My husband and I stayed at Big Meadows for one night, and I believe we had a "Deluxe" room - it was very nice. On their list of room costs the Deluxe was above the Superior, we felt like we had one of the nicer rooms.

The room was very clean, new furniture, a great view (when the mist lifted) and very convenient to the main building. It was such a great stay inside the park.

The restaurant was good - especially after hiking all day, we really enjoyed our time at the taproom though later in the evening. The entertainment was a lot of fun and audience participation was a must.

We actually hiked in from Skyland, the day prior to our stay we dropped off our overnight bag so it would be there when we checked in. No problems with doing that. We were also able to leave the bag at the front desk when we checked out and hiked on to Lewis Mountain cabins. We ended up getting shuttled back later that day to pick our luggage up and head out of the park.

Overall, I think I enjoyed Big Meadows better than Skyland. The whole trip was a great experience though.

Arrived and departed in thick fog, which was disappointing, but at least the lodge and the room were really attractive. The room - built all of wood - had a heavy and attractive scent of wood, was spacious and attractive, very smartly presented, and despite the presence of the excellent new TV screen, managed to maintain its traditional air of country dignity. View of woodlands out the back window over the balcony, and deer appeared in the fog the following morning.

The lodge is equally charming. The food isn't that great, but it's OK, and the overall experience is enhanced by the beautiful wooden dining room, and log burning fires.

Drinks in the bar are inexpensive, and the evening is made more charming by the live music. Staff all very obliging and friendly. A great stay - just wish I'd been able to see something from the Skyline Drive!

There are few places you can stay that are well maintained, comfortable and have resisted being another run of the mill hotel. This lodge is wonderful, it's so pristine and secluded, but in fact just 90 min (or so) from DC. Sure the food isn't the high point of staying here, the views and fresh air are. The rooms look like they were recently redone, and they were clean, nice wood-timber furniture.
Staying so late in the season also was great as there were no crowds, little traffic on Skyline Drive and it was very nice to take day trips
to nearby scenic points. This is a great place and is very reminiscent
of the Asilomar Convention center in California (also a great place to visit).

We did a one night trip to Big Meadows. We originally made reservations for Thursday, Oct 25, but that's when all the rains came. So we called to change to Sunday, Oct 28. No problems with the change. They said we will still have a standard room, but we would be changed from the original room they would have given us. First off, 2 pm on a Sunday, we had a wait just to get on the drive. We didn't expect this on a Sunday. Friday night, perhaps we would expect it. Anyway, we got to Big Meadows at 4 pm and checked in just fine. Staff at the lobby desk are nice and try to be accomodating. So we were to stay in the Blackrock cottage. The room is about 12x12 with a bathroom. There is no tv and no phone. We had our cellphone which picked up service in the main building looking out the windows. Our room was cool, but we turned on the heat and it warmed up to a nice temperature. The shower wasn't much more than a mist. Water pressure isn't strong. They do give you coffee, both regular and decaf in your room. We ate at the lodge and remember the great meals we had here before. Food was only average. One thing I remember from years past was Virginia ham and a cooked apple dish. The food is more like cafeteria food. You don't have any apple dishes on the dinner menu. Our waiter was ok, but we were given the wrong check--a more expensive meal than we ordered. He brought us back the right one. You pay at the door near the lobby desk. We didn't know this until we asked. Later that night we went down to the tap room and ordered 3 drinks. Once again, they gave us the wrong bill, which was about $15 more than our bill and we didn't order food. We are beginning at this point to wonder why they keep giving us bills that are not ours and are more expensive. Ok. Now we go to bed. Fine. At 2:20 am someone came back from the tap room. They slammed their door shut. At this point the people on the other side of us wake up (like us) and they can't get back to sleep. Well, walls are NOT thick. We couldn't hear what they said, but we knew they kept talking until 3 am. We checked out without a problem. However, my husband saw a carafe of coffee in the lobby and decided to fill his cup. It had no signs near it, so he just said to the guy, I guess this is free. The guy turns a sign around and it says coffee $2. Rather expensive for the amount you get. So while the buildings at Big Meadows are the same, things have changed.