gfunkdave

Thinking about taking a week in October to see the Albuquerque balloon festival, Grand Canyon, Sedona, Santa Fe, and wind up in Phoenix for my cousin's bat mitzvah.

Where do people recommend staying in the Grand Canyon? I don't know much about the hotel options.

Jono

Your best options closest to the Grand Canyon south visitor's area are in the Grand Canyon village. There are a few smaller hotels/motels there. Depending on how much time you plan to spend at the canyon (hiking etc.), you may be better off staying at a hotel in Sedona or Flagstaff instead, which is between 1-2 hour drive south of the canyon. We recently visited, and only spent about 2-3 hours at the canyon visiting the various views along Desert View drive from the south visitor's area towards the east gate, and then drove back to Flagstaff. It was more than enough time for us.

Lost

There are several decent hotel options in the town of Tusayan, AZ, which is just outside the south entrance of the park. And of course places like El Tovar in the park (if you want to stay in the park, book ASAP).

Since you're also planning on visiting Sedona, I would also recommend just staying there or in Flagstaff, and making a day trip to the canyon.

It's about a 2 hour drive one way Sedona-South Rim. Flagstaff-South Rim is about 1.5 hours, and Flagstaff-Sedona is about 30 minutes.

If you're only spending a week for this trip be aware that you're only going to be able to spend about a day in each place.

October is absolutely the best time of year to visit northern Arizona ^ The fall colors usually peak the 2nd-4th week depending on elevation.

Jeeves

We stayed at the Maswik Lodge at the South Rim last October. It was the only option available within the park for our dates and it suited us fine. Being in the park gives you a lot of flexibility. You can take breaks, see the stars at night, and not have to rely on your car if you like walking. The Maswik is a motel-style setup in multiple buildings. It has a cafeteria that has reasonable prices. Also, they don't sell bottled water within the park - so bring your own or bring a reusable container.

We stayed 3 nights and really enjoyed the Canyon.

djp98374

Inside the park there are a bunch of lodges for the south rim, generally all in the same area. One located at the north rim. To book these go through the park service website and follow their links.

An alternative is in the the town of Tusayan just outside the parks south entrance. There is a best western and a holiday inn express across the street from each other. PArt of the park shuttle bus system is connected to these hotels.
beyond that hotels are an hour or more away in Wiliams, Flagstaff, Tuba City, and at Cameron trading post llocated near where the road along the rim (AZ 64) meets US 89

Richym99

I can recommend the Sonesta ES Suites in Flagstaff, which I used as a base for visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Jerome (in my opinion more enjoyable to visit than Sedona). A two bedroom suite set me back about $140 a night.
Suggest driving into the Canyon via Cameron and the canyon South Rim. There are a number of stops with parking along the rim drive where you will enjoy a lot better views than in the village. Recommend spending time at the watchtower, where you get to see the river at the deepest part of the canyon. Even with the drive to and from Flagstaff and stops on the way, I had ample time for about six hours in and around the village, leaving just after photographing the canyon at sunset from Pima Point.

ExpatSomchai

We stayed at the DoubleTree in Flagstaff when we went. Not bad at all but as mentioned a 1.5 hour drive but an easy one. If you haven't been before I would possibly split my time between Flagstaff and Sedona if you don't want to pay the price of hotels in the park itself.

SCEflyer

We are looking at two/three nights here in early June.

Would anyone have some suggestions? As many know the straight line distance between the North and South Rims is only 20 +/- miles, but the highway distance is almost 300, so when checking various websites, you can find many choices, but a detailed search for the North Rim alone yields little.

All help will be appreciated.

Lost

That's because there's really not much of any lodging outside the park at the North Rim. The north rim is much, much smaller infrastructure-wise compared to the south rim. The upside is there's also much less traffic. For such a short trip I would do one or the other.

The drive to the north rim is absolutely stunning, but as you said it is longer.

darthbimmer

When I visited the North Rim years ago I stayed at the Kaibab Lodge. I forget whether it was because the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim was too expensive or sold out entirely. It added 30 minutes driving time each way. The next choice beyond that is going to be at least an hour away from the rim. It's a remote area.

hawkxp

Happy Happy Joy Joy B&b about 20 miles south of South Rim. Was fun.

SkyTeam777

It seems like the best hotels for redeeming points and being closest to the park are the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Grand Canyon Village and the Best Western. Any other options that are less than an hour's drive from the entrance where you can redeem hotel points besides these two? Williams has a few chains, but I believe that Grand Canyon Village is closer. Was hoping to redeem Hilton, Marriott, or Hyatt points. Thanks!

Tanic

These hotels are outside the park in the town of Tusayan several miles from Grand Canyon Village. Your best chain selections will be in Flagstaff just slightly farther than Williams.

MSPeconomist

This is a lot to do in a week, even assuming that you intend only to enter Grand Canyon from the south rim for a quick look.

Is the lodge inside the park at Grand Canyon out of the question?

Don't forget Los Alamos and driving the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. There's also an interesting museum of the nuclear age next to ABQ, but I'm not sure whether it's open and what the current access rules are as it requires you to drive onto the Air Force base.

writerguyfl

The post you quoted was from 2016. So, I wouldn't expect a response. (Just an FYI, not an admonishment. I've responded to years-old posts, too.)

As Tanic notes, the closest place outside the national park is Tusayan. The next closest town is Williams, followed by Flagstaff.

If you're dead-set on using points from one of those programs, your choice is made for you. None of those hotel groups have properties in Tusayan or Williams.

While I can see the appeal of choosing Tusayan over either of the other options, I'd never opt for Williams over Flagstaff unless price is a concern. The options in Flagstaff are much better, as are the amenities like local restaurants. Depending on where you stay in Flagstaff, you're really only 20 to 30 minutes further to the national park than Williams.

I have a cousin that goes to Flagstaff fairly often. He always stays at the Courtyard Flagstaff (2650 South Beulah Blvd). He's not had a bad stay there.
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ard-flagstaff/