5 Best Hotels in Moab, Moab and Southeastern Utah

Moab's only four-star hotel is right downtown, though also standing next to the area's famed red rocks, giving you the best of both worlds, surrounded by the kind of luxury that's hard to find in rural Utah. The interiors are spotless and chic, inspired by the surrounding natural beauty and the area's mining history, with touches of gold, orange, yellow, and earth tones. You'll find locally informed art and petrified wood tables in each room. There's a good restaurant on-site, as well as the only spa in town. The beautiful pool is one of Moab's best.

The confluence of Main and Center Streets is the epicenter of Moab, and this comfortable, contemporary, impeccably clean hotel anchors the intersection, providing a perfect base for families. It's just a few feet from the Moab Information Center, the Mill Creek Parkway Trail, and all downtown shops, outfitters, and restaurants (including two restaurants on the property itself). The staff is friendly and the rooms are quiet, despite the downtown location, and the outdoor pool is a wonderful respite on hot days. Ask about the unique suites above Gloria's Corner Cafe near Main Street. Like many hotels in town, rates plunge during the dead of winter and the the hottest days of summer.

This eclectic inn stands out for its fun design, brightly colored walls, desert-inspired art, and varnished adobe construction. The furnishings and decoration are all decidedly contemporary, combining wood, stone, metal, and tile, and some rooms have fireplaces. The pool, hot tub, and courtyard overlook a shady pathway that winds for several miles along Mill Creek. Though you wouldn't know it, all the rooms are time-shares (units available for purchase).

One of the best bargains in town, this timber-frame motel offers small, clean rooms at the south end of the Moab strip near restaurants and shops. Knotty-pine walls, western furnishings, and old movie posters from the many flicks filmed in the area, give it a little more character than most motels in this price range. Ask for a room at the back of the property to avoid noise from Main Street traffic.

One of the best values amid Moab's increasingly pricey lodging landscape, this homey downtown property is, as the name suggests, rustic—but the 35 rooms are clean and comfortable and provide space for families or friends traveling together. Standard amenities include 50-inch flat-screen TVs and kitchenettes. Within a short walk of downtown restaurants and shops, the inn also has a heated pool with a good-size picnic and barbecue area.