Moab-Lodging in town or out
 

I will be visiting Arches & Canyonlands N.P.'s in a couple of weeks. Not sure whether to stay in town where there might be more to do or at one of the scenic lodges (Sorrel River, Red Cliffs) outside of town. Your opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Annk,

I go to Moab frequently and I would not want to stay out of town. Both places you mention are a fair drive out. Moab is a small town where everything's happening on Main Street - all the restaurants and some shops.

I you are the "resort" type of person you might enjoy those places, but I like the funky, small town atmosphere of Moab myself.

Ok thanks! Any hotels you could recommend? The Best Westerns didn't look bad but not sure of their location in town.

Moab is big compared to other NP towns in Utah but it is still a "small" town. At one end (closest to Arches NP) is the Aarchway Inn which seems to get good reviews on this forum (looks nice). At the other end is the Sleep Inn (part of Choice chain) -- this is where I just stayed & it appeared to be new with a great (heated outdoor) pool & (indoor) hot tub. It is about 5 miles from Arches entrance. There are many motels in between, both chain & non-chain. I prefer the chains & they all looked nice from the outside.

Castle Valley (where Sorrel & Red Cliff are located) is remote to stay in but is a nice drive for sightseeing purposes.

We were in Moab a couple of weeks ago. We stayed at the Best Western Canyonlands Inn. It was nice. We had a room with a King Bed, and a sofa bed in a sitting area. Nice size room and decent continental breakfast included. It also has a pool and hot tub.

My husband and I stayed at The Gonzo Inn in August this year. Found it to be perfectly situated for walking around the town.

Has a very nice pool area, good common room for eating the provided continental breakfast (fruit, sweet buns, cereals, coffee, etc.).

Our room was smallish but was fine as we were just two. My overall feeling was that I would definitely stay there again.

We drove one early evening in to the Red Cliffs and it seemed an awfully long way to go in and out every day to go sightseeing other locations.

Thanks for your replies! I will definitely find lodging in town.

We just stayed at the Red Cliffs for five nights. Although the room was very nice and the service excellent, unless you are going to take advantage of all the activities (horseback riding, pool, spa, etc.), I would recommend staying in Moab. There were a few evenings when we finished a day of sightseeing and hiking in the parks and were really hungry but could also use a shower before dinner. It was just too long a drive to go back to the hotel to shower and then return to Moab for dinner. I sure hope we didn't offend any other diners!