Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort Review (2024)

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Want to know what it’s like to stay at Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort? We’ve got you covered with everything we experienced during our stay here!

Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort is hands-down the best Hilton property we have ever visited – and we’re Diamond Members with Hilton Honors, so that says a lot.

The resort is about 15-20 minutes north of downtown Santa Fe.

Even if you’re not a gambler, this is a great resort to visit because it has all the amenities.

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Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort Review

Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort is the perfect getaway away from the hustle and bustle of Santa Fe, while still being close enough to take day trips into town and the surrounding areas.

It’s immersive theming really pulls you in and makes you want to stay longer.

Room Types

When we stayed here we were in a standard King room.

But they offer a ton of room types with upgrades like fireplaces, studio suites, terrace suites, and even a massive 2 story Governor’s suite.

Our room was beautifully decorated and every detail fit the theme of the resort.

I noticed the room types online mentioned that every room either has 1 King Bed or 2 Queen Beds, but I feel like the photo below does not look quite as large as a King Bed.

It was a couple years ago that we stayed here, so I can’t recall exactly how large the bed felt, but maybe since the headboard is so large it makes the bed look smaller than it was.

We stayed here before we started filming all of our hotel and resort stays, so all I have is some random photos we happened to take.

I don’t recall if this bathroom had a shower or a bathtub.

The website doesn’t specify either.

The tv is definitely on the smaller side for a room this size, but we didn’t book the room for the tv, so it didn’t make a huge difference to us.

The room came with a coffee maker and everything you need to make yourself a cup of coffee each morning.

I believe the middle panel of the dresser is also a mini fridge.

The desk was a great work space for us since we were work-cationing on this road trip.

I don’t exactly remember how large or deep the closet was, but it looked really nice!

There’s a safe inside and an iron and ironing board.

For additional seating, there is also this lounging chair on the opposite side of the room.

Room Pricing

If you’re a Hilton Honors member, I highly recommend booking this directly through your Hilton account so you can earn points, get a discount on your stay, and access any freebies/upgrades you’re entitled to.

If you’re not a Hilton Honors member and you don’t really stay in Hilton hotels all that often, then it really doesn’t matter what platform you book your stay through.

Since our stay was more than a year ago, Hilton doesn’t keep a record of our stay on our Honors account, so I’m not sure how much we paid for our stay.

I do know that we either used points for the entire stay or the Friends and Family discount which is typically $65-$85 a night for this type of room.

Normal bookings for this room go for about $150-$200 per night depending on the time of year, day of the week, and the exact room type you’re looking for.

When booking through Hilton, you can usually get about 10% off if you have AAA, AARP, or you’re Military.

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back side view of Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder

Resort Amenities

I’ve mentioned this previously, but this resort really has everything.

Parking is free and there’s plenty of it.

Pets are allowed for an additional $75 per night.

They have a spa, golf, and tennis.

The casino is obviously a huge draw of the resort.

There’s an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, fitness center, business center, and meeting rooms.

Additionally, they have an on-site restaurant.

We ordered in room service from their restaurant when we stayed there and spent about $50, including tip for the 2 of us.

I don’t recall exactly what we got but it was probably 2 entrees and a dessert, so it was reasonably priced, but not the cheapest meal by any means.

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Overall Experience at Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder

So we actually stayed at this resort during the pandemic while the casino and some of the other amenities were closed, but that meant we had this whole place to ourselves to explore.

You’ll notice there’s almost nobody in a single picture we took around the resort because this place was deserted.

We only stayed for 1 night as part of a longer road trip around New Mexico, but since it was empty, we had plenty of time to explore the property.

It was neat to check out all of the local artwork they had throughout the resort.

I’d love to go back and check out the casino, restaurants, pool, and try out another room type just to compare experiences and to really get the full experience.

We loved that it was outside of town too.

Click Here To Book Your Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort Stay Today!

Resources For Planning Your Trip To Santa Fe

For New Mexico travel in particular, I recommend checking out our New Mexico Road Trip Itinerary.

For National Park lovers, check out our weekend getaway guide to visiting Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks.

They’re so close to each other!

Pecos National Historical Park is just a bit outside of Santa Fe.

It’s another hidden gem that most visitors to the area don’t go to, but it’s so worth visiting.

Over in Southwest New Mexico are the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

This place is so fun to climb around the caves and spend some time outdoors.

Aztec Ruins National Monument is another area that is included in the cluster of ruins in New Mexico that are part of this UNESCO designation.

Santuario de Chimayó is a pilgrimage site just 30 miles outside of Santa Fe.

The dirt here is said to have healing powers, so it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors per year, especially during Holy Week.

Petroglyph National Monument is just outside of Albuquerque and is made up of a handful of easily accessible walking trails, with thousands of petroglyphs all around.