I was in town for a week and stayed at Murphy's. The staff was excellent, rooms were clean and access to Yosemite was very convenient. It is across from Mono Cone so there is always food for snacking. There are several other restaurants within a block and everyone in town is friendly. I'd stay here again in the future. It isn't fancy but it is safe and clean. read more

Great accommodations. Clean, well kept and maintained. Roomy and very comfortable. Loved it.

People at the front desk (the owners, I think), were friendly and helpful. We were able to get a room at the last minute (in April). The room was well kept, clean and comfortable. It was nice that they had a microwave and ice machine available in the common room. read more

Hit the spot! Arrived very late, no reservation and the place was perfect. Front desk gal very professional ( did not like her restaurant referral however) and performed her job well. Rooms were extremely clean and the shower was cleaner than my own! Brand new maybe. Staff members I encountered while they were assembling to begin their work day held doors, smiled and made small talk. Would and will stay again when heading back to the park. read more

Nice enough for a motel. Centrally located in Lee Vining. Room is comfortable, bed is comfortable. Restroom small but functional. Has refrigerator which for us was very helpful. Ground floor room is better, otehrwise stairs for you. One shared microwave for the motel. It's the kind of place where if someone in adjoining room takes a shower at 3am, you will hear it. The people who run it are nice and helpful. read more

Such a practical and functional small room hotel. We were here for 2 nights to avoid the Lake Tahoe wild fire smoke. 1) it has a decent sized table with 2 decent chairs 2) bathroom with thick, white, and fluffy bath towels and massage shower head 3) sink outside of the bathroom with decent countertops space 4) 2 mirrors - 1 at the sink and 1 next to the bed 5) 3-drawer dresser and 2-drawer night stands on both sides 6) AC and more than enough lightings in the room 7) Quick and smooth check in process The only improvement would be the double-pane window to keep the car noise from the road. read more

Have stayed at Murphy a few times. It is always a good deal, rooms are always clean and the water pressure is good. Bed is good, will continue to stay for my annual eastern sierra trips. Friendly staff at the front desk. read more

Well priced, especially for rooms with a kitchen. Shower had mold and mildew but the rest of the room was clean.

Let me begin by stating that this Motel really blew my expectations out of the water. On our family road trip to Lake Tahoe, we were unlucky to get caught up in a white out snow storm late at night. We decided that we needed to seek shelter and resume our travels the next day. We stumbled across Murphey's Hotel after hours and the owner was kind enough to come out and check us in for two rooms for the night. Rather than jump to the point and charge us for the rooms he attempted to give us options on whether or not we could make it to our destination before he charged us. After talking he stated that it would be best to stay due to hazardous road conditions. The facilities were comfy clean and warm. We honestly found a safe haven and plan on using this motel as a future staying spot for future vacations in the Mono Lake area. Thank you Murphey's Motel! read more

This is truly a hidden gem of San Francisco. We loved this place. Not only does it have a great location, but it also includes FREE Parking. It is a very quaint place to stay and all the features makes this a great place to stay for a week. There was a kitchenette in our unit with a full sized refrigerator. My wife loved all the floral around the courtyard of the Motel. Would definitely stay here again. read more

I really appreciated landing at such a friendly motel. The room was clean and the bed comfortable. That is all I needed after a 20 mile backpacking adventure! Thanks Murphey's! read more

Stayed one night after a backpacking trip in Yosemite. Rooms was spacious, clean and nicely appointed. What really won the day was the husband and wife team who run the hotel. Such caring and helpful people! Rarely have I encountered someone who seems to love their job and love their customers as much as these two. Can't recommend this hotel enough, for this reason. This is not luxury accommodations, and not advertised as such. But if you are looking for a place to stay in the gateway to Yosemite, you found it! read more

Spent 5 nights here. I found it better than the Lake View Lodge. Basically, it's the best place to stay in Lee Vining. The two room I stayed in were very clean, with beds, furniture and carpets in very good condition. The room's A/C worked well, and it was quieter than those found in many other motel and hotels. The bathrooms were clean and in good working order too. The rooms walls kept the sounds from the neighboring rooms to a minimum but could not prevent the sound from the noisiest big rigs rambling down US-395 from seeping into my room. This is basically a minimal frills motel. It has no pool, spa, nor fitness room. They do offer free WiFi, but the WiFi seems to bog down at night if too many people are trying to access it. Still, I was very happy with my stay at Murphey's and would definitely book it again if vacationing in the area. read more

My expectations are not high, but in a hotel I'd like a reasonably comfortable bed, a usable bathroom, the ability to control the temperature, and of course cleanliness. The toilet in our room was unusable by all but our 9 year old since it is installed literally 2 inches from the side wall. An adult would have to sit sideways, which for a man at least, doesn't work out so well! I uploaded a picture, so see for yourself. And that is a very small toilet mind you. Try putting a chair 2 inches from the wall on it's right side, sit down, and try to figure out how you'd manage. Knees pressed together, leaning over to your left with your right shoulder pressed into wall. How to manage hygiene if your right handed? Can't. I immediately requested another room when we saw it and the desk clerk said all the rooms were like that. We had to use the bathroom at the coffee shop down the street. Not what we paid for. As far as the temperature goes, we had the two queen beds for a family of four. The AC unit is installed on the floor next to one of the beds. In the summer, the AC needs to be left on all night, and the air blasts directly on the person lying in the bed next to it. Guess who got the honors? That's right, dad, the guy who booked the room. My right side was frozen all night. I would not recommend anyone stay there. read more

Murphey's Motel - Toilet is literally 2 inches from wall. If you are older than 9, or right handed, or have hips, or shoulders, it's pretty much unusable - Hotels Near Me - Lee Vining, California

A nice quiet motel at a high altitude of 7000ft overlooking Mono Lake, cheap, they accept AAA, walking distance from all of Lee Vinning. Clean, hot water, working room heaters. Good launching point for Mono Lake and Bodie (Yosemite when it's not snowed in). WIFI. Must stay again =) read more

Murphey's Motel - Murphey's Motel road sign - Hotels Near Me - Lee Vining, California

A-ok!!- Very clean and the ONLY dog-friendly place in town! It's an old motel and could really use some updating, but it's very clean and Cj (the new owner I think?) is very nice and helpful! The room was very large, and there was a flat-screen TV, no funky dog smells or hair anywhere! As it is I would not want to stay more that a couple nights, just because it REALLY needs some updating, and for the price ($118 w/ dog) I would expect a little more (like maybe a king size bed, which they don't have). Also, there was a little fridge and coffee maker, but no microwave. Being an old building the sound is not so great; creaky floors and thin walls, but we were placed in a room upstairs and in the back away from the road so it was not so bad for us. I guess that means you should ask for upstairs and away from the road? Oh also, I thought it was kinda weird that many of the reviews kept mentioning the outstanding water pressure, but it's true! No aerators on the faucets, and be careful when turning them on because that water SHOOTS out! read more

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First, because it is in an ideal spot and it was the very end of summer the price was quite steep for this place. Can deal with the price though because we are the ones choosing to stay. But.... Beds squeak, rattle and roll REALLY bad when the person with you just moves, the pillows are flat little hard mounds, and the lights in the lot stay on so for the love of God give us some black out curtains!! All of these items are fixable are are exactly why I got 3... Yes 3.... Hours of sleep. In addition the AC has to run all night to drown out car noise, that is forgivable, my choice to do that and the toilets are for a mini person. I fit but with effort. Would not book this again! I paid close to $60 per hour for my sleep. That's $180 for 3 hours. read more

Great property for the value, super cleaned and owned by the nicest accommodating couple . Rooms were nice and clean. Highly recommend. Nicely restaurant down the way also has the best blueberry pie. read more

Clean, cozy place to stay in Lee Vining. Close to the Yosemite entrance on the east side, which you have to take the Tioga Pass(hwy 120). This is highway is closed approximately November-May. We stayed in room 27 on the second floor and had a nice view of the mountains to the east. Visit Mono Lake is you have a spare hour or two. Trippy little spot. read more

This is a very nice place to stay. Very nice staff who was helpful and friendly. We got the room above the office. 3 queens , cable , and Internet. Very spacious room and very clean. The internet is standard but your not in Los Angeles so these other reviews crying about the wifi being slow or a low signal don't understand where this hotel is located. Lol. It takes some time for webpages to start but it worked just fine. The best reason was they allow dogs. That's awesome right there. The 395 was closed and we have dogs. I want to apologize for 1 of my dogs tinkling on the outside balcony in the snow. They also keep the parking lot plowed. Some of the others had feet of snow. Thanks, read more

Murphey's Motel - This is the speeds. Basic stuff but will get you by. - Hotels Near Me - Lee Vining, California

Pet friendly, clean, A/C, friendly staff. Near Yosemite and the Bodie hills. I wish the towels and pillows were a bit nicer. I will be back. read more

We stayed here for the New Year's Eve holiday weekend and it was a complete treat. The rooms are very clean, great condition and the bed was also comfortable. This is a simple hotel with all the fixings you need to relax on your vacation. The best part is the husband and wife team. They were extremely helpful with restaurant recommendations and place to see around June Lake since June Mountain Ski Resort was closed for the day. If you want a nice clean place and avoid the crowds in Mammoth then this is the perfect place for you. We really enjoyed how easy it was to get around the town. Nice walking distance to Nicely diner where we enjoyed their blueberry pie. read more

Our single-queen room was spacious and clean. It looked recently renovated, but I wouldn't say updated. Our bed was comfortable, the A/C worked (though it ran nonstop through the night), and the water pressure in the shower was good. Wi-fi was good enough for browsing, texting, and VOIP. Lee Vining is not a large town. Take a right on the main road and start walking and you'll quickly find spots for breakfast or lunch. I think the owners of Murphey's also own a small coffee shop next door, for which you may receive a 10% off coupon, but continue down a block to El Mono Motel's cafe--slightly higher prices but a much better selection. read more

The customer service is terrible. I walked in to speak to the front desk about a room & the woman at the front proceeded to make a phone call. I finally decided to sit down after realizing physical guests were not the motel's priority. Little did I know I sat down next to her friend, also a coworker of the hotel. I decided to leave after no customer service was given by either person. We checked out a couple other places, & I reluctantly went back per my husbands request- only to meet the front desk friend who said, I did not like the way you left the lobby & refused to serve us. I am pretty unclear on the vision from the management team and owners of this property, but it seems like a mistake to employ people who fail in the hospitality field, & clearly have zero experience running a motel. read more

This is my second stay and there's a reason I came back. My first stay was 2 years ago after 5 days in the JMT so I was pretty wiped out but remembered it as clean, quiet and a place I would return to....so here I am. Our stay is for 2 nights and last night was just as I hoped. It was super clean, friendly and quiet. I got a good night sleep with a comfortable bed and room. In the hot summer this place is a Welcome respite. read more

Excellent overall. Perfectly clean and very well maintained property. My stay was in the first week of January. The normally small town of Lee Vining gets much smaller in the winter. The motel was free of ice and snow with ice melt on the sidewalks. My room was "photo ready" on check in and after housekeeping visit on day two. The front desk is helpful and friendly. Other reviews here mention the pet policy - which has changed for 2020, FWIW. It didn't impact me. I will definitely be back in the summer. Thanks for a GREAT stay! A+ read more

We stopped in for a night after spending the day in Yosemite, and before heading south on a roadtrip. Right off the bat, the hospitality was great. The woman at the counter was incredibly nice, and helped point us in the right direction for dinner and drinks. The rooms were clean, and the patio in the center of the courtyard was a great place to enjoy a chocolate dipped cone from across the street. Definitely would stay here again! read more

The best place to stay in Lee Vining. Rooms are always clean and bright, and each has a small refrigerator. Maid service is quick and efficient: it seems the service people run at turbocharged speed. Side sleepers beware: beds are a bit hard, so you will toss and turn more than normal. The only real down side is that the internet is slower than molasses in January. Linking your laptop to your cell phone is your best bet for connectivity. The owners live on site and seem to really care about their guests and the property. Staff is always pleasant. Ample parking. There aren't many other choices in Lee Vining, but Murphey's is definitely your best bet. read more

Thank you Murphey's! I had a last minute opportunity to take my family to the sierras, I wanted to show them where I was born and grew up. I have fond memories of Lee Vining and the first place I tried to find on google was Murphey's as my mom used to work there and we lived right behind the motel when I was a kid. I googled them, found the number and called... busy.... busy... and busy... so I gave up. Lucky for me my dad doesn't give up so fast and he called... he got through and asked Nancy to hold the room for me. He called me and I tried again... busy... busy and busy again. Finally I got through and sure enough she had held the room and I had the last reservation for the next few nights. I wasn't really sure what to expect knowing it had been 27 years since my mom worked there, would it look like it hadn't been updated since, but no... to my surprise the rooms where modern, clean and very, very comfortable. I work in hospitality and feel sometimes we judge our fellow businesses a bit hard as we are held up to such high expectations ourselves but Murphy's is well worth the wait on the phone because once you get there you feel at home. The amenities where an added bonus (wifi, coffee and fridge) and we cannot wait to return next year as we didnt get to check off all the places on our list of places to see while we were there. A perfect place for the right price in a unique location of California. Thank you! read more

I spent a night here in January, when there weren't that many visitors to Yosemite at all, so I can't really speak to how busy this place gets during the regular tourist season. I really enjoyed my stay here, though. The rooms were clean and spacious. I don't recall seeing a TV in there (it's been a while), but there was good free WiFi access (aside: can things be free and not good?), which I appreciated! The best part of my room was actually the *shower*, as weird as that sounds. Big walk-in shower with great water pressure and (in my room at least) these coral tiles that made it look way fancier than your run of the mill motel shower. Maybe that says something about me that the most notable aspect of my motel experience was the bathroom (or The Great Equalizer, as I like to think of it), but after a day out in Yosemite, getting to take a shower far better than the ones I've grown accustomed to in my dinky East Bay apartment was just ~heavenly~ Room rates were excellent, but I suspect that also had to do with visiting in the off-season. During that time of year, most of the neighboring businesses were closed, but there's a little store two blocks away that has food, liquor, hot meals, fresh produce (!!!), and a plethora of toiletries and sundries. read more

They put us on the second floor right by the road. It literally sounds like we're sleeping in the streets. The hotel is disgusting decrepit old filthy and there's no cell phone service and know where decent to eat. I would have rather slept in the car and not wasted money on this room tonight. read more

First time staying here. It's clean and comfortable and the whole property looks to be very well maintained. We stayed in the Queen kitchen room. It was pretty big and was perfect for my husband and I. The kitchen comes in handy because almost all the restaurants are closed for the season. I would definitely stay here again. read more

This is a long overdue review. The husband and wife team who owns and runs Murphey's Motel is just fantastic. Caring and kind people. We stayed there in late June, 2020, so we could do day hikes in the region and visit Yosemite. With COVID constantly changing the permit situation in the park, try as we might, it turns out we couldn't get the park permit when we wanted and we had already made the motel reservations. Murphey's was completely understanding and allowed us to adjust our reservation dates to accommodate the park permit dates. Making a last minute change to a reservation in June just blew me away. Additionally, the room was large and very clean. We are not fussy people--as long as everything works, it's clean, quiet, the water's hot, and the bed is firm, we're fine and that's what we got. We will happily stay here again. read more

We traveled from Death valley to Lee Vining and chose Murpheys motel because it is close to Mono Lake. We chose the motelroom with kitchen to prepare our own food (room 40). The motel is a little dated, but the room has everything you need. The kitchen had a new separate refridgerator, because the old one didn't work anymore. There was also a coffeemaker,three heaters to prepare food and a small table with chairs to eat it on. There was a big flatscreen tv with another table and chairs. The heater was pretty noisy, but you really need it when the temperatures drop below zero at night. The wifi signal was very bad. We tried alsmost every corner in the room, but it was bad everywhere. The motel warns you for this on their welcoming sheet, but I have the idea this is due to bad configuration of the router, since the wifi signal can also be picked up at the local Shell gasstation, about 30meters on the right. If you really need internet, go sit at the reception, where the signal is acceptable. The guy at the reception is friendly and always seems available when you need him. There are also a lot of tourist folders at the reception and information about the area. A supermarket is at walking distance (Mono market) if you need breakfast, diner or a latenight snack. read more

Pros: Price was fair given the impressive square footage of the room, the location of the motel and the relative lack of competition. Everything was very clean. Cons: Not the quietest place and the parking lot is something of a tight squeeze when most of the lodgers are driving SUV's. That said, I'd still stay here again. read more

Standard cheap motel. It's old, but clean. Everything worked. We were comfortable. It was nice to be able to walk to the restaurants in town as well as the visitor center (but the town is tiny, so that might be true wherever you stay). read more

Nothing special. I stayed a few years ago and it seemed nicer then. I think the ownership has changed hands the people working don't seem as friendly now. A few years ago there was a really nice old lady who went to extremes to make sure you were as comfortable as you could be. Now the people working seem more glum, less accommodating. (One guy kept walking around, washing his car, fixing things, etc with a real scowl on his face - you almost felt you weren't meant to be there). Oh well... things change. The rooms are okay. Bare bones. Basic. Use it if the price is right I guess. read more

Pluses In room fridge Good water pressure. Basics are covered: parking, microwave in the ice machine room. Across the street from the creamy stand. Short walk to bocce court, restaurants, bar, grocery Wifi is there but glaciers move faster. Minuses Stairs are loud so don't get a room by them if you can avoid it. Bed is only so so comfy. read more

My mind is drawing a blank as I try to think of a one word adjective to describe Murphy's. I guess "okay" will do. The room and bathroom were clean. They have free internet with no password (slow!). No frills but no real complaints. I would probably stay again if I needed somewhere in the area. It was pricey for what it was, but I guess you can do that when you're the closest town to Yosemite on the Eastern side of the park. Be aware that check in is before 8pm. I almost forgot and was running late. Luckily, they stuck around for 20 minutes to wait when I called at 7:55. read more

Stayed in the property for a week. Great unit (single queen) and excellent staff. Spacious room, excellent bed and bath. Very good WiFi and great A/C (it was hot outside). Convenient to everything in town and lots of free parking. I will certainly stay here for my next visit. read more