Arizona accommodations

Grand Canyon: Bright Angel Lodge. Their Historic Cabin rooms are some of the better priced accommodations of the lodges at the South Rim, and you can't stay any closer to the rim itself than from this lodge. BOOK EARLY as it fills fast!

We did a similar trip with out kids aged 6 and 10 a few years ago. We flew into and out of Phoenix and had a rental car. We stayed at the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs in Phoenix. Really nice property with a nice pool. We went to the Superstition Mountans and the Heard Museum (Native American culture) among other things. We stayed at the Hilton in Sedona and it's a nice property. We didn't spend much time at the Grand Canyon because we are not very big on hiking and had young kids with us. We went to Williams, AZ and took a train to the GC. They had a Wild West shoot out in Williams before the train ride. It ends at the South Rim and you have a few hours to explore the GC and hike along the rim. one word of caution-there are no fences/rails along the GC. Keep a close eye on your kids! On the return train ride, you get "robbed" by the same folks that had the shoutout that morning. The kids loved it!

We did this same trip last year. I agree, try to stay in the park! We stayed at Yavapai Lodge. It has been recently redone. Very clean and comfortable. It is set back and much quieter then the other lodging available in the park. Bright Angel Lodge, El Tovar Hotel, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge and Maswik Lodge were all booked. All are great choices. Definitely book early! Places go quickly in the park. We also stayed in Sedona. Very touristy but beautiful to see. Great hikes. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Do stop in Flagstaff and Prescott both beautiful towns. On our drive to Phoenix from Sedona we stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument. Amazing cliff dwellings, your children will love the adventure into the past! It was one of my favorite places to visit on our trip.

Definitely stay at one of the six lodges inside the national park at Grand Canyon. Bright Angel cabins are a great option but each one sleeps a maximum of 3 people, and they count children of any age the same as adults. So depending on the make-up of your group of 6 that May or may not work.

Thunderbird and Kachina lodges are also right on the rim and have rooms with two queen beds that accommodate 4 people. These are motel-style buildings that lake the charm of cabins but are clean and comfortable. El Tovar is right there too and is the grand historic lodge, more expensive. I believe you need a deluxe room to get two queen beds there.

Maswik and Yavapai lodges are back from the room so usually book up last. Both have rooms with 2 queen beds and can sleep 4-5 people.

April is a popular time and many rooms are already booked, so try to decide on a plan and book at least the Grand Canyon now. Two nights are enough for most visitors, unless they are avid hikers. Book on the official websites:

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging/reservations/

(For five of the lodges run by Xanterra)

And www.visitgrandcanyon.com ( for Yavapai only)

If you haven't already, be sure to go to the official National Park Service website for the Grand Canyon, http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm. There is a wealth of information there on all the things you need to know about your visit.

I have camped, stayed in a cabin and stayed in a modern motel on the south rim. I have stayed in a cabin on the north rim. All have worked for me, but some day I would like to stay in the original old lodge, El Tovar.

Keep in mind that the south rim is at about 7000 feet of elevation. This can be a problem for some people and altitude sickness can happen. The elevation also affects the temperature and it can be colder than people think AZ should be.

The information below is somewhat hard to get to on their website, but is found if you scroll down on this page -- http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-condition.htm..

"By mid-April, winter weather usually begins to break, and although snow is not uncommon in May, warm spells become more frequent. The winter cold gives way to a warming and pleasant spring period with average high temperatures gradually rising from the 50s and 60s (10-21°C) in April through the 70s to 80s (21-32°C) by June along the Rim, and from the 80s (27-32°C) in April to near 105 (41°C) by June along the river. Low temperatures will typically fall below freezing on the Rim in April and May and warm into the 40s (4-9°C) by June, with low temperatures from the 50s (10-15°C) in April to the 70s (21-26°C) by June along the river. Spring is typically breezy to windy with winds occasionally gusting over 40 mph (18 m/s) and dry with little precipitation occurring in May and early June. Due to the very dry airmass typical of the late spring months, late season frosts and freezes are still a possibility, with sub freezing temperatures being recorded as late as July at the North Rim. Snowfall has been reported as late as the middle of June."

Of the 4.5 million visitors each year, 2-3 fall over the edge, so it is possible to get very close to the edges of the canyon, but our daughter who took her 3 kids when they were 14 months, 5 and 9 didn't mention any particular concerns for them on that trip. They stuck to the safe trails, I guess.

The canyon runs east and west. One year when I was there close to Mother's Day, the sun was setting in the west at the same time the full moon was rising in the east. It was magical and mystical. There were people way out on some of the promontories that evening, but I was not one of them. I could see the phenomenon just fine from considerably farther back.

Wherever you stay, enjoy your trip to AZ.

Plan on the Grand Canyon, at or near the Rim, being coolish in April--especially in the morning and evening. Here more than most places you'll want to the weather forecasts and temps in the days before you arrive at the Rim.

As the above poster points out, the elevation at the South rim is 7,000 feet above sea level and it's 8,000 feet at the North rim. You probably won't be at the North rim, approaching as you are from the south.
But just to give you an idea of weather, the North rim lodging and tourist services don't even open until May 15--that's the effect the elevation has on the weather!
You'll be in Phoenix, you say, and the temp at Grand Canyon can easily be 25 or 30 F degrees cooler than Phoenix, at the same time of day on the same day.

You probably won't be at the North rim, approach as you are from the
south.

The North Rim facilities are closed for winter until mid May so that's not even an option for April. To elaborate on the benefits of staying in the park, you'll be there for sunrise and sunset, and once parked, will have little need of the car with the exception of the overlooks on Desert View Drive east beyond Pipe Creek Vista. Shuttles do not run to the canyon from the nearby town of Tusayan to the south until the end of May.
Overlooks on Hermit Road, to the west of Grand Canyon Village, are accessible on foot, bike or by free park shuttle ONLY during all but the deep winter months.

There are 13 miles of family-friendly rim trail - most of it paved - and the overlooks ARE protected. If you bring a stroller, keep it small and foldable to get on and off the shuttles. Sure, keep any eye on the kids but I wouldn't worry too much: small peoples' instincts are much, much better than those of risk-taking young adults. I also wouldn't worry about the altitude unless you have elderly people along, or have pulmonary problems. Weather will be uncertain so I'd be prepared for anything from windy, rainy and chilly to sunny and pleasantly warm.

Personally, I don't recommend El Tovar for children: it's too stuffy, rooms are small, and it's very expensive. If Bright Angel doesn't suit you, then take a look at the other lodges.

Pack along a cooler with snacks and beverages for refueling during the day: less expensive if purchased outside the park. Maswik and Yavapai cafeterias are the most cost-efficent restaurants for feeding a family, and carry a good variety of choices.

As others mentioned, the lodging inside the park fills up way in advance. I also agree that the El Tovar, while absolutely beautiful, is not a good place for young children. But if you are traveling with someone who can watch the kids, it's worth the splurge for dinner as a couple. We went to the South Rim during mid-May. The weather was actually very warm during the day (drink a lot of water if you are hiking into the Canyon) and cool to chilly at night. Unfortunately, we booked too late to get lodging inside the Park. If this happens to you, I do highly recommend the Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn located in Tusayan. It's not far from the entrance and the rooms were a really good size and value.

In Phoenix we really liked staying at The Buttes Marriott (in Tempe). Can't really recommend where we stayed in Sedona as we weren't there for long at all. We flew into AZ late, drove straight up to Sedona and just spent the 1 quick night in a hotel and left the next morning to do some hiking in Sedona and then drove on to the Grand Canyon late in the afternoon.

An exceptional (albeit expensive) place to stay in Sedona is the Adobe Villas. We stayed there many years ago when it was the Graham. It is a remarkable experience, but don't know if it would meet your needs. http://www.adobevillagegrahaminn.com You can read more on Tripadvisor, and those reviews are very accurate for this property.
We have also stayed at the Phoenix Hilton properties alone as a couple and with kids along. Tapatio and Squaw Peak are both decent properties, but the last time we were there (several years ago) both of them badly needed renovation of the rooms.

We've stayed at the Matterhorn Inn in Sedona and thought it was great for the price. Wonderful red-rock views from the balconies, clean, spacious rooms, and friendly staff.

Another note about El Tovar? If you really want to have a meal there, try it for lunch or breakfast. There's no view at night, and even during the day there's nothing to see unless you're lucky enough to be seated right in front of the windows. We've eaten there once, and the service/quality wasn't worth the price tag so we skipped it on the next trip.

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/dining/el-tovar-dining-room-and-lounge/

Lunch/breakfast is less expensive. No children's menu but they can have smaller entree servings for a discounted price.

You can get the view by walking 100 feet outside the El Tovar bar (which I highly recommend, I mean the bar).
But not at night.