Travel review: What to expect when staying at the El Tovar at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Do a quick Google search for El Tovar at the South Rim and you'll find polite travelers describing the hotel as historic, quaint, and charming. It's considered "the crown jewel of Historic National Park Lodges" and the premier resort on the canyon rim.
The truth is, El Tovar is indeed historic. It is rather quaint. It is somewhat charming. And it is unfortunately outdated, unkempt, and overpriced.
The trip
When: 4 days/3 nights in mid-May 2022
Why: My 50th birthday road trip
Where: The Whittlesey Suite, El Tovar. Named after the architect of the El Tovar, this suite is located on the 3rd floor. It's a two-room suite with a king-size bed, separate sitting room, and full bath. There is a large deck overlooking the forest and the parking lot. 💡 Pro tip: there is no elevator in the hotel, so pack lightly unless you're on the 1st floor.
How: We drove from Phoenix in our Grand Wagoneer (GW). It's about four hours and 250 miles.
Cost: $700/night. Smaller rooms during the same time were going from $300. Rates are higher in May 2023, ranging from $334-$775/night.
All the beautiful things
The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. This is Mother Nature at her finest and you'll often find yourself in awe of the views. Since the El Tovar sits mere feet from the rim, you are in a prime location at any point in the day.
The Rim Trail can be found directly outside the El Tovar, where you can walk for miles in either direction. The trail is mostly level, flat, paved, and busy. It's worth it for some stellar photo op moments.
It goes without saying that to truly experience the canyon, you should go in it as well as around it. Both the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails are magnificent. We took South Kaibab to Skeleton Point, which is 5.8 miles round trip with a 2,000 foot elevation gain. As everyone says, that little glimpse of the Colorado River from your stopping point is wickedly satisfying, even if you can't quite tip your toe in.
Be prepared to see mules taking people and supplies up or down the trail, or at least the evidence of them. You'll be best to keep watch where you step.
We took the shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead and back. It provided a nice inadvertent tour of that side of the canyon.
The Bright Angel trailhead is a quick walk from the El Tovar and my favorite of the three. I liked the curve of the trail a bit better and there was less mule business to avoid. While challenging, it seemed just a tad easier than South Kaibab. And we saw the most magnificent big horned sheep perched along the wall. (Not that the mules weren't cool.)
A few things to keep in mind that apply to both trails:
The level of effort you exert is directly dependant on the weather. The heat can be brutal.
Bring lots and lots of water and drink it. We saw many people carrying a single bottle and they all looked miserable.
There are logical turnaround points along the way. We planned to reach the 3-Mile Resthouse on Bright Angel, but hit the 1.5 and felt accomplished enough to head up rather than head on.
Remember, whatever elevation you hike down, you have to hike it back up. And the up is much, much, harder. It's recommended that you double the time to go up as it took you to come down. The #hothusband is a retired Marine, so I was afforded only 10 extra minutes for the ascent.
The sad truth
The El Tovar is tired. You notice how worn she is as soon as you enter the lobby, but the shabbiness really sets in once you step into your room.
The carpet is threadbare in areas, the furniture has seen far better days, and AC kicks on and off so hard that you're startled awake multiple times a night. And although the suite was several rooms, each of those rooms was small and narrow, with furniture placed at unusable angles. Needless to say, she needs a facelift.
Yes, I get that that as a visitor, you're going to spend most of your time outside to bask in the literal splendor that is the Grand Canyon, but you do still need to eat, sleep, and rest. And you should feel damn good about it.
🚨 TMI - don't read if you don't want to know
No sex for you
Do you know how some hotel rooms make you feel spoiled and fabulous? You tuck in and order room service. You take a hot bath. You sleep naked. You drink champagne in bed and have crazy happy sex because you feel great and there is no corgi hair and you're on vacation. You want to have crazy happy sex because you want to. Yeah, you won't feel that way at the El Tovar. You'll want to keep your clothes on and not spend one extra minute inside your room. No sex for you.
Heed the extremes
💡Tips for travelers
We brought a small cooler up to our room and left a larger one in the vehicle which we kept stocked with alcohol. I mean, who doesn't like a cold beer after a long hot hike?
Don't pay for water! There is an Elkay water station and an ice machine down the stairs in the lobby. We filled our CamelBaks and water bottles up multiple times a day.
Parking at the hotel can be tight, especially leading up to sunset. We always managed to find parking though, between the Kachina Lodge and the El Tovar.
Again, the El Tovar does not have an elevator. We packed smaller bags for this part of our trip and brought our dirty laundry down daily to the vehicle. We also left a lot of our hiking gear in the GW and just stopped there before and after each hike.
If you do want to have dinner in the Dining Room, make reservations ahead of time. If you haven't thought ahead, then keep checking their online system, as people frequently cancel and tables become available.
The shuttle bus service in the park is excellent. It's easy to hop on and off and the color-coding system makes the entire system flawless.
Buy your park pass ahead of time and avoid the lines at the entrance gate.
Xanterra should be embarrassed
The El Tovar, like all Grand Canyon properties, is owned by Xanterra, an American resort and park management company. While I've been neutral about their approach at other national parks, they have completely failed the Grand Canyon. And they should be embarrassed that they have let this notable property become so shabby.
The last time the El Tovar was renovated was 2005. Another was supposed to happen ten years later–new carpets, paint, and bedding, updated public spaces, televisions, and HVAC. But that was delayed for several bureaucratic reasons and then pushed out in 2017 and then again in 2019. As of 2022, there are no signs of improvement.
And since Xanterra owns everything within the park, you're trapped by their ineptitude. They know their audience is captive and that for most, a return visit is unlikely, so capturing your love and loyalty with something stellar is unnecessary. There is no competition.
I've read a lot of reviews where people argue that they aren't at the Grand Canyon for the food or the room. They offer up all sorts of excuses and compromises for mediocrity. (I especially deplore the posts that start with, "I didn't actually stay there...") But why can't excellent hospitality and lodging coexist with nature? What can't I have an epic view AND an equally epic meal? Why must a visit to the Grand Canyon be mutually exclusive of an excellent night's stay?
If it were me...
The Grand Canyon screams for a high-end resort (they are already charging for it) and the El Tovar could and should be it.
It hurts to say, but don't stay at the El Tovar until they renovate the hotel. Instead, reserve at the newly reconstructed Maswik South Lodge, just a short walk or shuttle bus ride away.
That's what we'll be doing when we go back. Because Mother Nature and the Grand Canyon do indeed warrant a return visit.
The ratings
Lodging:
El Tovar ⭐⭐
Meals:
El Tovar Dining Room (B, D) ⭐⭐⭐ - Breakfast was good and relatively fast. Dinner was unnecessarily fussy with a concentration on sauces and an unusual combination of ingredients. If the chef would lean into the surroundings and focus on fresh vegetables and perfectly grilled meats, the Dining Room would shine. The staff was all fabulous.
El Tovar Cocktail Lounge (D) ⭐ - I'm not sure if they were still following outdated Covid protocols, but you had to wait in line to enter the Lounge, the tables were all too large and spread far apart, and there were only two seats at the bar. My chili was fine but came with store-bought Tostitos weirdly stacked along the side of the bowl. Stick to simple drinks and don't expect much from the food.
Grand Canyon Village Market Deli (D) ⭐⭐ - We took carry-out from the deli for dinner one night. Basic sandwiches that did what we needed.
Yavapai Tavern (L) ⭐ - Oh my. The only thing tavernesque is the beer on tap. Everything else is cafeteria at best. Stand in line, order at the counter, go sit down, and wait a really long time for someone to bring you mediocre food.
We Cook Pizza and Pasta (L) ⭐⭐ - Decent pizza and cold beer in the town of Tusayan.
Historic Cameron Trading Post (L) ⭐⭐⭐ - On our way to Big Water, Utah we stopped in the town of Cameron for lunch. The Navajo taco and the Navajo fry bread comprised the best meal we'd eaten all week. 💡Split the taco! It's gigantic and a to-go box just won't do justice to the fabulously hot, chewy, and crispy bread.
Trails:
South Kaibab Trail: Difficulty ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazingness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bright Angel Trail: Difficulty ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazingness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rim Trail: Difficulty ⭐ Amazingness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After the Grand Canyon, we drove to Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase, and you can read all about it here.