The only hotel in the park, the Thunderbird Lodge was built on the site of a 1896 trading post. Keeping that in mind, this hotel is old and shows it, yet we enjoyed staying there, much more than the two chain hotels that we saw outside the park. We liked the architecture of many of the buildings. Our room, in an adobe style structure, was definitely dated and a bit dark, but clean, comfortable and quiet. The bathroom was set up so that the sink is outside the room that has the toilet and shower which I actually prefer. Having a Keurig coffee maker in the room was a definite bonus in the morning, and being able to drive up to your front door makes unloading very easy. We liked the overall "feel" of the lodge and escaping the traffic in Chinle. You do feel like you've stepped back in time a bit! We ate at the cafeteria on the grounds and the food is OK and that's about it. We ate lunch at another chain hotel and it was so-so, I'd venture to say that food is average at any of the restaurants. We found without exception that the staff at the Thunderbird Lodge were friendly and helpful. We both agreed that if we were to go back to Canyon de Chelly, we would stay here again. We drove both the North and South Rims in the park and we had not anticipated what a beautiful and awe-inspiring place it is. Spider Rock was the highlight of the trip!

We stopped at the lodge and spent only one night. The place is modest but clean. Our room was nice, pretty big, only problem is the pillows are so hard we woke up with a pain in the neck! But it was altogether a good experience. The restaurant is cafeteria-like and we had the Navajo tacos as well as the Navajo burger and the pozole. Very good, very big portion! Everybody both at the lobby, the store and the restaurant is very very nice. We also did the tour, our guide was DJ and was really a nice guy. The tour was amazing!! Something to do absolutely! We did the morning 4h tour. Amazing!

I wanted to support a local business and I liked the idea of staying at a place that also ran tours. But, ouch! Hardest bed I’ve ever attempted to sleep on. I just reread some reviews and I’m now thinking, the room also allowed pets which might explain why I woke up itching like crazy and found bites on my legs. Fleas? The new vanity was nice. The very old furnishings, shower, and toilet where not. I don’t think I’ll be back to Chinle; but, should I return, I’ll stay elsewhere. I do recommend their tour. I don’t recommend the restaurant.

We enjoyed our last stay here so much we had to come back without the kids. Still friendly staff. Still clean rooms. Still a gift shop with everything Navajo! Only gripe - no king rooms available and both of the queen doubles were very hard. But the Keurig coffee maker in the room made up for it. Note: if you are sensitive to smoke, the locals burn firewood to warm their homes in cold weather and the smoke smell was very noticeable at bedtime the first night. I’m sure someone with asthma would have had problems. Front desk advised this only happened once in a while depending on wind direction. Not their fault, it truly is beyond their control.

Our room with 2 double beds was nicely furnished and very comfortable. The bathroom had a fairly spacious vanity, and the room included a microwave, fridge and hairdryer. We enjoyed sitting in the chairs in the shaded area near our front door overlooking a nice grassy area. We ate lunch and dinner in the adjacent cafeteria -- the food was OK but not great.