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Bunkhouse Motel: Traveller Reviews

400 E. River Rd., Medora, ND 58645
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Ranked #4 of 4 hotels in Medora
2.5 of 5 stars 17 Reviews
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17 reviews from our community

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UAE
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
Reviews in 27 cities Reviews in 27 cities
40 helpful votes 40 helpful votes
“Basic”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 July 2011
1
person found this review helpful

OK for one night, just a place to crash. The Bunkhouse is an offshoot of the Badlands Motel. It's across the railway line from the Badlands, but you must check in at the Badlands Motel to get the key. The Badlands check-in staff were friendly, helpful and polite.
The Bunkhouse complex is more like a hostel than a motel, but the rooms are self-contained. We had a very small room with a queen-size bed and tiny bathroom, in a building with 6 of these rooms. The windows don't lock, which is a worry, and the air conditioner is very noisy. Go easy on the hot water, as the heating unit is small and if you have a long shower the next person will have to wait. There is an outdoor swimming pool onsite and a common room at the front of the complex that has wireless internet. If you are in one of the room blocks near the common room the wireless will reach your room (it did ours). There is parking outside the units.

We ate breakfast at the Chuckwagon restaurant in Medora - $13 for a buffet that was pretty good. It would be enough for you to skip lunch!
Dinner up at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue was a total ripoff - avoid it. It was an expensive, production-line tin messplate dishup that was more like what inmates would eat. Nice views but that's all.

Medora is an interesting place, and where you want to be if you visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. If you are a budget hostelling type, the Bunkhouse will be fine. If not, one night is enough!

Room Tip: Get one close to the common room, so you can get the wireless internet.
See more room tips
  • Stayed July 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Minneapolis MN
Senior Contributor
46 reviews 46 reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
“Strange, quirky place but okay stay”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 July 2011

This place is a group of older building, one level, built for miners, back in the day. No soundproofing and small with no frills. However, it was very clean and the bed was pretty good. We had an end unit in the last building which may have helped reduce the amount of noise. It's the cheapest lodging in Medora, and still a lot for what you get, but we have stayed in worse places :)

  • Stayed June 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
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Ask jeaninelouise about Bunkhouse Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Henderson, Kentucky
2 reviews
“Trashy & Tiny. We couldn't even stay after we saw the room.”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 June 2011

We originally tried to check in at a sister hotel owned by the same non-local group. They were full so they offered us a room at The Bunkhouse. We needed a room with 2 double beds for my husband & I and our 2 kids. The room they gave us only had 2 twin beds. WE would not have stayed there even if the beds had been bigger, though. The "hotel" looked like a series of portable trailers that had been placed on a lot and divided into tiny rooms. It was run-down and dirty. The office where we payed for our room had already closed by the time we found our room, so tracking them down in order to report the problem of the beds was difficult. Thankfully another hotel clerk helped us find the owner and we were able to get a refund and move to another hotel.

  • Stayed June 2011, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Calgary, Canada
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
“The Name Says it All”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 September 2010

If you want a taste of being a cowhand, this is the place to stay. The name says it all. It is almost like staying in a real bunkhouse. They made small rooms in some double-wide trailers and called it a motel. I must say that the room was clean. It was also bug free, although it worried me a bit when I saw that the room came with a fly swatter hanging in the corner. There was an air conditioner, but it was very noisy. There were curtains on the window, but they were so threadbare that it was like nothing there at all. They did not block out any light. Unfortunately, there was a street light just outside our window and it kept going on and off every few minutes. I don't know if there was a problem or if it was designed to do that but it was very annoying. The walls let in noise from everywhere, other rooms, the hallway, outside. The room was very small, just enough room for a bed and barely enough room to walk around it. The bathroom was small. The shower had enough pressure but the shower spout was very low, almost like it was made for children. I don't know about the service. We had to check in at a different motel half a mile away and we did not need anything so I don't know if they have any service out there. The front desk staff were friendly and efficient (at the other motel). The location is as good as any other place in town. You do get what you pay for. We paid less than $50 for a night when packaged with the musical and pitchfork fondue. The bed was comfortable enough, but with all the noise and lights it was not a very restful night.

  • Stayed August 2010, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask memajajo about Bunkhouse Motel
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Michigans Upper Peninsula
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Tourist Warehouse”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 August 2010

We normally tent camp, but the local campground was RV city, so we opted for a motel. At $95.00 a night, this was the cheapest we could find. Don't know what we expected, but this wasn't it. The "Bunkhouse" is a bunch of double wide trailers with four rooms/trailer. First, the positives: it was clean and the shower pressure was great. The negatives: you have to go outside just to turn around, the rooms are that small. Hope your neighbors are quiet, because you could hear someone snoring two rooms away. No landscaping, just trailers in a parking lot. If you have any choice at all, don't stay here. Yes, Medora is a contrived tourist town, but the "Bunkhouse" is an insulting way to stack as many tourists into as small a space as possible while charging too much for too little.

  • Stayed August 2010, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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