The Thunderbird Inn is located just a block and a half from the west side of the Historic District; my husband and I parked our car at the Thunderbird and walked to the historic district and riverfront without having to pay any parking fees. The Thunderbird Inn looks like a cheap motel from the outside with tacky panels of color (teal, red, and yellow) along the outside walls. However, once you get to your room (we stayed in a double) all thoughts of "tacky" are gone. The rooms give off a bit of a hip 1960s vibe. Our room was clean (there was a dead dragonfly in a corner, but it was very hard to see against the carpet so I'm not surprised they missed it), the bedding was fluffy and comfortable, the furniture was elegant with none of that "cheap motel" feel. Check out their website (http://www.thethunderbirdinn.com/double.php) to see exactly what the rooms are like.
The pictures on the website show flowers and a champagne bucket; of course our room did not come with those, but everything else you see was there. The room and bathroom are small but we had everything we needed so the compact space was efficient. There was a complimentary continental breakfast (microwavable oatmeal, small apple and cherry danish, mini poppyseed and banana nut muffins, small cups of Dannon yogurt, orange juice, apple juice, coffee)from 7:30 to 10am the next morning. The breakfast is served in the same little room as the check-in desk and they have four little tables with retro red-orange plastic chairs. The young ladies working the desk were nice and helpful. We enjoyed our stay very much. The convenient proximity to what we wanted to see, the pretty room, and one of the lowest lodging prices you are going to find that close to the historic district made us so glad we chose to stay here for one of our nights in Savannah. I would recommend this hotel to families and people looking for affordable accommodations close to the main sights in Savannah.