using DVC to visit The Grand canyon

[jns]

Has anyone used their points to Visit the Grand canyon
if so where did you stay and has anyone wrote a trip report about it
Thanks
This is one of the places on my wish list of places to visit some day


Sorry not too sure if this should be here or on the DVC planning thread

 

[CraftyMouse]

We exchanged for a week in Sedona, AZ. We flew into Phoenix and drove up to the Grand Canyon for two days. We then headed to Sedona and spent a week there, taking day trips to the Painted Dessert/Petrified Forest and other national parks/monuments. It was a fantastic vacation that we all (me, DH, DD13 and DS10 (at that time)) enjoyed.

If you choose to exchange to Sedona I highly recommend the Los Abrigados Resort. It was beautiful and centrally located.

 

[Kathi OD]

We exchanged for a week in Sedona, AZ. We flew into Phoenix and drove up to the Grand Canyon for two days. We then headed to Sedona and spent a week there, taking day trips to the Painted Dessert/Petrified Forest and other national parks/monuments. It was a fantastic vacation that we all (me, DH, DD13 and DS10 (at that time)) enjoyed.

If you choose to exchange to Sedona I highly recommend the Los Abrigados Resort. It was beautiful and centrally located.

We did the same thing, however we stayed at one of the Sunterra resorts. We were pleased with our room and it was as close to everything as anything in the middle of a desert can be. As far as I could figure, Sedona is as close to the GC as you'll get if you want to stay on points.

 

[Ksp]

What a great idea - thanks for posting, everybody!

 

[JimMIA]

You may want to check into staying inside the National Park. To do that (and for other Grand Canyon planning - activities, maps, etc) go to www.nps.gov/grca That is Grand Canyon National Park's website.

On the left side of the home page, click on "Plan Your Visit," then click on "Lodging" on the next page. Grand Canyon has a wide variety of lodging, ranging from primitive backcountry backpacking sites to luxury hotels.

Outside the park, there are a lot of lodging choices at South Rim, Arizona, which is immediately adjacent to the park boundary.

Sedona is beautiful - and worth visiting in its own right - but it's 115 miles (about a 2 hour drive) from the park. Flagstaff, AZ is closer (90 miles - 1 1/2 hours) but not as pretty.

For information on ANY U.S. National Park Service site (there are more than 390 sites), go to www.nps.gov and use the locator to search either by name or state.

 

[CraftyMouse]

You may want to check into staying inside the National Park. To do that (and for other Grand Canyon planning - activities, maps, etc) go to www.nps.gov/grca That is Grand Canyon National Park's website.

Sedona is beautiful - and worth visiting in its own right - but it's 115 miles (about a 2 hour drive) from the park. Flagstaff, AZ is closer (90 miles - 1 1/2 hours) but not as pretty.

This is what we did. We spent the first two nights at one of the rim lodges and then spend the week in Sedona. I highly recommend staying right at the Grand Canyon. It was a wonderful experience!

 

[Kathi OD]

Again, like CraftyMouse, we did stay 2 nights in a hotel at the park as part of our trip. The drive from Sedona to GCNP, while a little long, is beautiful. If you stay overnight when you get there, then it isn't bad at all.

We also visited the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, Sunset Crater, Montezuma's Castle, and two of Arizona's State Parks - Red Rock and Slippery Rock.

You can also try to visit the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, home of the Hubble Telescope. http://www.lowell.edu/

 

[PrettyKitties]

We loved the Grand Canyon! We visited in 2006 when we did a five week cross-country trip. We stayed in Williams a couple of days and also stayed near the Canyon de Chelle, where we did a horseback ride into the canyon.

 

[JimC]

Not on points. But we stayed at El Tovar and at Maswik. El Tovar is right on the rim. Plan ahead and do the mule ride down into the canyon. It is a day or two days well spent. Also leave time to drive around and spend a day on the north rim. Two distinctly different ecosystems. The Grand Canyon is one of those natural wonders that no camera, wide-screen or even an IMAX can do justice. You simply need to go there and see it for yourself.

 

[jns]

Thanks everyone for your help
and all the links
going to check them out now

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you plan on staying at the canyon, check the Xanterra website to see what they have available for your time frame. They pretty much handle most of the reservations for national parks lodging.

 

[buzz5985]

Just another thing to consider - it was cheaper for us to fly into Las Vegas and rent a car than anywhere else. We stayed in Vegas a couple of days then we were off. We visited Hoover Dam, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, North Rim, over to Four Corners, up to Mesa Verde, CO, Arches NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, and everything in between. It's beautiful out there.

 

[BryantL]

Did anyone use their points to stay on or near the rim of the Grand Canyon instead of nearby Sedona?

 

[CraftyMouse]

Did anyone use their points to stay on or near the rim of the Grand Canyon instead of nearby Sedona?

There is no way to do this. The hotels on the rim of the canyon are run by the National Park Service and you cannot use your points there. I believe Sedona is the closest location to the canyon if you want to use your points. We chose to pay cash for two nights in a rim lodge at the canyon and then head to Sedona for a week.

 

[JimMIA]

Just another thing to consider - it was cheaper for us to fly into Las Vegas and rent a car than anywhere else. We stayed in Vegas a couple of days then we were off. We visited Hoover Dam, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, North Rim, over to Four Corners, up to Mesa Verde, CO, Arches NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, and everything in between. It's beautiful out there.

Now THAT's a great trip!

 

[JimMIA]

The hotels on the rim of the canyon are run by the National Park Service and you cannot use your points there.

Actually, they are run by private companies under contract with the National Park Service...not by NPS. There's a huge difference.

I believe Sedona is the closest location to the canyon if you want to use your points.

I haven't researched it, but I'm pretty sure you're right about points, and those options may have changed recently. I know a bunch of places people enjoyed are no longer available using DVC points.

 

[mommydeac]

We recently did it...actually stayed in Phoenix, at the Arizona Biltmore. It was an amazing experience. The downside was one day only at the Grand Canyon, but for us that was enough...not much hikers or adventure type people.

If you can bear to go in the summer, it can be extremely economical. Every 3 nights we stayed on points, we got a 4th free. The Biltmore is a GORGEOUS old hotel. Every president since Hoover has stayed there. When we arrived, we were, as promised in a resort deluxe room. That meant a balcony and a view. Unfortunately, we were at the very FAR end of the resort, a 10 minute walk from the main pools. (though there was a small one just outside our room). In addition, there were 2 double beds instead of queens. Nothing had been misrepresented, I was just disappointed.

After speaking with the desk, they moved us to 2 KING rooms, adjacent to the main pools, at no extra charge. So my husband and I had a room to ourselves, and the girls were in an adjoining room. LOVELY.

The food is fabulous, though very expensive. The starbucks that I buy every morning at home (venti decaf coffee) for $2 was $4.75. We ate breakfast and lunch at the resort 4 days, and had dinner two nights. There's a good poolside restaurant, along with a relatively casual sit-down place, and a counter service place. There's also a "signature" restaurant, where we never ate.

One day we rented a cabana at the pool--offseason it was $80. There are misters to keep you cool all day, a ceiling fan, private restroom, tv, and butler, along with table and chairs and your lounge chairs. Totally worth it. We stayed from 9:30 am until 5 pm that day (we had it reserved until 7).

We went to the Desert Botanical Garden one day, and Scottsdale one day. Truly, though, the temp was 114 degrees, and you just don't feel like doing much other than staying in the pool when it's that hot (I don't care if there ISN'T any humidity).

BTW, Kelly Ripa and her family were staying at the resort, as well, which was kind of fun.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Actually, they are run by private companies under contract with the National Park Service...not by NPS.

Okay, okay...you're right. But my point still stands...you can't use your DVC points at any of them.