Plan on at least 2 days to visit the south rim. If you can only spend 1 day, do not try to see everything as there is too much to see. Here is my suggestions on what to see and do.

1) If you take the Grand Canyon Railroad, you will only have 2.5 hours to see the canyon. You should use the Freedom or Grand Tour rim tours if you take the train and want to see more than the view from the Village. If you want to just see a limited overview of the canyon, stay in the Village area and walk to the canyon edge. The 2.5 hours is enough for this.

2) If you drive to the Canyon, park in one of the parking lots in the village. The Grand Motel is 54 miles from the Grand Canyon National Park South entrance. I suggest you obtain your park pass at the Williams Visitor Center. This will avoid long lines at the park entrance. All parking lots have easy access to the shuttles. The road to Hermits Rest is closed to private traffic. There is plenty of parking in the village and the shuttle system works well. In the winter the shuttles are limited. If you are up to an early rise, go to Mather Point 30 minutes before sunrise and watch the sunrise before going to the parking lots.

3) Take the Village Route shuttle (coded BLUE) to the Hermits Rest transfer station. The Hermits Rest Shuttle ( coded RED) stops at 8 canyon overlooks. Make this your first leg of your visit. The shuttle round trip is 75 minutes if you do not get off the bus. It runs every 15 minutes 7:30 AM to Sunset. It runs every 30 minutes 4:30 AM to 6:30 AM and & sunset to 1 hour after sunset. Plan on at least 4 hours for this leg of your trip.

4) Take a walk around the village and enjoy the shops and the history of the Canyon. Plan on 2 to 4 hours in the village. Plan on lunch at this time.

5) Take the Village Route shuttle to the Canyon View Information Plaza and transfer to the Kaibab Trail Route (coded GREEN). The shuttle round trip is 30 minutes if you do not get off the bus. It runs every 15 minutes 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. It runs every 30 minutes 4:30 AM to 6:30 AM and & 6:00 PM to 1 hour after sunset. Plan on at least 2 hours for this leg of your trip. Enjoy sunset at Yaki Point. Come back to Williams for the night and dinner.

6) Return to the Canyon the next day and take the Desert View drive East, I-64 (in your car) to the Desert View Tower. Stop at every viewing spot on the way. Include the Tusayan Ruins and Museum. Continue on I 64 to I 89 and the Cameron Trading Post. Return to the Desert View Tower and watch sunset here. Return to Williams and enjoy your 2nd night here.

7) On the third day, you may want to try to visit Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation. The Navajo’s have tours of the area. You may then want to continue to Utah to visit Brice Canyon and Zion National Park or return to Williams.

Q.What have your previous guests said about the Grand Motel.

A. Gary and Doris Holtman of Columbus,Miss. wrote in a letter to the editor of the Williams-Grand Canyon News "Our most memorable and pleasent stop the whole trip was our Fourth of July night in Williams. We stayed at the Grand Motel on old route 66, enjoyed the continental breakfast "on the patio" and the gunfight up the street. It seemed like Saturday night back home when I was a kid.....Agian our most memorable and enjoyable stop.

Q. Any outher un-biased reviews by guests?
A. YES Many posted on TripAdvisor. Here are the last 5 reviews.

Williams: The Grand Motel: "charming" Feb 7, 2006: A TripAdvisor Member, nashville, tn November, 2005 owner is a very nice man who makes you feel very welcome. you can tell that this is a very old motel, but you can also tell that it has been maintained with care. office has games you can take to your room, and you choose your breakfast from a menu and it is delivered in a basket. really good experience for a low price ($35)

Williams: The Grand Motel: "Friendly - Helpful - and a Charming Little Motel" Jan 17, 2006: A TripAdvisor Member, Gilbert, Arizona I stayed at this hotel in: January, 2006 Nine of us spent two nights, taking up three units. From the moment we arrived (late) we all felt like we were welcome. The 6-year-old loved Lucy the cat, and the 70+ (no tales) felt comfortable with the vintage facility. Bob, the owner, was a valuable source of information for us. He knew where to eat, where to see local sites, and where to find a realtor. We were there to visit in Seligman (down the road), and maybe find a home site. Now we're thinking about Williams - everything just felt like home.

Williams: The Grand Motel: "Treated with excellence as usual, they always make us feel like old freinds" Jan 6, 2006: A TripAdvisor Member, Prescott. Az. I stayed at this hotel in: January, 2006 From the moment we met Bob, Victoria, Ethal, Lucy, they made us feel like old friends. They are very professional with friendliness. I grew up in Prescott Az., and we here in Arizona have always been friendly and hospitable. As this state is overgrowing we are starting to loose this value so when we came up to get away from Prescott, when we began to talk to Bob we felt at home. They offer clean rooms, are affordable, and have extra's that many add extra charges for. Well they have thought of all the comforts that make your stay enjoyable. My daughter is completely in LOVE with Ethyal the famous and beloved dog of Bob and Vicky along with beautiful and inquisitive Lucy the cat!. We love going to Williams as often as we can and we would not even consider staying anywhere else! It is like stepping back into a time when life was a friendly and peaceful way to live (a great brain break) Take care Steve Carr, Peggy and Micaela Wells

Williams: The Grand Motel: "The Grand is really GRAND!" Oct 21, 2005: A TripAdvisor Member, Phoenix, Arizona I stayed at this hotel in: October, 2005 Truly a unique and extremely pleasant experience staying at the Grand Motel! The service is excellent and the Kelley’s will do everything they can to make their guests feel welcome and comfortable. You will be greeted by nostalgic music and maybe even the family pets "Ethyl and Lucy" if you are lucky! The rooms are clean and give one a pleasant feeling of what it must have been like to stay a quality northern Arizona Motel when Route 66 was still the mother road and the only way to get out west. We highly recommend this "Grand" Motel for anyone who is looking for something very pleasant and unique in their travels. It is not just another generic "McDonalds like" drab econo-room franchise motel, nor it is an overpriced Marriott with all the charm and warmth of a private hospital room in Boise!

Williams: The Grand Motel: "A little gem" Oct 17, 2005: A TripAdvisor Member, Portland, OR I stayed at this hotel in: October, 2005 Just returned from our first trip to the Grand Canyon and wanted to offer comments about the place that we stayed, the Grand Motel. It is a grand place in many respects. We arrived just after dark and it felt like we were going back in time as we pulled up to the office. It reminded me of the kind of motor hotel I stayed in as a child when our family went on vacation. Adding to the atmosphere was the '40's music that was playing over the PA system just outside the office door. This is where I met Bob, the owner of this wonerful piece of Route 66 nostalgia. One can tell he has pride in this being his place and he goes out of his way to make sure his guests' needs are taken care of. His suggestions for places to eat (and places to avoid) and places to see were dead on. We had the Safari room and we couldn't have asked for a nicer room. Clean, comfortable, quiet, and when was the last time you could say your motel room had a carport and a front porch. Or a house cat (Bob's cat Lucy). Breakfast on the patio in the morning was one of the best we've ever eaten. Maybe eating under a bright blue sunny sky helped. All in all our only regret was our stay was only two days. And when we next have the occasion to go to the Grand Canyon, you can rest assured we will look Bob up again.
Q.Why should I stay here when I could stay at a major chain Motel?
A. The Grand Motel is the only motel property in Williams, AZ that is on the National Register of Historical Places. The Major chain hotels are not! The Grand Motel will provide you with as nice or better room at a modest price.

Q. Why are you not an AAA rated motel?
A. The previous owners dropped their AAA rating. The present owners are committed to become a AAA rated property. They will fly the AAA banner as soon as the process allows them.

Q. Do you honor AARP, AAA, and other discount programs?
A. We are not listed in their guides yet, however, we will provide the same 10% discounted room rate off our rack rate if you show your membership cards at registration.

Q. Where can I play golf at in Williams?
A. Elephant Rocks Golf Course is a top rated course.

Q. Is there a guest laundry?
A. A laundromat is located right across the street for your laundry needs.

Q. What bed combinations do you have?
A. The Grand motel has the following beds, Rooms 2,14 have 2 double beds, rooms 3,4,5,6,8,9,10 and 11 have a single queen, room 7 has a queen and a double, room 15 & 17 have 2 doubles and a single and are family units, room 16 has 2 queens with private rooms, And room 12 is our large family cabin unit with a kitchenette and living room ,2 double beds, a futon, and a rollaway option.
The Gateway has 6 single queen rooms and 2 double queen rooms.

Q. How many Non smoking rooms are there?
A. More than 79% are non-smoking. The Grand motel has 13 non-smoking rooms.

Q. What are your room rates?
A. Everyone can afford a room with us. From a low of $35 a night (1 bed 1 person winter) to a high of $115 a holiday night (3 beds in 3 rooms, 5 people summer rate) plus tax. Please inquire for exact rates and dates. We are not like the big franchised hotels, all our rooms are different in layout and style.
If your family is large we have a special rate for you. You will not find a better rate in a quality room in Williams.

Q. Where can we eat in Williams?
A. Many great places in Williams. We always recommend the best places upon your arrival. We also advise which places to pass up. Our favorite is The Red Raven for fine casual dining. There are many other places to eat so please ask us our opinions before going to dinner.