Grand Canyon - where to stay?

[mog]

We are going to be in Vegas this summer and would like to go see the Grand Canyon. I think we will stay overnight since it is kind of a long drive. From what I've read, the El Tovar and Kachina Lodge are the best choices for inside the park. Unfortunately they are both booked for our timeframe. I don't know whether we are better off staying outside the park and having to deal with driving/parking or to go with one of the other park hotels. I'm kind of picky when it comes to hotels - so it has to be a pretty decent place!

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Barbday62]

Check the city of Williams. Its close to the Grand Canyon and they even have a train to take you in if you want that experience. I usually do the Grand Canyon in day trips (I live in Phoenix) so I can recomend anything in particular.

 

[OlderMan]

Check out some of the other lodges in the park. Just remember, some of them are meant to be more "rustic."

I've stayed on the South Rim several times and nothing beats an early morning, or late night, walk along the rim trail. You won't get that staying in Williams.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Check out some of the other lodges in the park. Just remember, some of them are meant to be more "rustic."

I've stayed on the South Rim several times and nothing beats an early morning, or late night, walk along the rim trail. You won't get that staying in Williams.

I'll second that.
This is one of those places that begs to be viewed at all hours. Williams is way too far unless you really must ride the train. There are a lot of places right outside the park if you have to have internet access and a pool . . . all the reasons you are going to Vegas, so you probably can do without them for a night or two.

 

[nymets]

Did you try Bight Angel Lodge It's right on the rim by Bright Angel Trail. Not fancy very rustic but clean

 

[Claire L]

I booked El Tovar about a year in advance, but we ate at Bright Angel for several dinners and must say it is very nice there.

Claire

 

[jims2cool]

I stayed at Bright Angel. Lucky for me, my room even had a shower with the toliet. Very old (or do we say rustic). I was 30 seconds from the rim of the caynon. Did I like it? NO. I LOVED IT !!!!!! No TV. No Phone. No noise. No worries. I drove from Vegas (5-6 hours, stopping to eat). Once checked in, we took off for the trails on the rim. When we got tired of walking, we would hop on a bus to the next drop off point. Stayed on the rim till after sunset, and then caught a bus back. I was up before sunrise..... worth it !!!! There are a couple of other places within walking distance... I wanna say Maswik Lodge and Yavapai Lodge ( I stayed in one of these, forget which one. I thought they were nice as well). They had a better food court than Bright Angle. Less then 5 min. walk from Bright Angle. I left for Vegas the next day... kinda wish I would have stayed two nights... so much to see and do... IF you want to "take it easy"

 

[dis-happy]

I suggest you book whatever is available inside the park, then see if you can change rooms if available while you are there. That's what we did once, and were even able to get into the El Tovar---with a great canyon view to boot. I didn't even know it would be possible until we arrived and there was a sign saying "availability--El Tovar". Because reservations are made up to a year in advance I think some make "just in case" reservations then don't use them. In any event, I'm glad we stayed on site, you can't beat it.

 

[mog]

Thanks for the information. We really did want to stay in the park, but there are 5 of us and that made it difficult, too. It seems that most of their rooms are only for 4. I even called to talk to someone to see what was available. I think there was the Yavapai and the older side of the Maswik available. We opted for the Best Western Squire Inn in Tusayen. It seemed pretty close and a decent place. I hope it is okay!!

 

[EltonJohn]

Did you look on Xanterra's website for availability, or did you actually call the reservations number and talk to a live res agent? At least when it comes to Y'stone Xanterra's website does not accurately reflect the live availability that res agents have access to. Also, we have numerous cancellations at Y'stone, and the same could probably be said at the GC. I would encourage you to be persistent keep calling or change your dates. I've booked hard-to-get rooms in Yellowstone at the last minute because someone else cancelled.

Also, there are some rooms Xanterra does not sell over the internet-you must call us and book it with a live res agent.

Have you looked into the Grand Canyon Railway?

 

[mog]

Yes, I did call because I thought the same thing - that maybe the website wasn't up to date. I got the same information from the person on the phone. I think we'll just stick with the Best Western and hope that it is okay. Although I may call when we get a little closer to going just in case there are any cancellations.

Thanks!

 

[LadyyRedd]

Definitely keep calling! My sis and I went to LV last June and planned to go to GC as well. We called just a few months before our trip and got super lucky, El Tovar had just had a room open up! We were so excited, so we booked it. The only "negative" was that the ONLY room available was one with just a double bed. Since it was my sister, it worked fine for us, as we were only there one night.

So...definitely keep calling!

Kimya

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

There are rooms in Yavapai that sleep 5---two doubles or queens (can't remember) plus a rollaway. The newer side (they are named Y. East and Y. West) has larger rooms with the space for a rollaway. It was really nice for a National Parks facility----we've stayed in all kinds.

We stayed there in late June 2006 at the end of a National Parks roadtrip

 

[momarewethereyet?]

We traveled by RV last summer from FL to the Anaheim, CA. If I remember, it was a very long drive into the park to the South Rim. I don't recall any city within an "acceptable" distance to the park (maybe I was delirious from all the driving with 6 yo & 4 yo boys.) I think there's even a little bit of a drive to the rim once you enter the park. We stayed at El Tovor - yes, it was a bit "rustic", but nothing beats stepping out of your hotel to the rim of the canyon. How awe-inspiring! We had dinner in the hotel restaurant - sat by the window and took the kids out to see the sunset while we waited for our food (there was a nice porch out back). How much fun! If you are one of those people who must stay "on property" at WDW (like us), then you will want to here, as well. So even if you can't stay at a hotel on the rim, try to pick one inside the park for sure.