Grand Canyon and Sedona
 

We are planning a trip for early July for family with 3 teens to the Grand Canyon and Sedona. We'll fly into Phoenix and spend several days in Sedona, and two days (and two nights) on the South Rim of the GC. Help with accomodations please! For a family of 5, looks like we can stay in Thunderbird or Kachina. Is one preferred over the other? Two rooms is definitley a possibility, and do-able with the ages of my kids. I would say either Bright Angel cabins, Thunderbird, Kachina or El Tovar. Advice?

I may check out the Sky Ranch Lodge for Sedona. Definitely need a nice pool! Any other favorite lodgings in Sedona for families with older teens?

We have done that trip with teens and stayed at Thunderbird in Grand Canyon and also Sky Ranch Lodge in Sedona. Thunderbird was a good location, right on the rim - so you can get outside with your morning coffee and watch the sun rise while your teens sleep. We preferred eating breakfast at El Tovar.
Sky Ranch Lodge is good in Sedona, too. The motel rooms are nothing special, but the view is the best ever! While your teens enjoy the spa and pool, you can enjoy the view from your deck (if you have a rim room) or you can just walk several yards to the overlook. The motel is comfortable and friendly, very relaxed, no pretentiousness. There is a laundromat there and you can walk over to the aiport for a casual meal or get take-out from the Natural Food store down below. Another motel good for teens with fanastic view and nice pool is the Best Western that is across the highway from Airport Rd. (not the one downtown).
Your teens might also love the swimming hole at the end of Schoolhouse Rd and also Slide Rock State Park. Another big hit with our 16-year-old daughter was the float trip out of Glen Canyon Dam. We booked it through Grand Canyon National Park - it was a day trip with a bus taking us from Gr. Canyon to the Dam where we met our float guides. It was a 5 -hour trip that included a short hike to see petroglyphs and also another stop for picnic lunch and swimming. This trip was truly a highlight for all of us- the guides were college kids and lots of fun. You can book it yourself and drive to Page and save a little money, but we enjoyed it as it was - had extra sightseeing and info along the way.

In Sedona, We just stayed at the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa and I must say for under $150 a night, we felt it was a great deal...had the pillowtop mattress and the 400 count linens with a restaurant that was pretty darn good and the spa for a steam was free..
all the free bottled water and granola and had a refrig and the rooms were spacious..
They have the most wonderful homemade soap of lemon and mint.
The Safeway is across the street for snacks and stuff and it has a starbucks too.
sedonarouge.com

For a one of a kind experience in Sedona consider the Crescent Moon Ranch Cabin. We stayed here in March 2006 with 3 families that included 3 teenagers. This 3 bedroom 3 bath cabin is owned by the US Forest Service. The cabin is a 1938 ranch house right on Oak Creek with a SPECTACULAR view of Cathedral Rock from the living room. It is a rustic place- we are campers so we were not looking for luxury- we loved it and hope to return soon.

Thanks, elnap29, for your suggestions! It's a big help! I am also interested in hearing about experiences at the Sunterra Resort Sedona Summit. Anyone? It has mixed reviews. I want a little more than motel rooms, like with a refrigerator, stove, separate sleeping and living areas. Of course, the Enchantment looks "enchanting", but not willing to spend quite that much! Something between Enchantment and Motel!!

The Thunderbird, rim-view room, looks like a great choice for GC. We may end up doing two rooms side-by-side if they will honor that request.

Make sure you do the Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona. It takes you in the mountains and it is amazing!!

Sky Ranch Lodge has rim rooms with kitchen and living areas. The spectacular view takes it out of ordinary motel category. The Best Western also doesn't feel like standard motel because of the large shared terrace with outstanding view. There are a lot of ordinary motels in Sedona, though. I think there are some cabins in the Oak Creek Canyon area.