Resort in GRAND CANYON-where?

[Forevermarypoppins]

Has anyone stayed inside the Grand Canyon at one of the resorts?
3 or 4 years ago we stayed outside the GC border and the place was nothing to brag about. In mid APRIL, my sister and I plan on a drive from Sun City to the GC and I definitely want to stay overnight. Do any of you remember your stay and did you enjoy it?
Currently we only have One option for entry, the SOUTH Entrance.

 

[JoeA]

I was going to say the resort on the NORTH rim looked amazing but...never mind!

 

[Meriweather]

I've stayed at a Bright Angel cabin.....really liked it
Maswik Lodge 3 times. It's okay. Price is better.

 

[bcla]

I would just point out that I wouldn't call any lodging inside of Grand Canyon National Park a resort. They have rustic cabins (like Bright Angel), 60s era hotels (Kachina and Thunderbird), basic lodging (Maswik and Yavapai), and one historic hotel (El Tovar). El Tovar is relatively nice, but the rooms aren't really that much different than most inexpensive hotel rooms.

I believe Kachina and Thunderbird were built as part of the controversial Mission 66 plan. They frankly look odd given the setting. But the accommodations are fine.

I stayed at Maswik because it was cheap. The quad cabins I stayed in were old and they were removed years ago.

 

[China Expat]

El Tovar!

 

[JimMIA]

I would just point out that I wouldn't call any lodging inside of Grand Canyon National Park a resort.

I agree with bc...and I'd apply that logic to every park I've stayed in (and that's a few). I've been to some that had nice settings, main lodge buildings, and nice restaurants -- but nothing I'd call resort-like.

Specific to Grand Canyon, I have not stayed at El Tovar, so it could be different. But every other top lodge I've stayed in has been...old. And small.

At Grand Canyon, our last trip we stayed at Maswik (the lodge, not cabins), and it was fine. The room (a double-double) was very spacious, and the location is fine. It's well off the rim, but that's a minor thing to me.

 

[Pooh2]

We stayed at Yavapai because it was the only opening in the park when we booked. The room was clean and bright. Would stay there again.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

In 2014 we had a big family trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon with my side of the family. We all got rooms at El Tovar for 2 nights. We also had dinner one night in the El Tovar dining room and had drinks (Grand Canyon Mules) on the El Tovar porch each afternoon (one of my favorite memories!). It was lovely. The bathrooms are small but nice. The location and the historic ambiance can’t be beat. It was walkable to several other lodges/restaurants, which was nice. We all loved it. To get the 4 rooms we needed, we called a year in advance on the morning reservations for our trip dates opened up.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Stayed at the Yavapai Lodge, about 10 years ago. It’s a basic rustic motel but was fine for a few days, and the location is great. There’s a decent cafeteria-style restaurant, and large general store just across the parking lot. Walking distance to the rim or quick ride on the shuttle bus.

 

[princesscinderella]

We had a beautiful suite at the el Tovar as our family of 5 could not fit in a regular room and it was awesome to stay in such a historic hotel. The restaurant in the hotel had awesome food too. You need to plan almost a year in advance to stay on the rim typically but with Covid I’m not sure that’s the case.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Has anyone stayed inside the Grand Canyon at one of the resorts?
3 or 4 years ago we stayed outside the GC border and the place was nothing to brag about. In mid APRIL, my sister and I plan on a drive from Sun City to the GC and I definitely want to stay overnight. Do any of you remember your stay and did you enjoy it?
Currently we only have One option for entry, the SOUTH Entrance.

We stayed at the Kachina and really enjoyed it. Our room was a hotel room with two queen beds and a view of the Grand Canyon from our window. A few minutes walk to El Tovar, where we had an amazing dinner. We aren't campers, and this room was perfect for us.

 

[bcla]

I agree with bc...and I'd apply that logic to every park I've stayed in (and that's a few). I've been to some that had nice settings, main lodge buildings, and nice restaurants -- but nothing I'd call resort-like.

Specific to Grand Canyon, I have not stayed at El Tovar, so it could be different. But every other top lodge I've stayed in has been...old. And small.

At Grand Canyon, our last trip we stayed at Maswik (the lodge, not cabins), and it was fine. The room (a double-double) was very spacious, and the location is fine. It's well off the rim, but that's a minor thing to me.

The quad cabins at Maswik are gone. They were old and possibly the most basic accommodations in the park. They did have TVs and phones, but other than that they were pretty basic.

Xanterra (and possibly Delaware North with Yavapai) has modernized the rooms even if the common areas and exterior have that rustic look. I think anything at El Tovar/Kachina/Thunderbird will be at least at a Holiday Inn level in terms of interior.

There are some national parks that actually a real resort feel to their accommodations. The Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite still has a pool. They only recently removed what used to be their tennis courts. They even had a 9-hole par 3 golf course. It was meant to be a bridge to wealthy and/or important people who would be useful in supporting the park.

Death Valley still has a resort hotel, complete with a full golf course. However, they renamed it from what used to be the Furnace Creek Resort. That's very different in that it's a private inholding not subject to any National Park Service control.

It's almost like they dropped a hotel in Palm Springs into Death Valley.

 

[RamblingMad]

Whatever you can get. It's a little late to be booking for this year.

 

[MrsPete]

I was going to say the resort on the NORTH rim looked amazing but...never mind!

Yes, I've stayed in the cabins at the North Rim. Wonderful! They look like they're made of Lincoln Logs. We had a small two-room cabin with a queen (?) and a kitchenette on one side and bunks on the other side. Bathroom in between.

Whatever you can get. It's a little late to be booking for this year.

Agree. Call, but don't get your hopes up.

 

[Kirby]

We stayed one night in Kachina in September, 2014 several years. Drove up one morning during our Las Vegas trip, walked the rim trail and watched the sunset. We had a rim view room. Ate at one of the Bright Angel Lodge restaurants for dinner and at El Tovar for breakfast. Then we walked the rim trail along the Hermit Road and caught the shuttle back to our hotel to head back to Las Vegas. If I had to do it again I would spend two - three nights. I made my reservations in June/July for our September visit. Just got lucky but I called every day for a couple of days until a reservation came open. It was very cold at night in September so I imagine it will be the same if not more in April, possibly snow. Keep checking the weather before you go so you'll know what to wear.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Thank you all!!
I just booked for one night at Yavapai Lodge.

 

[bcla]

So I'm wondering more about the use of the word "resort". Even though I'm not a WDW guy, I've been participating in this forum long enough to understand that it's a common word used as a reference for most WDW hotel offerings. However, I rarely think of any kind of hotel stay as going to a resort.

 

[RamblingMad]

Yes, I've stayed in the cabins at the North Rim. Wonderful! They look like they're made of Lincoln Logs. We had a small two-room cabin with a queen (?) and a kitchenette on one side and bunks on the other side. Bathroom in between.
Agree. Call, but don't get your hopes up.

Those are super cute.

I camped on the North Rim. Great camp sites with good showers. Looks a whole lot different and fewer crowds. North Kaibab is a nice hike down too.

If the OP is booking this late, the best they can do is stay outside of the park or call every week and try to get in on a cancellation.

 

[Snowysmom]

I stayed at the cabins at Bright Angel Lodge. The lodge is really nice and close to the Canyon. The Bright Angel Trail is right there if you want to hike down into the Canyon. DS and DDIL walked the first three miles and came back. We saw the mules go off one morning with their riders, ready to go into the canyon. So nice. I want to go back some day.