OCLocal

We are going to the Grand Canyon in mid- August. Will stay only 2 days, one night, and then on to Las Vegas (yes, it is worth more time, but this is just a first time "try it" experience). My husband loves to drive so no bus or air tours for us.

The 3 lodgings listed above all have vacancies. Which should we book? Moqui Lodge and Yavapai Lodge are both on the South Rim (I hope!) which is recommended for those on a shorter trip. Moqui is described as "rustic" and "comfortable" - which could be quaint, or gross. Well maintained rustic facilites are Ok, but it must have good plumbing! Yavapi is near the South Rim visitors center and is said to be more modern. Both are operated by AmFac company that runs lodging inside the park. Grande Canyon Quality Inn is a bit off of the South Rim, perhaps right outside of the park.

Anybody been to any of these places? It's only one night, but we'd like to start off our vacation on the right foot. Thanks!!

Lynn

I stayed at the Yavapai lodge which a block from the rim but not on it. It is quite "rustic" and very much old dormitory style. I was thinking that the Quality Inn looked pretty nice on the way out of the park. Everything in the park is run by AMFAC including all the food. Interesting.

Richard

Call Grand Canyon Lodges for availability. Better locations than those mentioned are often available, but not posted on the net! Maswick is a good choice and a very short walk to the Rim.

Bob Brown

Having had my fill of Amfacs and its rip off prices, I suggest the commercial motel. When we were at the South Rim last year, we stayed at the Maswick Lodge. It is convenient, and the roon was ok. It was not, however, air conditioned. Even in late May the intense sun made the room very warm and we were forced to prop the door open for a little cross ventilation. Granted it cools off at night, but the heat does not exchange out of those rooms very fast without some kind of moving air ventilation. There was no exhaust fan and the force of the wind was toward the "door side" of the room which was opposite from the windows.
To illustrate further my point about Amfacs, this past May we decided 3 nights in a cabin at Old Faithful at $109 plus per night was more than enough. We cancelled out a day earlier than reserved and returned to a much more comfortable motel room in West Yellowstone for $35 a night less.
Some people like the "magic" of staying in the park. If that experience ranks high on your priority list, then discard my comments.

x

the Quality Inn is located about 7 miles outside the park....there are other motels and restaurants there, also Imax.....the other 2( M &Y ) are not on the Rim proper...you could call direct to Amfac # and check on cancelations up to the time you leave home and arrive..keep your other lodging and just change it when you arrive or before if you can get one.(room)...El Tovar,Thunderbird,Kachina, Bright Angel Lodge and B.Angel Cabins are located right on the Rim....El Tovar,B.Angel and Steakhouse have restaurants also.....there is a cafeteria at either M or Y Lodges...I would rather stay on the Rim proper..just my opinion...ps they do have AC(at least Thunderbird does).....

ann

We are staying at the Maswick next week for one night and just received our confirmation. They stated there was no air conditioning and even though the room is paid for, they can change the price. After getting this, I am tempted to cancel and get another room. But, we do want to experience the sunset and sunrise, as we have been told it is wonderful right at the canyon. I guess one night won't kill us for the experience

anna

Quality Inn was nice, with a reasonably-priced buffet breakfast. We went across the street to McDonald's thinking to shave a couple of bucks off the cost of breakfast but prices there are HIGH due to the cost of trucking food and workers up there and the high cost of water. (there was a note of explanation for the high prices pasted to the counter). The buffet at quality Inn was the best deal.

Sara

We stayed at the Moqui Lodge a couple of years ago, and do not recommend it if you have a better choice. It is actually outside of the park, about a 15 - 20 minute drive from the South Rim, so if the Yavapi Lodge is closer, that may be a better bet. It was very inconvenient having to keep driving back and forth to change clothes, let our son take a nap when he didn't feel well, have someplace to hang out when it rained, etc. If the Yavapi Lodge is near the Visitor's Center, that's not too far from the rim. I think you're better off staying close to the rim if you're only going to be there for one night. If you do end up staying outside the park, the Quality Inn may be the better choice. Our room at Moqui Lodge was small, dated, and not especially clean. On the plus side, they had a pretty good buffet breakfast that was included in the room rate.

David

Just stayed at the Yavapai lodge this past june for one night. The lodge rooms are clean, simple, up to date, perfectly acceptable, in my opinion. Yavapai, however, is not just a block from the rim. We drove from the lodge to the various viewpoints. (although the rim is not far at all). The lodge is next to the general store, which is a supermarket, post office, hiking-camping , and souvenier store. There are trams that leave from the cafeteria located at Yavapai that go to the rim. I believe Yavapai is closer and probably nicer than Moqui.
In the past I have stayed outside the canyon (but not at the Quality Inn) I presume the Quality Inn is nicer However, for me, I liked staying in the canyon area; being able to eat at the cafeterias which weere reasonable and going right to the canyon. I liked the feel of the lodge being built right in the middle of the forest. The rooms had 2 fans and big windows for ventilation. Having said all that I am no fan of AMFAC but i guess I could complain to the sec of the interior about that.

Neal Sanders

OCLocal, the closer you are to the rim, the better. Moqui, which is just inside the park boundary, is little better than staying at one of the properties outside of the park, such as the Quality Inn.

Yavapai is OK, but my suggestion is to keep that reservation as a back-up while continuing to call Amfac and ask if there are availabilities at the three "rim" lodges. We were initially offered only rooms farther back, but through persistence eventually ended up right on the rim, which is the best place to be.