Hotel Diamond — Hotel in Burns

This is our 4th stay at the Diamond Hotel...this time we remained for 6 nights. We asked for the back cabin which was new to us and fully contained. It looks out to a pasture and had deer coming every night to eat apples off the fruit tree. I give it a 5 star review because given the surroundings it qualifies... were I in New York I might reconsider.||||The things we found to be changed were the absolute reduction in wildlife in the entire area. 20 years ago we saw 2 herds of antelope of at least 75 animals each... no more... group of 2 or 4 at most. Only deer we saw were a local group of 6 that came every night and yet the owls are still present and comforting. Our refrigerator had been stocked with fresh fruit, ham and cheese and baked goods.||||The dining room in the hotel is hardly changed in 20 years... the efforts to covid were present in that the large table that used to accommodate everybody family style are now set with people sitting a fair distance apart..no one suggested that we not wear masks but at the same time... no one did. To be fair, there was no hugging or people coming up to your personal space... diners were served family style for each group and the food was of a good variety and plentiful. If you didn't like the entree one night there were plenty of sides to make due with. I had asked for my old favorites... ribs, steak and lemon pie and all three appeared over our stay. No one could go away hungry.||||While I was surprised to see the amount of political banners hanging along the stretch of the road coming into Diamond, there was no political conversation at meal time at all. I would go over early in the morning to take a plate of baked goods back to our room and so we really minimized our contact. People were friendly and helpful and just plain "folk". No complaints from us.||||We were most fortunate to avoid the mosquitos... the past reports would have finished me off but we didn't see a one.||||We will be back... but the location is an acquired taste and not somewhere I would visit more than once a year or two. It would be like visiting relatives you like to see so once in a while. Give it a chance as it is a real...

The last few days we were in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge we spent a few nights at the charming Hotel Diamond which has been a hotel in some form or another since 1898. Wow, what a wonderful place!! Nothing glamorous, but comfortable and full of charm. Make sure you reserve dinner each night. (Additional fee, and well worth it) Not only was this convenient (there’s no restaurants within 30-50 miles) but it was absolutely delicious!! We had one of the owners, David’s cooking each night and to say that he is an excellent Chef would be downplaying how good (and plentiful) it was. It is served family style for a flat price and is all you can eat. Make sure you save room for dessert!!We met some fellow travelers and birdwatchers from Portland, Bend and the Banks area. The owners (David and his sister Gretchen) are one of the first families (Thompson) in the area and are cattle ranchers and have their own family ranches. I really enjoy talking with David and his wife Ramonda about the hotel, cattle ranching and the area in general. The hotel is open seasonal from April-October and is perfect if you’re in the area birding at the Refuge. Your room comes with a continental breakfast served between 7-10 and included homemade breakfast treats, egg casserole that you can heat up along with the usual breakfast beverages, cereal etc. We had room #7 which was one of the ground floor rooms in the back with a beautiful sunset view and private bathroom. We loved seeing the chickens running about (don’t worry, they aren’t let out of the hen house until after 8 in the morning) and they even helped clean off some of the bugs on our car grill. All and all a wonderful place to stay and a perfect find for this city couple who were out on a eastern...

The last few days we were in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge we spent a few nights at the charming Hotel Diamond which has been a hotel in some form or another since 1898. Wow, what a wonderful place!! Nothing glamorous, but comfortable and full of charm. Make sure you reserve dinner each night. (Additional fee, and well worth it) Not only was this convenient (there’s no restaurants within 30-50 miles) but it was absolutely delicious!! We had one of the owners, David’s cooking each night and to say that he is an excellent Chef would be downplaying how good (and plentiful) it was. It is served family style for a flat price and is all you can eat. Make sure you save room for dessert!!We met some fellow travelers and birdwatchers from Portland, Bend and the Banks area. The owners (David and his sister Gretchen) are one of the first families (Thompson) in the area and are cattle ranchers and have their own family ranches. I really enjoy talking with David and his wife Ramonda about the hotel, cattle ranching and the area in general. The hotel is open seasonal from April-October and is perfect if you’re in the area birding at the Refuge. Your room comes with a continental breakfast served between 7-10 and included homemade breakfast treats, egg casserole that you can heat up along with the usual breakfast beverages, cereal etc. We had room #7 which was one of the ground floor rooms in the back with a beautiful sunset view and private bathroom. We loved seeing the chickens running about (don’t worry, they aren’t let out of the hen house until after 8 in the morning) and they even helped clean off some of the bugs on our car grill. All and all a wonderful place to stay and a perfect find for this city couple who were out on a eastern...