Grand Canyon

tmosier · #1 04-08-2010, 03:14 PM

We're thinking of taking a 2 day trip to see the Grand Canyon this August. Since we've not been there before and reading about nearby hotels isn't the same as a personal review, I'd love to hear your advice on where to stay. We'd prefer a moderately priced hotel with a pool... maybe in Tusayan? The Cameron Trading Post in Cameron looks interesting, too. Any advice would be welcome! Thanks so much!

DVC2004 · #2 04-08-2010, 04:56 PM

Hopefully someone will be along soon with advice- we visited for a day in August but did not stay over there (I was on a business trip in Phoenix so I stayed there). It's beautiful and so scenic! Staying offsite seems like a good choice. We had lunch in one of the lodges and although I apprecaited its history, I don't think I would have liked staying there. Anyway, I'll be interested in the suggestions for the next time we visit...

faline · #3 04-08-2010, 06:32 PM

Actually, we stayed in a cabin right on the rim of the canyon. It was petty amazing! Our cabin was a tad bit rustic but quite comfy - it even had a huge stone fireplace in one corner. I would have loved the opportunity to actually use it but it just wasn't cold enough during our trip. All we needed to do was open the curtains and we were treated to a view of the Canyon in all its splendor! I remember the cabin was very inexpensive but I did book it almost a year before we arrived.

At one point, we actually had deer walk right up to a window and peer in!

NJGIRL · #4 04-08-2010, 11:26 PM

We stayed at the El Tovar on the canyon rim. It was a great hotel. Very Old fashion but everything was new. We walked outside of the hotel and we were at the canyon wall. At night we could see the elk from our balcony. The dining room overlooked the canyon and it was just amazing. While this was their most expensive hotel it wasn't bad at all. We paid around $220 per night. You do have to book at least a year in advance, but they do get cancellations and don't keep a waiting list. I would suggest if you do want to stay there to call everyday to see if someone has canceled. The Grand Canyon is a really cool place to visit.

NJGIRL · #5 04-08-2010, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faline

At one point, we actually had deer walk right up to a window and peer in!

Linda I loved seeing the wildlife too. We were there in October and one of the rangers told us that the wildlife flock into the park during hunting season to avoid the hunters. Some of the elk we saw had legs almost as tall as my whole body.

Advnt05 · #6 04-09-2010, 08:15 AM

I believe there is a Day's Inn right outside the park gate near the musuem where they show the IMAX film. My wife and I went last year back in Feb and stayed there. It was nice and close to the park.
Our only downside was that a freak blizzard hit and we couldn't go into the park as the roads were impassable and had to turn around and go back to Vegas.

NewDVCowner · #7 04-09-2010, 11:51 AM

The Bright Angel Lodge is right on the rim, and is comparably less expensive than other places to stay in the park itself. You're litterally just steps from the rim. There isn't a pool, though. When I was there in June I was walking back from the El Tovar where I met up with the group I had just finished rafting with and stumbled into a herd of elk. It gets very dark there at night and I was honestly about five feet away from the first one before I realized that the dark shadow in front of me was actually an animal! Those things are HUGE!

MNNHFLTX · #8 04-12-2010, 12:07 PM

My family and I visited the Grand Canyon several years ago and while we spent a few hours on the south rim, we then drove around to spend four nights on the north rim. It was much quieter (less people) there and the lodge and cabins were rustic but the scenery was spectacular! What an amazing feeling to walk out the door of our cabin in the morning and stroll 20 feet to the rim of the canyon!!

I have heard good reviews of the Cameron Trading Post Lodge, although it is a bit removed from the main public areas of the north and south rims. We've never stayed there, but we did stop to eat a Navajo taco in the restaurant.

danicafan · #9 04-12-2010, 04:27 PM

Just spent a couple of days there back in September. We stayed at the Holidy Inn Express in Grand Canyon, AZ. It is before the entrance to the park. It was really nice, with a great Continental breakfast. We spent the afternoon/evening at the Grand Canyon and then my husband and I woke up early the next morning to do see the Sunrise at the Grand Canyon, made it back to the hotel for breakfast before checkout time.

BowTie7 · #10 04-12-2010, 06:46 PM

If your schedule and budget allows try to send at least one night at one of the hotels in the park. Not only will this allow you to easily get both a sunset and sunrise, it also means you will be in the park in the less crowded times. (Many people take one day bus trips from Las Vegas or the train over from Williams, AZ--when I was at the park in February 2009, it was very peaceful and empty, then all of a sudden around 12:30 there were lots of people in the developed section of the South Rim, then by 4:30 most were gone. If you stay on-site you can cover these areas early in the morning and then move the the more remote areas when the worst of the crowds arrive.