Hey, quillansculpture!
I will throw my dollar's worth here (a 1957 silver certificate is worth $3-$4)
I have never had a problem with the Dow Villa. I make reservations for the MOTEL and not the HOTEL. Been there and done that and once before and never again.
In August 2004, my first night in the HOTEL, the swamp cooler went down for the count and it was hotter than _____. Had to go to Gardner's the next day to get an oscillating fan and that provided little relief.
My room was upstairs in the corner. There was a breeze at night but it didn't get cool until the morning.
Then a couple of years ago, my reservation mysteriously disappeared when I called to confirm my arrival. Upon check-in, the only room they had available was the MEETING ROOM. Now, that room was AWESOME and __________ HUGE!!! And they charged us the 1 KING rate!
Yes, there are other motels in town. I stayed at the Mt. Whitney Hotel. It was nice, but I had a room that was next to the 395 and you could hear and feel every semi-trailer that passed by.
If I had my choice if the Dow wasn't available would be to head south of Lone Pine or to head north to Independence or Big Pine. Heck, I would even try to reserve a room at the Creekside Inn in Bishop just to stagger over to Whiskey Creek!
Have fun.
