HONEYMOON VEGAS TRIPS
Help planning Grand Canyon/Arizona wedding/elopement/honeymoon?
I was thinking we’d drive out (we love road trips, and we live in Oklahoma, so it’s not THAT far) – a two day trip (only driving 6 hours/day, taking our time and seeing cool things along the way).
I thought we’d wind up in Flagstaff or somewhere nearby (closest town to the Grand Canyon) and stay the night there. We want to get married on the edge of the canyon at sunrise – so we’d meet our (prearranged) officiant in Flagstaff and ride out there together.
I thought we could honeymoon in Sedona or somewhere else close-ish by. Any suggestions? And please don’t say Las Vegas – not our style.
Any ideas? Any fun/romantic things to do in this area? Any places to stay you recommend?
We were talking about hiking the canyon, of course. That’s not to be missed for anything! (we just got back from Peru – hiking the Inca trail…we love this stuff. 
Thank you so much!!
One suggestion for a special place to stay near the Grand Canyon is the wonderful La Posada hotel in Winslow (about an hour east of Flagstaff along I-40). While the small town of Winslow itself may not be that impressive, La Posada is a gem and perhaps my favorite hotel in the entire southwest.
It was built in 1930 by Mary Jane Colter and is one of her masterpieces (a famous architect for the Santa Fe railroad who designed many of the famous historic buildings at Grand Canyon). The hotel is inspired on the idea of a Spanish hacienda with a big hall and fireplace, sunken garden and lots of quiet little nooks and corners. After the hotel closed in the 1950s, it was turned into railroad offices and came very close to getting torn down in the 1990s. That was when a couple for California bought it and spent a great deal of time refurbishing it to its original grandeur based on old photographs. The rooms are great… elegant and comfortable and not overly expensive. The building and grounds are fantastic and the hotel restuarant is considered by many people (myself included) to be the best in the Four Corners area. It is a truely special place and everybody that I have taken there has fallen in love with it.
Of course, staying at the Grand Canyon itself has some nice options. The grand historic 1905 El Tovar has some nice rooms that would make a good honeymoon stay, although any of the park lodges are nice.
If you are into hiking, you would probably enjoy just walking down the trails at your own pace (which is a great experience) rather than the mules. Bright Angel is the famous one near the lodges, but for a quick day hike I prefer the stunning views from the South Kaibab trail (near Yaki Point). Another nice (and longer) day hike is to take the Hermit Trail from Hermit Rest over to pretty Dripping Springs (about 3.5 miles one way). This is less crowded and a very pleasant trail.
But Flagstaff is a great place too… an old lumber and railroad town with a nice historic downtown area filled with shops, cafes and galleries. There are a wide range of hotels – the historic 1929 Monte Vista (where some scenes from the movie Casablanca were filmed) is a neat place in the middle of downtown (although it is a historic place and not everyone is into those sorts of places). Little America in east Flag is probably the fanciest hotel in town (although not the most interesting location) and all the chain hotels are represented.
For a special romantic place to eat in Flag, I would recommend the Cottage Place – a fine french restuarant in a old house tucked into a neighborhood near the railroad overpass near downtown. Josephines is also an excellent place that has started to attract attention. For less fancy, good eats I would recommend Beaver Street Brewery (a microbrew with good food on Beaver St south of the RR depot) and Macys Coffee Shop (just across the street from it). Be sure to check out Lowell Observatory on the hill (where Pluto was discovered in 1930) and the excellent Museum of Northern Arizona on the north edge of town (heading to the canyon).
Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon is certainly a very pretty place, but it is further from the canyon and also pretty expensive.
Just a note… remember that Flagstaff and the South Rim of the canyon are at an elevation of 7,000 feet and so much cooler than the rest of the Arizona. They get snow storms in winter and it will drop below freezing at night well into April. Dress accordingly depending on when you go. Also be warned, that Memorial Day through Labor Day is peak tourist season at the canyon and when it will be the most crowded and hardest to find parking spots and get rooms. If you can avoid that period, all the better.
Have fun! It is a great area.
Ch 12- A JB Love Story
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