Drove down the little hill at the entrance and met the very nice lady owner who checked us into the motel. The motel is built into the rock and fronts the river. Very relaxing.

The hotel is by the bridge over the San Juan river on the main road. The building is stretched out over 2 floors. Check-in was quick. The room is big enough with two queen size beds, a fridge and a des. There is a shower and a separate wash basin. There is a bar and restaurant were coffee is available. In the bar alcoholic beverages are only served together with a meal. There is a menu with basic choices, but the food is good. Our room had the disadvantage on being ground floor, so every footstep above is heard. Else the room is quiet. The only disturbance is the A/C, which becomes quiet when the desired temperature is reached, but comes on at full power when the threshold is reached. This woke me up a few times. It’s weird that you get a similar room for half the price anywhere outside of this tourist area, but that’s what they call “the market”.

Our one-night stay at the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah was absolutely disgusting and completely unacceptable. From the moment we arrived, we felt like guest safety and basic cleanliness were clearly not a priority. At 9:14 p.m., I got an email saying our room key would be left on the ground directly under the doorknob. Yes—on the floor, outside the room. I saw multiple keys sitting outside other doors too. Anyone could have picked one up and walked into a room. This is not just lazy—it’s a serious security risk. To make it worse, their own website claims they provide 24-hour service, saying: “We have a night phone located on the wall outside the front desk that rings directly to the night manager who will be available to support late arrivals.” That’s a lie. Instead of using this system, they chose to leave keys literally on the ground, like this was some kind of back-alley motel with zero standards. When we got into the room, we were immediately disgusted. There were flying bugs crawling all over everything—the bed, the bathroom, the floors, the windows. The bathroom window was absolutely swarming with insects, and because it doesn’t seal properly, bugs were getting in all night. I woke up to a sink full of bug bodies. As if that weren’t bad enough, the shampoo and conditioner were in cheap, home-style dispensers—the kind you can easily open and tamper with. Completely unsanitary and a huge health concern. There was also no information anywhere about front desk hours, restaurant details, or even how to connect to Wi-Fi. It felt like the bare minimum had been done to legally rent the room out, and that’s it. No effort, no care, and clearly no respect for guests. Now, to be fair, the view from the room was beautiful and the woman who checked us out in the morning was super sweet—one of the only bright spots. But when we returned later to visit the gift shop, we were shocked. An older woman working behind the front desk was openly insulting a disabled vendor she buys product from—right in front of us. It was wildly inappropriate and uncomfortable to witness. And speaking of uncomfortable, the Native man working in the restaurant made us feel extremely uneasy. His attitude was off-putting, and the overall vibe was unwelcoming. This place is clearly running on autopilot, cutting corners everywhere and allowing unprofessional, even inappropriate behavior to go unchecked. I wouldn’t stay here again if they paid me—and I’d seriously caution anyone considering it. The location may be scenic, but the operation behind it is a mess.

The room was comfortable but a bit dated. The toilet needed a new toilet seat. The room was really expensive (I guess because there are not many choices in the area). There was no breakfast unless you pay for breakfast in the on-site restaurant.

Upon arrival, you get the sense of what history might have passed this way, when you walk into the room, it's appears to have it's own place in the past. Room was really dated, paper thin walls meant that you could hear a pin drop - next door, maybe even next door + one, which meant not a good night's sleep, in fact, we were gone by 6.30 am. So, I would suggest that urgent soundproofing is carried out, as we were not the only ones making a comment about this