Hawks Nest Lodge — Hotel in Ansted

We stayed at Hawksnest lodge in early April 2023 right when the wind storm went through and knocked down a bunch of trees in the area. There was no power. Check in was an experience and I think many people decided to cancel their reservations. Luckily we were prepared to camp anyways. We had a ton of flash lights and even our Jetboil and ramen noodles for back up dinner. We were sad we couldn't try the Lodge's restaurant for dinner. We thought about leaving to find another hotel but were so tired from driving all day and visiting New River Gorge NP. There were no lights or air conditioning or heat. There was running water but limited hot water. It was luke warm and ran out after awhile.

Staff at the front desk was doing their best to be accommodating. Power did eventually come on at 2AM. We got a discount on our room in the morning. We were able to take nice hot showers before check out. Also with no elevator we had to lug all our stuff up the stair wells in the dark with headlamps on. Our room wasn't close to any set of stairs either. At least the room view was amazing the even before it got dark.

The room itself was nice. There was a plug in portable heater which was interesting. The screen door to the balcony was on the inside of the room instead of the outside which I've never seen before. It also did not slide very well. There were 2 nice chairs and a table on the balcony. The beds were nice and the bathroom was probably the nicest we had on the whole trip. It was sad that we had to rush to use the shower in the morning before we left. It was all glass door on like barn door sliders. Everything in the bathroom looked complete modern and new. It was a oddly warm night as the storm came through and we slept with the sliding glass door slightly cracked just to get some air movement in the room. It got really cold in the morning when the power kicked on and the AC started running.

We did get complimentary breakfast in the morning which was great and tasted amazing. We weren't sure if it was going to happen because of the power issues. The staff working the breakfast were also super nice and the service was great. There was a waffle maker. They had sausage, egg, biscuits and gravy. Also had muffins and cereals and fruits and yogurt and juices. It was great ending to such a crazy night. Another disappointment was we never got to visit the gift shop. They were closed without power the day before and then the next day we had to hit the road an hour before they were set to open. We'll have to come back one day to buy...

The Fayette Co. (WV) Historical Society had their Dec meeting at the Lodge in the Resturant. Their table was located near the windows. The view of the New River below was awesome. Service was great. My meal of a fried grn tomato sandwich and onion rings were yummy. Coffee was great! It was nice attending a meeting there! Staff was very friendly and took great care of us. (THANKS, Kathy & Crystal! Dining Room. "Front desk" was helpful with info!) I havent been to the Lodge for many, many moons. It has changed alot and with the new construction, I look forward to returning once its completed. Nice seeing their Christmas tree up! I hope in the near future to gather some of my Family & Friends together for a meal there. Maybe have some of "my groups" meet there. Also would be a great place to meet with my coffee drinking buddies! **They do require masks & social distancing, except of course, when eating & drinking. There is also an elevator (2 person limit) for those who would rather ride than do stairs. Restrooms are located on 4th floor, due to construction. If you are looking for a different place to dine, check out the Vista Resturant at Hawks Nest Lodge. You may be surprised at what you've been missing! :) Tell 'em TAMMY sent ya! lol Happy Eating &...

My husband and I would stay at Hawks nest State Park Lodge again if we pass through the area. Having said that, we like the quieter scene and down the road Adventures on the Gorge has a lot going on: restaurants, activities, and different lodging options.

Note: that the state park tram is not operating this year and may not be available even into next season.

However, the Hawks Nest State Park offers access to the jet boat from the dam up to the gorge bridge was a fun, short excursion and the boat driver, Rick, is a wonderful character in and of himself.

My husband chose a corner room that had a wonderful restful view of the forest and the gorge. I will tell you that some of the rooms are harder to access and there is no elevator. It requires going up and down an interior concrete stairway. (There is no elevator access for most of the room floors this is why I took one star away as we did have to change rooms after our second night).

We only enjoyed the included breakfast that came with the stay. Very basic but yet it covered all the bases. I particularly enjoyed the West Virginia blend coffee that was supplied in the room, coffee at breakfast was also to my liking.

All personnel were genuinely friendly and accommodated our request. We stayed...