Columbia River Inn — Hotel in Coulee Dam

There aren't a lot of lodging choices nearby, so I often stay here when I'm in town. There is a coffee maker with coffee packs, fridge, and microwave in the room. Staff is friendly and polite. They offer coffee and muffins in the office starting at 7am. The rooms are older but usually clean, although this last time there was sand all over everything and the tables and desk were filthy. Luckily the linens were all freshly changed out, except the makeup rag, which appeared to still have makeup on it. I always carry disinfectant wipes, and this time they were filthy even after two passes, I gave up after three passes and decided it was good enough. The rooms are somewhat dark, so it's easy to understand how sand on the surfaces could be missed, but I feel like wiping down the tables/desk should be on the list when cleaning a room. There was a gap under the door where a few bugs came in, nothing harmful, just regular bugs. All the pillows are very hard. All that aside, it's not very expensive, there is a convenience store next door, and you can walk to the Coulee Dam visitor center and watch the laser show in the evening. At night the town deer come by to try to eat...

This place was a welcome oasis for us when staying over and exploring the Grand Coulee area. When I mentioned to the motel owner, while booking on the phone, that due to her work my wife was really interested in hydroelectric dams, she gave us a second-floor room with a direct view of Grand Coulee Dam. We had to cancel our original planned stay in June 2024 due to death in our family, and the owners were understanding with accepting our cancellation on short notice. Because of this, we decided to stay there longer when the time came around for us to finally reschedule our trip in September 2024. So glad we did, as the Grand Coulee area has a lot to offer for outdoor activities and the motel’s central location made it the perfect base for both our day trips out to Lenore Caves and Steamboat Rock, as well as exploring the Grand Coulee dam site and visitor center located across the the street. We regretted not packing swimming stuff on our roadtrip because that pool at the motel would have been refreshing in the 28°C (82°F) weather we had while there – next trip we will, as we hope to make a return there again...

The Columbia River Inn is a hidden gem next to Coulee Dam. The motel is laid out as a few one and two story buildings along a hillside with many, if not all, of the rooms having a view of Grand Coulee Dam. All rooms are accessed by external, private, entries. The upper level rooms have balconies. The motel also offers a hot tub, seasonal pool, wet/dry sauna, and exercise room.

The room I stayed in was comfortable. A baseboard heater kept the room nice and cozy. There was a wall-mounted air conditioner as well, but I didn't need it for the time of year I was there. The room had a side table with a couple chairs, and a wall-mounted flat-panel TV.

I tried out the sauna, but it was just barely 90 degrees after 20 minutes (I was cautioned it might take 10 minutes to warm up). If it eventually gets hotter than that, I'm sure it's amazing on cool nights.

One big benefit of the Columbia River Inn is the amazing access to Grand Coulee Dam. You can walk to several viewpoints, historical sites, and the...