Their was no coffee maker in the room. Their restaurant wasn't open so those who need to start the day with coffee beware!
The pillows were flat and needed replacing, and there were no tissues in the room.
We returned to our room one morning at 9:30 AM and couldn't get in to our room without getting wet from the sprinklers. We returned again at 3:30 to sit on our porch. Within 10 minutes the sprinklers were on again and we were forced to go inside. Even once they were off, our chairs were wet and unusable. Disappointing.
Lastly, when we were ready to check out at 8:30 in the morning, their was no staff on the premises. There was a sign saying they were gone for the day with no direction for guests and no one answered the phone. As a guest, I expect a staffed facility.
I would stay here again. If you forget how much you're paying for the room, you'll likely find it just fine.
We thought we'd give the Tioga Lodge a try this time in Lee Vining.
We started off being checked in by a spacey young woman, less than competent. Â Our bed squeaked, and had a mattress topper that was 3" less wide on each side than the mattress, which was not only uncomfortable to lie on, but effectively turned the queen bed into a double. Â The bathroom wall was falling apart, its fan was annoyingly loud, the toilet paper hidden behind the door, and there was no place to set our toiletries or hang anything.
We were told that breakfast would be served starting at 7:30.  We arrived at 7:40, and helped ourselves to tea and coffee.  There was no one in the kitchen or any where to be found. Some yard worker wandered in after we gave up and were leaving, telling us they had him working outside but he didn't seem to be either the cook or waitstaff.  We  packed up and went down the road for breakfast.  Great location, but terribly execution.
This could be a nice place to stay if only it were maintained better and a few basic amenities were added. What I didn't like: 1) In the Rosa Mae cabin the bathroom door wouldn't latch let alone lock. 2) There was a window between the living area and the bathroom (Who needs privacy!). 3) the furniture was build for a 8 year old...very uncomfortable. 4) There were very nice grassy areas with a view of Mono Lake, but not a place to sit and enjoy the view. I didn't try the restaurant because we have a favorite place to eat at Silver Lake (14 miles). Another point of contention was that I originally misscheduled my arrival date on a Wed. instead of Thurs. and was charged $50 dollars to move it to the next day even though there were vacancies so there was no loss of income. Then the room rate jumped $30 from the Wed. to Thurs. "because of the change to high season". Really! To conclude, for the last 50 years I have always wanted to stay at the Tioga Lodge. I have now done that and will never return.
Review Source:We stayed one night on our way home from Lake Tahoe. $149 plus taxes per night-yikes! Â Pros: Â Our room #7 was clean & furnished to fit the era, grounds were nice as was the view of the lake. Cons: Pricey, no drinking glasses, toilet paper was only 1/4 roll with no spare...thank goodness there was a box of Kleenex! Â Dim lighting in room, bed was uncomfortable, pillows cheapest kind. Â Then the checkout, you were not able to check out until they inspected your room for "damages or theft" Really!
Review Source:Recently spent four nights at the T.L.  It leaves a lot to be desired.  The property is not well maintained although parts of the grounds are quite beautiful.  Rooms are clean but there are little touches that are missing. No access to ice - no ice buckets in room. Nothing was done about a request to replace a broken floor fan.  I can't say  much for the restaurant either.  Very strange menu with entrees that sound interesting but disappoint and are very expensive.  We tried both dinner and lunch and thereafter ate in town and at the Whoa Nellie and at the Mono Inn.
Review Source:Sleepless in Lee Vining
The ad implies rustic in a quaint way. Rustic is really code for the owner does not want to invest in making your stay pleasant. No coffee or tea available. Very noisy because of the highway. Extremely noisy sprinklers went off at 2:30 a.m. for an hour every night right outside of our window. We booked for three nights but left after two because the lack of sleep was ruining our vacation. The owner, who is located in San Diego, was not too understanding, and just made excuses without really making it up to us. We were promised a refund of half the last night. Of course, no refund materialized. Beware of this tourist trap.
On the plus side, the lawn is very nicely maintained.
Pros: beautiful gardens and grounds, better than one would expect, definitely some charming spots and views - wildflowers
Cons: *overpriced*, awkward service/greeting upon arrival and departure, most rooms (we had two and saw others) not as nice as the one photographed by Yelper Pei K. Â Interiors were short on charm, not enough lights in rooms. Â Paranoid security deposit policy. Â Dining room had awkward feel to it, looked like nobody ate there. Â
Bottom Line: set your expectations for a 2 star experience and you'll be fine. Â Travelers should have some appreciation for just how remote Lee Vining is. Â All amenities in this town have a certain awkward charm to them.
I called the number, hoping to make a reservation over the phone...I got someone who was...get this....not at a computer, did not want to make my reservation over the phone (they directed me to the website), was not at the lodge, and NOT EVEN IN THE SAME TOWN.
Shady.
And after reading Pei K's review, I am sooooooo not making a reservation.
This was initially going to be a 3-star review because I did actually have a pretty pleasant overall experience. Â The staff was nice, the room was comfortable, and the location right on Mono Lake was beautiful. Â The little restaurant was cute and, even though service was slow because it wasn't well-staffed, it was rather enjoyable. Â Being so close to the road could be problematic for some because of the noise, but to be honest, so few vehicles go by at night that it's not really a big deal. Â I was also going to give them bonus stars for having such a friendly and accommodating staff.
Sadly, I am downgrading them to 1 star because of a terrible problem that I'm still suffering from a week after my visit: Â BED BUG BITES!
My friend and I had to share a bed and we both have dozens of super itchy red bumps in a row and neither of us have bed bugs in our respective beds at home. Â There is also no other explanation (for example, we both have bites on our toes and we both wore hiking boots the entire time except for in the hotel). Â If you've never had bed bug bites, just know that they are unpleasant - I have been scratching various bites the entire time I've been writing this review!
I called Tioga Lodge to tell them about our experience and the woman I spoke to said they'd never had a problem before. Â When I said that they could be brought in at any time by anybody, she said she would check it out, but has been cold to me during my follow-up calls. Â I don't know if they've checked or done anything about it, so beware!
We had reservations for the first three nights of our vacation at this place and ended up leaving after two nights. Â Can't really say anything good about this place. Â We were looking forward to it based on the reviews but our experience was not good. Â The room was rather small with old furniture that felt worn, not just old -- we were in the Bodie room. Â There was no coffee in the room, only head-and-shoulders shampoo and a bar of ivory soap, internet service did not work unless you went to the lobby even though they said it would. Â We expected more for $150/night. Â We attempted to eat dinner at the restaurant on site and there was only one person working there -- we were seated after about five minutes, given menus, then ignored for about the next ten minutes. Â The menu was very high priced and for the lack of service we decided to bail to find a cheaper place in town. Â On the morning of our checkout there was no one in the office to be found -- wasn't even early, about 9:30 and nobody was there and the office was locked.
The worst thing to me was that they did not even make the bed in the mornings. Â There was an attempt to do so, but all they did was throw the bedspread on the bed unevenly without making the sheets.
I would not recommend this place. Â It was our worst experience of our summer trip.
Two of my friends and I recently went on a Yosemite-Mono Lake-Bodie trip. The lodging inside Yosemite was stupidly expensive and it was fortunate that we didn't book one because the Valley was closed due to a fire. We ended up at Tioga Lodge, which is right in Lee Vining, a little off from the main parts. It was about a .5 drive (with some pretty hairy cliff side highways), but we were glad we decided to book this place.
Our cabin (#8) was very cute and had a great view of the horizon. The best thing was that the spot to see the sunrise was right across the highway. At night, we recognize Tioga Lodge by its cute Christmas lights (comes in handy at night). We did a little big of stargazing too. It certainly doesn't have some of the modern conveniences, but for a place to sleep the night, it's more than great. We didn't get a chance to try out the restaurant, but we might next time!
The staff could had been more knowledgeable, but I guess they tried their best. Another warning is that since the Lodge is right next to the highway, it could get sort of noisy.
"Downtown" Lee Vining wasn't full but the person answering the phone was warm and friendly, so we stayed here. Everyone we encountered here was also friendly. The cabin we stayed in was large, with a large sitting room and had real cotton quilts on the beds, a welcome change from the typical motel synthetic blankets made out of recycled coke bottles. The cabin was clean and the price was very reasonable. A bonus was the good restaurant located on the premises. The only downside the free wi-fi was weak in room #11, I gave it 5 stars anyway because everything else was great. Tioga Lodge is located a couple of miles north of Lee Vining on Hwy 395 overlooking Mono Lake.
Review Source:Lee Vining was full, but we heard about Tioga Lodge just 2 miles north on Hwy 395. Â Historical place that has been very nicely restored. Â A variety of cabin type buildings spread along a long stretch with trees, grass and picnic tables. Â There are great views of Mono Lake from almost everywhere. Â My room, #1, as well as #2 next to me had front decks with chair and a great view of the lake. Â Nice clean rooms with rustic timber furniture.
The real surprise was the beautiful dining room (Hammond Station Restaurant), with views of the lake of course, and very good food. Â It was the best omelet and potatoes I've ever had. Â My friend had the Hawaiian Stuffed Tioga Toast and loved it. Â I'm looking forward to going back and trying lunch and dinner to see if they are as good as our breakfast was.
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