harveyjkah

I would like to take my family, wife and two children, to the Grand Canyon in April of 2005.

We would probably fly into Las Vegas for 2-3 nights and then spend the next 5-6 touring the canyon and other areas of interest. We are from Atlanta, but have never been to that part of Arizona or Nevada.

Can you recommend a nice hotel in Las Vegas ($200 - $300/night)and suggest hotels and activities in the Grand Canyon Village. We hear the El Tovar is nice but would appreciate any suggestions.

What would be your ideal trip for a week to that area (Las vegas/Grand Canyon)?

Thanks for your consideration,

Jeff

utahtea

I'd make a circle.

Day 1 drive to Grand Canyon...spend night.

Day 2 explore Grand Canyon

Day 3 Exit the Grand Canyon stopping at the overlooks on Hwy 64 on the way to Cameron, AZ. Have lunch at the Lake Powell marina and enjoy the views. Take a tour of the Upper Antelope Slots Canyon & the dam. Spend the night in Page, AZ.

Day 4 Drive to Bryce Canyon National Park and explore the scenic overlooks. Spent the night. Bryce is at 8,000 to 9,000 ft. elevation and it might be cold and there might be snow so that's why I didn't suggest two nights here.

Day 5 you could explore Bryce a little more before heading to Zion National Park. Explore the park and spend the night.

Day 6 Explore Zion some more before taking the 3 hour drive back to Las Vegas.

Utahtea

placeu2

I would second Utahtea's fine suggestion for the itinerary. Here are some additional thoughts:

I would cut my days in Vegas, especially with kids. You probably get the finest Hotel in Vegas for the money you are talking about. Save it for something else and stay at the Monte Carlo and take the kids to the Lance Burton show there one night. Very nice property on the strip. If you want to stay more mid strip, I suggest the Paris. Bellagio is the nicest in the strip but rather unfriendly to families.

Assuming good weather, plan to take the horse ride into Bryce Canyon. Do the one that leaves from the lodge...not Ruby's.

Personally, I would stay another night at Zion.

At any rate, spread it out, 5-6 days is too much Grand Canyon.

It's a great trip, you will love it. There is lots of info on this at fodors. Do a search of the forums for plenty of reading material.

MFNYC

We did a similar trip a few years ago during spring break (March '02) with my 2 kids. We flew into LV, spent 3 nights at the Mirage. I found the best rate by calling the hotel and asking for the AAA discount. I continued to check rates (on the hotel website and expedia) after I booked and they did fluctuate quite a bit. At one point they dropped, so I called again and they adjusted my rate. I think we paid about $150, and even though we said the room was for 2 adults and 2 kids, they never charged us for the kids (which according to their site, they do and we had even asked for a rollaway). We checked out many of the themed hotels, visited the sark acquarium at Mandalay, took the race to atlantis ride at Ceasars, and went to he lion/dolphon habitat at the mirage, where my kids played catch with the dolphins. We also saw Mystere at TI. Our 3rd day at LV, we drove to Hoover Dam and took the tour which is worthwhile.

The 4th day we drove to the GRand Canyon and spent 1 night at the Kachina Lodge with a canyon view (all that was available when I booked). It was perfectly fine. Kind of motel-like, but adequate with a great view, and located right next to the bright angel and el tovar. We drove into some heavy snow on the way there, and there was about 5 inches on the ground at the GC. We didn't hike (spiked boots were necessary because of ice), but did tour the west side of the south rim with their bus when we arrived. The next day we toured the east side by car on our way out. We then spent 1 night in Sedona, 2 in Tucson and 2 in Scottsdale (we dep. from Phoenix). We used priceline for scottsdale and tucson and got great deals (McCOrmick in scottsdale and El COnquistador in Tucson). Sedona we stayed at the Sky Ranch lodge.

Arizona is a great state to visit. So many different terrains and landscapes and some great sites to see in the city areas.

I recommend you book your GC lodging as soon as possible, because that seems to book well in advance.

bd

I would also second (third?) Utahtea's suggestion. We did a similar trip in reverse 7 years ago and had a great time. We stayed at El Tovar and thought it was very nice. Gerald and Betty Ford were in the room next door, so if was good enough for them....