We stayed at Big Meadows with our 2 year old. We loved this hotel. It was very relaxing- no TV or telephone. we stayd only one night but will certainly return. The hotel has a small playground and the restaurant was very accomodating to families with small children and the food was fantasic. We stayed in room 35 in the main lodge on the back of the building with a fabulous view!

This is a National park historic lodge not the Four Seasons. Please go to appreciate that fact and enjoy it, critters and all.

We booked our one-night stay from abroad, by internet, using the Lodge's website (Skyline Resort also on the same website, visitshenandoah.com) and this worked reliably. Note that the charge for your accommodation is made, in full, at the time of booking.

You can book on a room-only basis, but there are a variety of packages available - we took the 'Blue Ridge Package', which comprised a double room with view + dinner + breakfast for two and we would recommend this arrangement because if you want to eat off-site you'll be in for a long drive to do so! The price for this was $160+ and although other reviewers have considered the Lodge prices to be expensive, we thought this was in fact pretty good value.

A stay here is all about location. The Lodge is perched high on a west-facing ridge, giving stupendous views over the Shenandoah Valley - it really is quite magnificent. Our 'view' room allowed just that. This room was of good size, wood-panelled/floored (pleasantly rustic-y, but perhaps a little bit gloomy with it) with two large, comfortable beds. The state of decor and bathroom was very clean and tidy. As others have mentioned, though, sound travels easily between rooms (not obvious why, as these rooms are concrete-block construction). By the way, other, non-view, accommodation - cabins, etc - looked decidely flimsy, looking very much a part of the woodsy ambience.

We enjoyed our meals - particularly the steak! - and liked the fact that our package deal entitled us to no-quibble access to the complete dinner menu. Dining room staff were very friendly.

The central building has large public rooms with cosy chairs and log fires, as well as outside terraces, all overlooking that marvellous view.

This stay was a memorable experience for us and we thought the Lodge offered genuine, non-pretentious accommodation, the 'view' rooms of which we would not hesitate to recommend.

We traveled to Virginia and DC with another couple in April. We rode on Skyline Drive and opted to see if a cabin was available at Big Meadows. We called ahead while on route and they graciously saved us a cabin. When we arrrived at our 2 bedroom cabin, the heater wasn't working correctoly in one room so they switched us to valley view rooms with 2 Queen size beds in each room. We are from Vermont, in the country, so the rustic lodge and being in the woods was not unusual to us but the views were certainly worth the trip. The lodge has a very large common area with chairs and fireplaces and the view from there and also our rooms was spectacular. You were high above the valley and it was gorgeous both at night and during the day. The dining room was nice with average food. The rooms were clean and roomy. We see many deer in VT but Big Meadows was unbelievable. When we got to the meadow it was almost dusk and there were at least one hundred deer in the meadows and in the road. They were everywhere. it was very relaxing at the lodge and I would recommend it to anyone, even travelers from the country!

If you can't face camping with the bears (!) - then this is the place for you.

The room was nice (walls were a bit thin - so hope you're not next to some honeymooners!), and the location was excellent.

Other facilities in the resort were good - nice restaurant / bar and the views - wow.

I went in mid July, but the altitude meant, during my stay at least, the heat was fine - so didn't experience previous problems some have encountered about air conditioning.

There's too much to do in Shen., even for usual non-walkers like me for a day trip - one or two nights here and you're laughing all the way to an enjoyable short break.

The one downside for me - I went with a friend - we're both 23. Apart from kids there with their parents - we were the youngest people there by about 30 years!