If you find your way out to the desert Southwest and are heading through Monument Valley on the tiny little roads to and from nowhere, chances are you're on the type of adventure that means you're going to love all the good and the bad bits of this little oasis.
Pros:
• Unbelievable charm and vibe. The pictures do not do it justice, a true vintage SW gem.
• There's a bar, a restaurant, and a native jewelry and curios shop. Support the exceptional folks of the Navajo Nation!
• The river is super peaceful, and there's a chill upstairs patio with the mesa behind you and the river in front of you where you can enjoy a crisp Coke and watch the bats come out for their evening of whatever-bats-do.
Cons:
• The beds are woefully old. The staff has done their best with multiple memory foam toppers, but I'd happily come back and pay more than I did if it helped to put funds towards outfitting the whole motel with new beds.
• 99.9% of the staff were amazing and super laid-back, but the morning manager meanly and firmly insisted on seeing a "license" for my partner's service animal who was trained at high cost and is key to navigating her disability. It's only one of two times this is has ever happened in our travels in the USA, so this is a reminder that it's federally illegal to insinuate that a service animal needs a license, or documentation. Is it a bummer that folks buy fake service dog vests for untrained dogs and fake student driver stickers for untrained men? YES.