Best Western Squire Inn - Tusayan, AZ

For the first time in our lives Emily and I got upgraded.  When we first went to check-in the room wasn't ready.  So, we went to the Grand Canyon.  By the time we got back to the hotel, the room we were supposed to get was undergoing maintenance.  Therefore, we got bumped up to a business suite.  The business suite was great.  It had a small kitchen area, a sitting area, a very nice bedroom, and to top it all off, a jacuzzi.

We ate lunch, dinner, and breakfast at the hotel in that order.  The lunch was pretty average.  I got a pastrami sandwich and Emily got sliders.  Neither was terrible, but neither was amazing either.  For dinner, we ate at their other, nicer restaurant.  They offered local fare like buffalo and elk.  It was much better and well worth it.  They had a fairly decent wine list as well as a bar out front that you could order drinks from.  The breakfast was a standard American buffet.  They had eggs, potatoes, pancakes, fruit juice, fruit, and oatmeal.  It was fine for a hotel buffet, but again nothing amazing.

The hotel is in a prime location just like all the other Tusayan hotels.  I wouldn't necessarily suggest this hotel over any of the other options.  It is a five minute drive from the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park just like all the other hotels in the area.  I would suggest this particular hotel if you can get a better rate in relation to the other Tusayan hotels.

An American Tale: Richard and Emily Go West

Emily and I took a two-day trip to the Grand Canyon.  Just like everywhere else we went, it was low season.  That means, it was nice and quiet.  They haven't seen much snow this year, so the roads were nice and clear.  All in all, I would say it was the perfect time to go.  The entire southern rim was open including the Desert View road, which can close if there is heavy snow.  We'll get to that later.  

I really like sitting with my feet dangling off edges.

The pictures above are from our first afternoon there.  We tried to check-in to the hotel, but we were there too early.  So, we got some lunch and drove out to Grand Canyon National Park.  It really is awe inspiring.  The cold weather makes the sky clear, so you can see all the mountain ranges to the north and the east.

We decided to hang out until sunset.  We walked a little under a mile back to the shuttle bus stop.  We checked in at the hotel around 7PM.  We ended up getting really lucky.  The room we were supposed to be in was undergoing maintenance work, so we got upgraded to a business suite.  The room was great.  It had a bar, a small kitchen, a sitting area, a king-sized bed, and a jacuzzi.  The jacuzzi was definitely the highlight.  We woke up the next morning rested and relaxed.  We decided to drive out on the Desert View road and take the eastern exit out of the park.

I would recommend that route to anyone that has a car.  The Desert View road offers unique views of the canyon and the Little Colorado River.  It also has the Tusayan ruins and museum, which is worth a quick look.  The road to the east runs through Navajo country.  When you hit the descent out of Grand Canyon National Park, you can see the Painted Desert.  The road gets very little traffic, which means you can take your time if you want to.