My husband, 8 year old son and I will be staying in Phoenix at the beginning and end of our 1 week vacation in April 2013. However we will be making the journey to the Grand Canyon and need one night's accommodations. We plan to drive to the GC then make our way to a hotel for the night. Trip Advisor has a lot of mixed reviews for both Flagstaff and Sedona hotels however I'm leaning towards Sedona but I get the feeling it may not be "kid friendly". I realize we won't have a lot of time at either town/hotel however it is our first time to Arizona and we want to make every second count. So I would like to hear your opinions on Flagstaff vs. Sedona.
Flagstaff or Sedona with an 8 year old
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What do you need to kid-friendly for one night in Sedona?
Why not stay in Grand Canyon for the night. You can go to the National Park web site, www.nps.gov and put Grand Canyon into the search box, then go to lodging. If they say nothing is available, call and keep calling as people make reservations way in advance and then cancel as time gets close.
Stay inside the national park.
Another vote for staying at the Grand Canyon.
In Flagstaff there are two areas with motels - one on the south side of town, the other along rte 66 and the railroad tracks. The southern area motels are more modern and quieter.
Stay at the Grand Canyon or Tusayan.
If you do decide to spend the night after leaving the GC, I would choose Sedona . Your child will enjoy loking at he rock formations and seeing different "things" in them..There is one called Snoopy for instance.
Flagstaff is nice, a college town, but I think your child would enjoy Sedona more.
Thank you for your suggestions, spending the night at the Grand Canyon sounds like a great idea.
Sedona is an hour further from GC than Flagstaff. Flagstaff is college town and has mall, Lowell Observatory, Macy's coffeehouse, and a "cute" "downtown" area. Nice drive to Mt. Humphries at 13,000 feet with gorgeous aspen forest on the drive up.
Sedona has beautiful red rocks, and is on average about 10-15 warmer than Flagstaff. Sedona population is about 10,000 and Flagstaff about 60,000 or thereabouts. We lived in Flagstaff for 7 years and now in Sedona for 3. Each has nice qualities. Totally different feeling in each -- subjective. Visit them both, but as far as the hotel, I'd stay near GC as it is about 2 hours drive from Flagstaff.
Are you intending to stay at the South Rim until sunset?
The highway from GC to Williams may not be the best to drive in the dark. There are motels in Williams. It would be best to arrive in Sedona by the morning light instead of dark of night.
Have a great time at the GC. I personally didn't really like Sedona