Gouldings Lodge 
Monument Valley, Utah, United States
Comments:
Monument Valley is a beautiful area of red rock landscaping that straddles the Utah/Arizona border. Visitors can take their own, self-guided tour through a small section of the Tribal Lands which encompass the Park, or take guided tours and cover more territory and see more diversity of what the Park has to offer. Besides fascinating rock formations and winding river beds, the Park has Indian ruins which can only be seen on the guided tours.
This hotel has individual climate control, allowing the room temperatures to be more moderate when unoccupied. In the summer, the desert nights cool considerably, meaning that open patio doors will cool the occupants well so air conditioning can be reduced and enjoyment of the night air increased.
The amenities are packaged in recyclable, recycled-content wrapping. The towels in our room were 100% cotton, but the sheets were 50:50 cotton:polyester.
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Review:
Gouldings is located on US Highway 191 right across the highway from the entrance to Monument Valley. The Lodge is situated high in the crotch of two rock formations, affording guests and visitors magnificent views of the Valley and desert.
The rooms aren't fancy or large, but then you probably aren't visiting Gouldings Lodge to spend time in your room. They are somewhate soundproof from each other, but not from the sidewalk or parking area.
The rooms do provide expansive views to the Valley and surrounding desert scenes from the room and the small patio with two chairs. There is a color TV with DVD player and cable/dish reception (our reception was clear only on a couple of channels). Phone use requires a refundable deposit.
In addition to your well-located room, Gouldings offers a free 20 minute slideshow; the show misses a great opportunity to educate you about the history of the people and instead shows you interesting desert scenes. The original trading post and apartment is now a museum, showing photos and memorabilia along with the movie posters of movies filmed there. Some of the movies they boast include Stagecoach, the first John Ford and John Wayne movie in Monument Valley, The Harvey Girls, The Eiger Sanction, Windtalkers, Back to the Future III, and The Eiger Sanction. There is a dining room, again with breathtaking views across the desert floor, and gift shop. And don't forget your swim suit; there is a swimming pool!
Though the rooms are non-smoking (or at least some are), the hotel provides ash trays on the patio. We smelled heavy cigarette smoke outside, but our room seemed clean.
The wastebaskets are lined with plastic bags though they are washable; landfills would be better off without the plastic encasing the trash. The shower curtain was made of a heavy plastic; too bad they didn't go with a fabric one.
Further energy conservation could have occured with the simple change to compact fluorescent bulbs, which weren't evident in any of our light fixtures (the sink area may have had fluorescent bulbs). However, there were 3-way switches and bulbs. You can also find a grocery store "around the corner", a laundromat, car wash, campground, church, hospital, and air strip.
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