Since we booked our trip to the Grand Canyon so late we ended up staying outside the park for a couple nights. The Grand at the Grand Canyon is located right outside the South Rim gate in a town called Tusayan. The hotel was highly recommended and rated one of the only three star hotels in the area. The bellman was absolutely fantastic and did not complain once about our two carts full of luggage. The Grand was located right next to a bus service that we could conveniently take directly into the Grand Canyon Village if we chose to.
As you entered the lobby of the Grand Hotel you felt as if you had been transported to a wilderness hunting lodge deep in the forest. As the piano music serenades you to relax and enjoy your evening without having to leave the comfort of your hotel. The fireplace would be the perfect place to cozy up to during cold winter months with a nice hot cup of cocoa. The walls are filled with trophies of all the native animals you would expect to see in a hunting lodge to show of the accomplishments of the hunter.
We booked a standard two queen beds for our stay and were extremely comfortable. Each room was equipped with a wet bar including a refrigerator, microwave and keurig coffeemaker. The rooms had a nice spacious balcony so after we got Jaxon settled in bed for the night we were able sit and relax on the balcony.
During our stay I happened to glance out our patio and saw the amazing sight of elk grazing in our parking lot. Jax's and I rushed outside in our pajamas like crazy tourist to take pictures and just observe in pure enjoyment their beauty.
The hotel is one of the few in the area with an indoor pool to enjoy after a long day of hiking in the area.
Jaxon always seems to find a small sanctuary for himself no matter where we visit. Here it happened to be our porch where he could work on his Junior Ranger program while we packed up for our next adventure.