Spring Break '09 (Early March) What is doable?
 

I'm considering a trip out west with my 19 yr. old daughter during her spring break. We will only have 7 nights and we'll be traveling from Atlanta. I think I'd like to fly into Phoenix and out of Las Vegas.

I've read several threads on here with various itineraries and I'm not sure what is doable. The places I started out with are Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, southern rim of GC and Las Vegas. I would rent a car in Phoenix and drive to the other locations. I've never been to any of these locations, so I'm not sure how much time to allocate in each place.

My daughter is not much of a hiker, but I would like her to see the views. She is used to walking around large cities, so it's not like she's not capable...hiking is not her cup of tea. I realize she cannot gamble in the casinos in Vegas, but I think it's worth exposing her to the city. It sounds like we would have a wide range of weather conditions.

All advice would be appreciated as I am just starting my research and don't want to bite off more than I can chew. Also, I will do all of the driving so I'd prefer to limit trips to 4 hrs.

We did a similar trip with our kids and it is very doable... I would start in Scottsdale and then do a loop including Flagstaff, Sedona and the GC including stops in Jerome, Meteor crater, and other stops that may interest you... then finish with two nights in Vegas with pre-planned shows, spa visits and swanky dinners... there's plenty to do even without gambling... have fun!

The Meteor Crater is expensive and a little out of your way. I wouldn't go there unless you're really interested in that sort of thing.

Lee Ann

You might want to look at doing your trip the other way around. I believe a 1-way rental is cheaper from Las Vegas to Phoenix than from Phoenix to Las Vegas.

Interesting point SaraLou...I haven't looked at car rental prices yet. I'll keep that in mind.

ElendilPickle..thanks for the opinion...I had not heard of Meteor Crater, but it does look pretty interesting. It did seem a little out of the way though.

OK...still need to look at flights and rental car to determine the order of cities, but are these overnight numbers reasonable.

Las Vegas - 2 nights
Sedona - 2 nights
Grand Canyon (south) - 2 nights
Scottsdale - 1 night

Any hotel recommendations? We don't plan to golf but a spa visit is a possibility. And again, we won't be visiting the casinos.

For Las Vegas...the Signature at the MGM Grand or Desert Rose
For Scottsdale...Hospitality Suites and Best Western Papago Inn looked pretty good.
For GC...will try for a lodge or Inn room in the park
Haven't gotten to Sedona yet...I assume I would rather stay there and see Flagstaff as a day trip or on the way to GC.

Thoughts?

Deb - What kinds of things do you want to see? I would skip Vegas if you are not interested in casinos. The weather is much nicer that time of year in Phoenix and Tucson. Vegas can still be cool and windy and the drive from the Grand Canyon is long and not that interesting (mostly desert). There's plenty to see in Arizona. Have you considered going to Tucson?

Don't give up on Vegas... I know my wife and 19 yearold loved the shows, dinners and spas.... a perfect finish to a mom/teen journey... its not about the casinos... its about the experience!

We stayed one night in Las Vegas when our sone was about 18 - on way to some of the other stops you are considering. He hated it - because he felt he was not a chihld but was obviously too young to gamble and drink - a nowhere age. He had no interest in "experiencing" what he could not have. It depends on the kid.

Well it's interesting to hear all of the different opinions. I think I'm going to keep Las Vegas in the mix at the moment since DD seemed to think that sounded fun even if she can't gamble. She would like the fountain at Bellagio and I think we could come up with plenty to do outside of the casinos.

Supercilious...we mainly want to sightsee and the main thing I wanted to do was see the Grand Canyon since I've never been. That is what started the planning and we have to plan around her Spring Break. I try to take her somewhere each year at that time because I have way more vacation time than my husband does. Sometimes my mother comes along, so it is the girls' trip.

We would want to see Talesin West...we visited Falling Water in PA several years ago. Ironically, that was also a Spring Break trip and the whole thing was planned around Falling Water. I'm embarrassed to say, but I probably didn't catch the joke about the CA guy with 7 days because I also tend to overplan. We had 10 nights and hit Williamsburg, Amish Country, Philly, Bear Run and Niagara Falls in Canada. About 2500 miles to and from Atlanta!

I want to spend a couple of days in Sedona and maybe visit the Petrified Forest since it looks pretty neat. My mother suggested at least a visit to Flagstaff, but I don't know if we need to stay there. I did not have Tuscon on the radar since it is in the opposite direction of all of the other places I was considering.

So...since GC was at the top of the list I hate to remove that from the agenda. But...if weather at that time of year is consistently really nasty year after year please let me know. I don't mind the cold as long as I'm prepared. What I don't want to encounter if closed roads, etc and I was hoping that would not be the norm in March on the south rim.

Please keep the advice coming!

The weather at GC in early March could include snow. Have been there in late March and experienced a white out of snow after a beautiful afternoon and sunset the day before. The elevation is high so it can be cold even with sunshine in March and April.

Tucson would be warmer, and it has a lot to offer for tourism, but it depends on what you are interested in. There are high-end resorts with spas, pools, etc as well as museums, national parks, U of A, golf, canyons, spring training and many cultural events. Also Mexico is only about an hour from Tucson.

Regarding car rental, be sure you can leave the state since some car rentals do not allow that. You also can not take a rental car to Mexico, but walking across the boarder checkpoint is easy. A passport is now required to walk from Mexico into US.

IMO Phoenix, Tucson and southern AZ offer more for a 19 year old than Las Vegas unless you want to see shows. Would you consider a different trip to Las Vegas after she is 21? Your itinerary plus Tucson area without Las Vegas could easily fill 8 days.

This trip is doable. We did a similar trip a few years ago in Feb. We flew into Phoenix and drove into Sedona. The flights from the east arrive early.

Car rental is very expensive in Phoenix and there was only 1 company that did not charge for the one way rental. Starting in Las Vegas may be your best bet. Check car rental rates before you book your flights.

We planned to head to the Grand Canyon but a snowstorm blocked the roads and we stayed an additional 2 nights in Sedona--we loved it there and had gotten a great deal at the Enchantment Resort--it was not a sacrifice to spend 2 more nights there.

We then drove to Las Vegas and spent 2 nights.

Last year we went to the Grand Canyon over spring break. We arrived in a snowstorm but had really lovely weather after that. We flew into (and out of) Phoenix, stopped for lunch in Sedona and spent 3 nights at the Grand Canyon. The rest of the week, we spent in Fountain Hills near Scottsdale.

I think your daughter would have fun walking around Las Vegas. The Bellagio fountains, the Venetian, fun restaurants, shopping etc. There are fabulous shows. We enjoyed O and Mystere and Mama Mia. There were some good deals advertised for Mama Mia, which is a fun show. I am not sure if the Phantom is still in LV.

Sign up for the email specials for Vegas hotels. If you arrive during the week rather than the weekend, there are often midweek specials startin on Sunday. The MGM is a bit south and don't know about Desert Rose(is that downtown?). I would stay on the strip. Mid strip is nice--we've stayed at Paris, Bellagio, Alladin(new name now). Bally's & Caesars are there and a bit farther north the Mirage, Venetian. I'm not really a Vegas expert but we have had fun there.

If you click on my name you should be able to find both of my trip reports.

skip the grand canyon. long ride for little return.

stay longer in Vegas & drive to the Valley of Fire about 50 miles east, Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon.

VoF is a National Park and is great, both for driving and short hikes.
google it & don't miss it.

Deb-sounds like your planning a great trip! Sedona is absolutely spectacular, The Grand Canyon is unbelievably beautiful and Las Vegas is sooooo much fun! We were at all three locations last summer and although my favorite was Sedona, my kids 11 and 16 LOVED Vegas! I would definitely stay mid-strip. Tripadvisor.com is a good website for hotel reviews! Have Fun!

Skip the Grand Canyon???? She said it was the first thing on her list.

I had to see where mike_k got that idea. I see that last July he asked about doing a one-day bus tour to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. No wonder he says it's a long ride for little return---you get a couple of hours at the canyon and 10 hours on a bus.

Visiting on your own and spending 2 nights there is a different thing entirely. We like to hike to the bottom, but even if you just walk the paved rim path you will be spending 36 hours or so in one of the most beautiful places on earth---at a time when it won't be overwhelmed with crowds. If it snows that is a bonus---the canyon is even more beautiful when the rocks and bushes are draped with snow.

Book your lodging at www.grandcanyonlodges.com

El Tovar is the nicest of the lodges inside the park, and is just steps from the edge of the canyon.

Do look inot rental car charges before you determine your dates. One-way rentals between Phoenix and Vegas can be expensive regardless which direction you go. Rentals are generally much less expensive from Las Vegas, so it might be better to go one-way starting from there. But also compare flying into and out of either Vegas or Phoenix, returning the car to the same spot. We prefer flying into Phoenix, but rentals are cheaper from Vegas.

Be sure and include Sedona for a night or two of spa luxury.

Wow...lots of good advice came in while I was at work today. :-)

I need to reread everything and digest the suggestions, but my initial thoughts are...

I will check flights and rental car prices before I decide on an into Phoenix out of Vegas or vice versa plan. I definitely want to visit Sedona, and my initial thoughts are that I will stick with my original plan and save Tuscon for another trip.

As far as Vegas, I have been checking Trip Advisor and that is where I came up with the 2 hotels I mentioned earlier. We don't mind walking, but I don't want to be totally on the outskirts of the most desirable area. Sometimes I want to be right in the middle and sometimes I don't...it depends on the situation. We've seen Mama Mia, Phantom and done gondola rides in Venice, so those would not be options. We've also seen Cirque de Soliel at least 3 times...probably would skip that too. I saw the fountains on Montjuic in Barcelona when I was about my daughter's age and I was totally fascinated. So I think the fountains and gardens at Bellagio would be at the top of the list. Still need to do research.

I guess everyone needs to see Vegas at least once but it would be better if your daughter was 21.

I hate the place. It's obscene and mostly a rip-off in my opinion. We stayed there earlier this year and were accosted everywhere on the strip by guys trying to sell you hookers and porn. The fountains at Bellagio were under repair - I would guess they are fixed now.

Years ago, the shows and meals in Vegas were a good deal but not anymore. They are as expensive as in most major cities. Virtually all the top restaurants are franchises of famous chefs from other cities. There really is no unique cuisine there.

We stayed at the Desert Rose. It's a nice place and has a good location near the MGM just off the strip. We liked it because of the convenient no-hassle parking which is kind of a rarity at a lot of the hotels on the strip.

I've been to Vegas many times so I guess I'm jaded but at that time of year, I'd much rather be in Southern Arizona. The weather in Vegas then is unpredictable and not usually that warm.

Flagstaff will be even cooler. It will still be winter at that altitude but the Grand Canyon is great at any time of the year.

Couldn't agree more, Supercilious! You probably couldn't GIVE me a trip to VEgas!! Grand Canyon is awesome. Flagstaff has the best shopping for silver jewelry if interested. Sedona is beautiful. Scottsdale great.
Just a question for OP--is this what DD wants to do also?

Since you have one flight using Las Vegas airport, that will likely mean one night there - that seems a reasonable compromise. One night will give her the experience without being too much.

OK...I've been unable to spend much time planning over the last couple of days.

I haven't rented a car in forever and the only rentals I've had in the last 20 years were minivans. With just 2 people and the price of gas, I figure a compact is fine. But, I'm not very familiar with compact cars. I also have the dilema of a daily rate vs. a weekly rate. And I assume I want unlimited miles. I've checked rentals in both directions, LV to Phoenix and Phoenix to LV and the price difference is not significant...at least based on the daily rate. I think I'd prefer the Phoenix to LV plan because I think it would be less driving. Thoughts on rental companies cars, etc. I guess the car make is really kind of irrelevant if all options are comparable.

And one more thing...I don't really think I would need a car in Vegas, so I don't know if it would be better to do a daily rental and eliminate the need to pay for parking.

Rent a car on priceline

When renting a car from an airport in AZ have the quote include the airport tax, spring training tax, sales tax, county tax etc. The added fees are ridiculously high so ask for a total price quote not just a daily or weekly fee. Have not rented a car in LV so I am not sure what fees they add on to the daily or weekly rates, but that may be a consideration in deciding where to rent the compact car.

I appreciate all of the advice I've received from this board. Some of you have asked about DD and she always says she doesn't want to go anywhere. I took her anyway and she would admit later that she had a good time. So I proceeded to plan Spring Break 2009!

Well...she didn't want to do this trip either, but I thought I had her convinced when we added Vegas. I talked to her last night and she REALLY DOES NOT WANT TO GO FOR SPRING BREAK. So since she has just started college and it might be nice for her to veg at home for a week, I'm postponing this trip. She said she would go in the summer, so we'll see. We usually go to the beach every year, but I could certainly skip it for one year. I was trying to avoid crowds, but oh well.

Thanks for all your help and I'm sure I will have more questions later.

Tell her what the normal highs in Phoenix and Las Vegas are in summer and she might agree to go over spring break instead of summer. :)