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

Last summer my girlfriend got in a car accident on her way to work. We got her Jeep towed and her work told her to take a few days off to rest. She's not a resting type, so we immediately jumped in in the car and hit the road toward Yosemite for a few days of hiking. She called on our way and booked a room here for a few days. It was a pleasant stay. We decided to head up to the 20 lakes basin for a backpacking trip. We arrived in Lee Vining around 6pm and realized we didn't make any arrangements for that night. We noticed the vacancy sign illuminated and pulled in. We also had our two Rottweilers with us and they are pet friendly. We actually got the same room as we had last summer. A/C, microwave, and fridge all included. Nice hot water and good water pressure. Wifi isn't very good. I don't know if it's how far the room was to the office or if a lot of guests were using it. Then again, spotty wifi is better than nothing when I couldn't even get cell service in this town. AAA is not gonna give this place 5 diamonds, but if you at all are into outdoor activities or need a place to stay along the 395, this place fits the bill perfectly. 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

Clean, reasonable and friendly staff. It is nearby Yosemite and mono/mammoth lakes. Will go back for sure! read more

Our night at Murphy's Motel was Great! The room was clean and the service was amazing! The two owners went out of their way to assist us in any way possible. We had a room next to the stairs facing the road and it was not very noisy, we even kept the windows open at night for the cool air. Beds were fair, Internet was spotty, but the service and the cleanliness was the highlight. It's not the ritz, but it's a great place to spend a safe and quality night or three. Maybe a grill outside would be great for guests who bring their own food. read more

Clean room that is older. They changed my bed twice and the cover sheets both had stints or stuff on them. The WiFi is pretty much unusable. Cable channels are limited by ok. I would at this place is not bad considering there are no brand name hotels anywhere in site. read more

This cute little motel in Lee Vining was amazing. We found ourselves stranded in this little town north of mammoth due to snow. The man who owns the motel was so hospitable when checking us in as well as when we checked out. The rooms were clean and the bed was very comfortable. If you ever find yourself in Lee Vining and need a place to stay, Murphey's Motel is the place! read more

I stayed in this hotel from for 2 days. The mattress was not comfortable and you could hear everything happening on the second floor -_- the location was good near Yellowstone. The lady at the front desk was some what friendly. Breakfast at Nicely's and dinner at Epic cafe was good! Ok for 2 days. read more

Stayed at Murphy's for two nights during the first week of Oct. The room was very clean and the lady at the front desk was friendly. Parking lot spaces along the motel building are very narrow. Your best bet is to park in the few spaces parallel to the curb circling the center deck area. Price was reasonable - Cheaper than the Best Western down the street. Access to Mono Lake was good as are all motels in Lee Vining. Free Wi-fi service is included but connection was intermittent due to issue with ISP out of Bishop. I believe this was affecting all of Lee Vining. Would definitely stay here again next time! read more

Clean, low cost small pet surcharge, and reasonably-priced for the remote and seasonal town of Lee Vining, we found the Murphey's Lodge and the owners to be ideal when we were just plum tired of camping. Make sure to take advantage of Mono Cone across the street, and enjoy the food at the Mobil Station! read more

I found this place after doing some research for a place to stay nearby June Mountain ski area for our Christmas weekend. This is by far the best decision I made since I paid $68 per night the other lodges near June were at least $95 and up per night and they required minimum of 3 nights. It's Ridiculous what some of the lodges were asking for. It's about 20 minutes away from June Mountain and 45 minutes away from Mammoth. The room was very clean and well kept. We even got a small kitchen, microwave, and small refrigerator. Don't get me wrong this isn't a hotel, but for the money I spent this is the cleanest motel I ever stayed. Obviously, everyone who has rated this motel has agreed its very clean but not sure why they would low-ball this place with 3 stars. It's a well deserved 4 stars for a top notch motel. read more

Why 4 stars for motel you ask? It is CLEAN, functional and it serve the purpose. I am a clean snob and would rather sleeping in the car than a dirty hotel/motel. There is not much in Lee Vining and this place did not have to try too hard but they did. It was spotless. Now the decor is your normal motel decor not much to look at and the TV is not a flat panel. Some people here have mentioned the shower and they're right. It is a walk in with great water pressure. After spending 3 nights camping at altitude and hiking more than 20 miles it was pure heaven to feel the water massaging my tire body. This place is within walking distance to restaurant, market and even a laundromat. I didn't have the coffee that came with the room in the morning but walked 1 block down the street to Da Latte. They make a decent cappucino. read more

Great place to stay. We were here for one night before heading out into the backcountry. Everything was super clean and very friendly service. Beds weren't the best but for the price we were happy. Only one restaurant in town open in January, so prepare yourself accordingly. read more

The receptionist, Diana was very kind and made my stay very pleasant. I'd recommend this motel for how they treat their costumers in a respectful and friendly way. read more

OK Andrew S' review above is basically correct, but the reality is $109 is a low price for a touristy place. It should be noted that some of the hotels in LV are pretty marginal (as reviewed in Yelp and Yahoo Local) and this hotel is better than many. I've stayed here half a dozen times in the last 15 years, it is always fair and consistent. read more

A avarage motel for a good price. Definetly oke to stay here for one night. Do not expect something extra's.

Stayed here one night on the way from Yosemite to points north. We had a comfortable well maintained room for three adults plus a pup. This was a nice clean property with the owners in residence. There was a area to walk the dog, a Nice deck outside our corner room, and I could walk to a coffee shop next door. Would recommend. read more

Friendly Nancy accommodated me the very same day I called, left me the keys and my receipt in the key box since I came after hours (after 8 pm). Place was clean, not smelly and the towels were in good condition. For the area (so close to Yosemite and Mono Lake), the price was phenomenal ($68/night + tax) and I was a single so I didn't get the 'double-occupancy' penalty. I'll definitely come back again! read more

Big, clean room and friendly proprieters. Not cheap in mid-August, but very convenient to Yosemite and the highway.

This is a rather basic, ordinary motel, unremarkable but clean. It appears to be owned by one family and the people in the office are friendly and very nice. The office closes at 8 p.m. so get there before 8! There is nothing at the motel of any interest - no pool, no restaurant, nothing. There is a deck that looks like possibly a pool was there many years ago, but it's been converted to a deck instead. Check out time is 10 am, and it appears to empty out completely by that time. I have a feeling that most people stay here only one night, on their way to or from Yosemite National Park. To get to Yosemite from here only takes about 30 minutes, but it's up the steep and scary Tioga Pass Road (although coming down that road is harder and scarier than going up it). On the way to the park you pass by spectacular Ellery Lake. Once you're in the park it's a short drive to the Tuolumne Meadows area, but then another 2-hour drive to Yosemite Valley. This motel is really just a place to crash for the night and that's it. There's no reason to linger at this motel and I can't imagine why anyone would stay more than one night in a row, but the room was clean and comfortable, and the refrigerator worked well, even the small freezer inside it worked well too. (No microwave in the room, but there is one microwave in the common room with the ice machine and soda vending machine.) The entire town of Lee Vining appears to close down early for a town that depends so much on tourists passing through. There is a hamburger and ice cream stand directly across the street from Murphey's Motel, and it had an interesting menu on the wall, with many varieties of hamburgers, but it closed at 7:30 p.m. the evening we were there. Odd hour to close, especially for a tourist town where people may be passing through at any hour. The now-famous Whoa Nellie Deli up the road at the Mobil gas station stays open until 9, but their prices are substantially higher. There are a couple other restaurants in this town that stay open until 9. But after 9 you're pretty much out of luck. Maybe they stay open later on the weekends. There is a small grocery store that stays open until 10 p.m, and they have everything you want - one of those little stores that crams a great variety of stuff into a small area. As a last ditch meal, you could buy something there and heat it in the motel's shared microwave. The price at this motel seems a little high for a bare-bones place, but I guess it's the going rate for anything this close to Yosemite. read more

Great, clean room and very kind service from the front desk were what greeted me at this great roadside motel. The owner really cares about the place and the experience we have as guests. If you stay in the first floor rooms, you can hear the upstairs neighbor quite a bit. That's the only downside if you don't get a second floor room. But other than that, really good, affordable accommodations! read more

Stayed for one night en route to Yosemite. Basic motel w/ all the necessities, walking distance to food places. I was very impressed with the large bathroom & shower, it looked very new. Place was clean. Can't complain about the price either since I got a AAA discount during the offseason ($55). read more

Couldn't be more happy with our stay. Me, my brother and a friend were up for a fishing trip. Had one of the 3-bed bedrooms. Spacious for 3 big guys, clean and tidy. Bonus points for the fish cleaning station at the motel, plus they will take your fish each day and keep them in their freezer, so you don't need to worry about keeping your fish on ice in an ice chest. Walking distance to all of the restaurants and shops. read more

Anytime I'm in this area, such as skiing in June mountain or even at Mammoth, I would stay at this place. It serves it purpose well. It's also quiet, especially during the winter time when the whole time seems closed. Just plan your trip here carefully during the winter time because the only restaurant in town is closed midweek. Fortunately you have the market down the street that's always open. The rooms are nice and clean, and they each have a fridge. There's a microwave available in the commons area. Really friendly front desk people as well, and a breeze to schedule a reservation. read more

One star is too generous. I would rather sleep next to Mono Lake in the sand with dead seagulls and flies than spend another night in this outdated and over priced "motel". Leave your shoes on and enjoy a trip back to the 70's......and not in a good way. read more

Clean, comfortable and spacious room. Relatively quiet - relatively because the sounds from US-395 are impossible to escape anywhere in town. Great location- walking distance from restaurants and the Mono Lake Committee bookstore/visitor center. read more

Older motel, 70s? Dated and soon in need of an update, but clean & comfortable. Inexpensive furniture, bedding and towels. Honeymooners will love the party size shower. Owner operator onsite - a good thing. Fridge and coffee in room, parking lot fills quickly. Basic room, prices seemed high but comparable to nearby hotels. Cable TV. No radio stations in this part of CA. Free WiFi is slow. Great location in Lee Vining, walk to restaurants and bars. read more

5 stars for being clean and the staff is very friendly. It was cheap too. Short walk to everything in Lee Vining ... Okay everywhere is a short walk in Lee Vining. Good burgers and ice cream across the street and a coffee shop next door. They even allow dogs. read more

If there is nothing else available, I would rather drive to Bridgeport or to Mammoth than stay here. We had a room in the back. While packing our car to leave in the morning, a worker at the motel was hanging around in the back of the building near the A-frame house. We were in and out of the car and after we left the motel, we went to get our GPS and it was no where in the car. It was there in the car in the morning but gone an hour later. Stolen GPS and a linen shirt too. So BEWARE of an on-site thief. read more

We had 3 rooms and all were clean (the rooms are big), showers worked great, AC worked great, Mom and little sis made friends with the owner(?) while we hiked Cloud's Rest and they enjoyed his time and the information he provided them. The deck area was nice place to have dinner with some take-out BBQ from down the street after a long hike during the day. Wi-fi signal was pretty weak though. read more

The room was spacious and clean. I liked having a mini-frig in the room. Contrary to what a previous poster wrote, the TV has dozens (a hundred or more?) channels. The WiFi was strong, if used in off-hours, otherwise, it slows down a bit when everyone is using it in the early evening. I was pleasantly surprised by this place and the owners are friendly. I had stayed at one of their competitors a month previous and this place is better, hands down. The walls are somewhat thin, so I was glad I wasn't next to any partiers or screaming kids! And, yeah, the MobilMart is good eatin'. read more

Not many options in Lee Vining, but we gave this a shot in July. About the only reason to stay in LV is proximity to Tioga Pass. Pros: largish room, close to Tioga Pass, small TV and fridge Cons: many - A swarm of bugs/flies that congregated near the wall light when we entered. I don't know what happened to them, because they disappeared in the morning, but it wasn't comforting. - Ask for a second floor room. We got a first floor room, and were woken up both nights by the floorboard/ceiling creaking, loudly. This being near Yosemite, the group upstairs were getting up at 4 or 5am for hikes. - No water fountain. Oddly, they have an ice machine, but we couldn't find an accessible fountain, and didn't trust the sink water. - The front office closes at 8pm, so if you need anything later, you're out of luck. - The women that run the front desk (owners?) aren't the friendliest. They seemed to have an attitude most of the time, which probably comes from the lack of much competition. Honestly, if you can camp (and find a spot), I think you're better off than spending the $100+ a night here. read more

Thank you Murphy's for a great stay. This is the best place to stay in Lee Vining -- clean spacious rooms, friendly and helpful staff, centrally located. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants accomdation close to Yosemite, Mono Lake, and Bodie. I've stayed at Murphy's a number of times and I've never been disappointed. read more

Clean rooms, good shower and dog friendly. Room was good sized, clean and had a TV. Refrigerator's freezer compartment was small, but actually cold enough to freeze our water bottles for our cooler. The room was a little too warm, but it was October so maybe they were getting heater started for the winter? Staff was pleasant and suggested an alternate route to Bishop that we really enjoyed. read more

Expensive -- $126 in late July 2013. Nice rooms with sunken shower. About 12 TV channels; no pool; soda machine didn't work; office not staffed after 8 pm. Morning sun blasts through the windows during summer because of thin curtains. All and all, I disliked Lee Vining. Gas was $1.00 higher than in Bishop; food at the market was 40-50% over Safeway or Vons. Better to stay in Bishop, which is about 90-minutes away on 395. read more

I've stayed here twice. The outside is nice, well landscaped and I like the architecture. The rooms are spacious, clean, smell fresh with comfortable beds. The TV is old and small but fridge makes up for that. They are smoke free and pet friendly so that always gives an additional star to a motel, especially when Im traveling with my furry companions. Add free waffles for breakfast and it would get an additional star. read more

Clean room, ample parking, nice staff, good location, decent price. Our room, and I think all rooms, had a mini fridge and microwave. Very handy. read more

I previously unfairly reviewed Murphey's Motel. I confused them with the general anti-pet price fixing environment in Lee Vining. I was looking for a Motel for my family of 3 and 2 small pets. I Love the Lee Vining region. To my despair I found what appeared to be a general conspiracy of sorts not only to manipulate prices, but, to out and out reject any pets. There are any number of ways for a business owner to establish a policy that allows pets, and quite frankly, its an opportunity to make additional money. In any event, Murphey's happens to be the only place that will access a well minded pet which you keep under supervision. I also found the Motel clean and comfortable with very friendly service. I was very happy with my stay, oh, and the price was very reasonable considering what some of the competitors are gouging for. read more

I just want to say how wonderful they were with our stay as the wild fires of the western sierra's smoke overwhelmed the eastern sierra where Lee Vining is located. We had a 3 day reservation in Sept that dates were changed as we were to work the Tioga Pass Run/Walk that was cancelled. We changed the dates to be able to go into the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite as you were required to have a day pass to enter the park. We checked with the motel about the conditions a week before our arrival date, they would have a clear day then smoky day. We kept our reservation and on our way CJ called us to say that we would be charged daily vs the whole three days as conditions had deteriorated. That way we could leave early. We did make it into Yosemite one day for a easy day hike. So disturbing to not see the high peaks covered in smoke. The room was clean, we chose not to have it cleaned as we had plenty of towels for two days. Dining was not a problem, take out meals were available and some indoor dining. We'll be back next year if the race can be held and of course visit Yosemite's trails on day hikes. read more

This is more or less a typical no-frills motel. The only thing really different then most hotels and motels is that the office closes at 8:00. The wifi was also a bit slow (my 3G data was faster) but it is still better then nothing. There is not pool, but there is a deck out side. This was good enough for my money, but definitely not a luxury hotel. read more