Zion Cliff Lodge - Boutique Lodge in Hilldale — Hotel in Hildale

If you follow me you know I do not give many 5 stars reviews. This place is one:

Our stay at The Cliff House Lodge in Apple Valley, Utah—just two blocks from the Arizona border and minutes from Zion National Park—was one of the best lodging experiences we’ve had. The lodge has been very recently renovated, and it shows. Everything felt fresh, clean, and thoughtfully updated.

The owners and staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. They took the time to answer all our questions, and their hospitality made us feel right at home. One standout feature is the flexible breakfast—you can grab a continental breakfast any time of day, which was super convenient. There’s also a self-serve beer tap where you can either add the cost to your room or leave a tip in the jar. A fun touch!

One unique aspect is the shared bathrooms—there are two, with only one shower. Initially, we thought this might be inconvenient, but it honestly wasn’t an issue at all. We always had access when needed, and everything was clean and well-maintained.

There are lots of thoughtful extras: a basketball hoop, barbecue grills, and plans to soon offer farm-fresh eggs right from the property. The owner mentioned hopes to bring in a chef to start serving meals on-site, which would be a great addition. RV travelers are welcome too, as the lodge is also a Travel Host site with RV parking available.

Each room comes with a comfy bed, plenty of pillows, and its own outdoor patio. The common patio off the main lobby is the perfect spot to watch the sunrise or sunset over the surrounding cliffs. You’ll hear roosters crowing in the distance—charming and very fitting for the peaceful, rural vibe of the area.

The woman running the lodge was incredibly kind—even insisting on helping us carry our luggage despite our protests. It’s rare to find that level of personal care these days.

Overall rating: 5/5 This lodge combines rustic charm with modern comfort, and the hospitality is top-notch. We highly recommend The Cliff House Lodge to anyone visiting Zion National Park or just looking for a peaceful, welcoming stay in...

What a special place this is! Not your typical impersonal hotel experience at all. At first I was surprised when we drove into this quiet town, but we quickly felt comfortable. Feels almost like you’re staying in a private house, beautifully appointed, with social area upstairs (met some other guests), and a lovely outside deck to take in the country air.

The owners, Lisa & Shem, are a hospitable couple and kind, wonderful hosts (she even offered my son ice cream while the adults all socialized…shhh!). Clearly they are fastidious with cleaning, the place is immaculate, the room we were in (#12) was lovely, with a desk, a fridge, an armoire, a big cushy chair, 2 queens.

We were on a road trip from CA with our 4th grade son, heading to Zion and Bryce after this, and have no regrets staying here even though it was a bit further than I’d realized from the entrance to Zion (as the crow flies it’s quite close!). It was worth it just to escape the hustle bustle of typical hotel-packed towns and relax in this little oasis with good company (and wash our clothes!). It is a good central location overall to much of the great sights of southern Utah and Arizona plus I learned there are great hikes very close by. Limited food options that we knew of in the area; a Subway was super close and open til 9pm.

Also I really appreciated the ease of check in and check out…pretty non-existent! I got a text with necessary info on my room and door code; we just showed up and I was in the shower within 10 minutes of arriving! Leaving was the same, we just headed out. No keys to turn in or lines to wait in or extra steps like in so many hotels. Again, felt more like I was a guest in a friend’s beautiful spacious home.

Lisa & Shem seem to have a beautiful vision with this place and I can see it being the heart of this small town as it grows. Highly recommended. We would like to return again someday to this lodge as it felt like a very special...

We originally booked because we misunderstood this property's proximity to Zion National Park (it's roughly equidistant between Zion and Bryce Canyon parks, and we thought it was much closer to Zion). We almost changed our booking, but we decided that it looked so cute that we wanted to give it a try anyway. Man, are we glad we did! It's now officially Our Favorite Place. The owner/operators really made it easy for you to be as social or introverted as you prefer. You can text questions or request assistance 24/7, and they are always prompt and friendly. They didn't serve a hot breakfast while we were there, but they did have a robust continental breakfast/snacking/coffee bar available all day and night. They do have a commercial kitchen, but frankly we left early each morning to go hiking, so the offerings were perfect for our purposes. It's a large, beautiful home (with 10 huge guest rooms, it's small for a b&b but HUGE for a home) and you can tell loving attention was paid to all the appointments and decor. We stayed in the Kokopeli room (#25) - don't be fooled into thinking from the pictures that the size of the tub is a lens trick, it is NOT. It really is that big, AND it is a deep soaking tub. I'm 5'9", and after hiking all day in snow and ice I really enjoyed getting to stretch out in a tub where I could float effortlessly. Also note, two people can easily relax in this tub together wink. We can't wait to...