utahtea

We also did our 1/2 day tour thought the Thunderbird Lodge and David was our guide too. He did an excellent job.

Utahtea

ellen_griswold

Just an FYI -

Stayed at the Holiday Inn in Chinle the other night and we were very happy with our choice. Asked for a pool view room -- the pool is CLOSED for the summer. However, we did overlook a little red cliff!

Did the 1/2 day tour in the canyon -- WOW. WAY cool. Do it if you can. As utahtea said, we wished we could have done the full day tour.

Also checked out Thunderbird Inn -- we were all happy we stayed at the Holiday Inn. Had lunch in the Thunderbird cafe -- not bad! Garcia's in Holiday Inn is better though.

Full report when we get home!

andalusian

We just got back and stayed at the Best Western. The rooms were ok. We had to be moved to another room when our bathtub drain wouldn't drain. Gift shop was nothing to look at. The Holiday Inn looked the nicest. Both are close to the Canyon, and your only third choice in the Thunderbird.

Binthair

We just returned as well. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, which appeared to have been recently recarpeted and was just fine for us. I didn't see the rooms at Thunderbird, but the physical setting was the best of the 3 hotels. We ate at all three hotel restaurants. The Holiday Inn is the nicest, with candlelit tables and dinnertime entertainment. Junction at Best Western is a family-style restaurant and we liked dining there as well. I had the posole stew with mutton, which was excellent. Thunderbird is a cafeteria-style restaurant with expensive rugs for sale lining the walls. Beware that a la carte items add up quickly. We found breakfast in particular quite expensive and much better value can be had at the other restaurants.

Argi

I stayed at the Thunderbird Lodge when I went. I got a discount because I am a government employee - I don't think it would have been worth the hefty $130 per night price without that discount (I got in for $99). They also warned of thefts and to not leave anything in the car. But I found it nice for the price and convenient. No major problems and the hotel was quiet.

jeg

We have reservations at the Thunderbird Lodge for a few weeks from now. The previous poster has me worried now, though. Were the warnings about thefts only about thefts from cars or also from rooms?

jeg

Are you there, Argi? Hope you can clarify. Thanks!

carlyshells

jeg - Visitors to Canyon de Chelly are warned about theft from their cars, especially when leaving it parked at different view points. Sadly, you will understand when you get there. At almost every stop along the North and South rims, there will be Indians hawking cheap goods out of their cars and loitering around the parking lots. It is recommended that you keep all valuables out of sight when leaving your car. You don't need to worry about theft from your room at the Thunderbird. Don't let this sully your trip though - it is a beautiful and spiritual place!

Argi

The thefts were from cars. I have to say though I always travel alone and Canyon de Chelly was the only place where I felt uncomfortable. Mainly because many native americans would set up at the overlooks to sell things and that made me uncomfortable. But I ended up going on the truncated full day tour the next day (truncated due to rain) and it was the most enjoyable thing I did on my trip. So I think the area itself has crime problems ... not just the hotel. They did not say anything about break-ins at rooms ... just cars.

Binthair

Sadly, you will notice that one of the newest and largest buildings in town is the Chinle Youth Correction center, surrounded by razor wire. One of the local mini-marts allowed not more than five youths in at a time, and backpacks were not allowed. Billboards in the area of the Navajo Nation warn of extreme dental decay amongst other maladies attributed to methamphetamine usage. There is a heavy police presence throughout the reservation, in fact I have never seen so many police vehicles. There was a big methamphetamine bust when we visited. Alcohol is prohibited on the reservation and you will not be served alcohol at restaurant, although you will beer cans and broken bottles littered on the side of the road. We did see one vehicle on the reservation with a broken-out rear window, but don't know for sure the cause.

It all seemed sad to me. It reminded me of that old commercial where an Indian is shedding a tear. Heck, I wanted to shed a tear. Everyone we met was incredibly kind and generous.

It seemed very sad that there appears to be problems with crime, youths, and drugs. It is strange to be in such a rural setting, where horses roam free, but sense an urban aura of criminal activity. I'm sure local residents have a better understanding than I do.

ellen_griswold

topping for tropicalbreeze

Suki

This post has hung around for so long that I decided to add my story of stayng at the Thunderbird Lodge while visiting Canyon de Chelly. We landed there one night with no reservations and got the last room. We had the great idea of staying in an authentic hogan while in this area, and had it all set up through the internet and phone calls with a guy named Will Tsotse. We had visions of traditional Navajo stories around a campfire etc...When we arrived at the appointed place, (and believe me just to get there was a story too long to tell here), we found a trailer in which we assumed our host lived and 2 hogans. Scenic, it wasn't. We were told that the man to whom we had paid our money (the aforementioned Will), had "gone over the mountain" and wasn't due back until the next day. This old woman told us that our name didn't even appear on the reservation list, but that she could have her nephew throw a mattress into the back of a truck and take us to another hogan they had about 8 miles away. Well, we felt as though we were already in the middle of nowhere and there was no way we were going further to sleep on a dirty mattress on a dirt floor. In fact at the mention of this, our two little girls started to cry. It was quite a scene! Although we were pretty sure that all of the hotels in Chinle were full, we pulled into the Thunderbird Lodge around 8PM, got the last room and did the dance of joy. We never did get our $130 back.

starrsville

Wow, Suki! What a story. The hogan idea appealed to me but we didn't have enough time. Now, I am very very glad!

I'm staying at the Best Western next month. I'll report in. Staying at the Wigwam the next night - can't wait for that experience!

Suki

starrsville, we stayed at the Wigwam a few summers ago and had a really nice time. We met my niece and her husband there, and had my two daughters with us. The pool area was nice, and they had live entertainment at least a few nights while we were there. Enjoy yourself!

Binthair

Suki: Your story sounds like something that could have happened to me. When we arrived in Chinle after driving from Durango at speeds that dropped to 20 mph over some mountain passes, my spouse started to cry. My family was incredulous as to where I had dragged them. Chinle itself is not beg on curb appeal; I enjoyed it like I enjoy a documentary movie or nonfiction book, and those are my preferences. The next day, after horseback riding and experiencing the beauty and silence of the canyon, they were all enjoying themselves. In fact, the family wants to rerturn for a longer horseback trip up the canyon!

tropicalbreeze

binthair, did you horseback in the canyon de chelly? if you, who did you use? also, suki we were considreing this hogan, i had seen in 'hidden sw' book, but not this time and maybe next either we did see 'el rancho hotel', in gallups, for the next night. any thoughts from anyone else? it is an old route 66 landmark, but i question the place, had many rooms available and no credit card reserve. tahnks for the help and insights

Suki

I've often wondered if folks who have actually stayed at Will Tsotse's place would have good things to say. Maybe some day one will find their way to Fodor's and let us know. Based on my experience though, I would not recommend it.

Binthair, we all enjoyed our time at the canyon as well. Maybe we will return one day and do the horse tour.

carlyshells

Just a note regarding the Will Tsosie hogan-stay - when I was looking into booking nights for our trip to Canyon de Chelly this past May, I had called the number for the Coyote Pass Hogan which I found in the RoughGuide to the SW, with no luck. Number was disconnected. Then I found another number online and tried that. I got someone from a health services center who told me that the Coyoto Pass Hogan had gone out of business. I guess that's no surprise considering people's experiences.

stokebailey

This takes me back to our trip a few years ago in September. We camped in the park, and it was very windy all night. We walked down trail to White Horse ruins, unworldly beautiful, and got the impression that the canyon was formed by windblown sand. A Navajo shepherdess and her sheep and goats tinkled by, ignoring the trail.

The approach through Chinle is daunting, though. Tony Hillerman novels are a fun preparation for this country.

starrsville

Great idea to read TH novels before the trip. I read one years ago. Time to go to the library!