Flagstaff Travel Answers

We've spent one night in Flagstaff a few years back on a western U.S. road trip and stayed at the Fairfield Inn which is part of the Marriott chain. Free breakfast and easy access to everything.

I liked Flagstaff, nice shops and a good record/cd shop which was open late. And there are good tours to Grand Canyon from there. If you can, watch the late AMTRAK sleeper (double decker) thunder into the station, very impressive sight. I stayed at the Weatherford Hotel across from the station. It is an "historic" hotel with a big bar (open mic) and restaurant. It was very basic but ok. The staff were helpful. weatherfordhotel.com/index.h... However, they do warn you that it is near the railway line, which is a goods/freight line and trains (big American trains) thunder through all night ... they do and very frequently too. So whichever hotel you are looking at be aware of the trains! Oh and don't drink the Baileys or anyting like it as you will be very ill.

Depends on what you're looking for. Flagstaff's Downtown area has a number of bars and restaurants, and I've always enjoyed being walking distance to them. Last couple of times, I've stayed at the Monte Vista. It's not for everyone. It's a historic hotel, so the rooms are very small and the hotel doesn't feature a lot of the amenities that the chain places near the interstate have. There's also no air conditioning in the rooms, and your open windows in the cool summer nights mean a first-hand look at Flagstaff's bar scene until just after its 2am last call. All the same can be said for the Weatherford. One nice thing is that, roughly two years ago, the trains were silenced in Downtown Flagstaff, so the whistles are no longer a problem, although you can certainly still hear them with the window open. One of my favorites where I've stayed many times though is the Highland Country Inn, which runs about60 per night and is a solid 2-star property, but has the added benefit of being walking distance to Downtown. There are also a number of hotels east of town along Route 66. These are all older places, some of which have been renovated, others that have gone the dilapidation route and run about20 per night catering to drug addicts. Along this stretch, I've stayed at the Kings House and Inn Suites. I prefer staying Downtown. I would also avoid the Lucky Lane area near I-40, unless you stay at Little America, which is an experience in itself. The other hotel area, along Milton near I-40 features the higher-end chain places (Drury, Residence Inn, Hilton Garden, etc.) that will run around100 per night. A lot of solid properties, but they're very generic: could be anywhere else in the country. If you're young and traveling though, even if you have the means to avoid it, I would suggest the Grand Canyon Hostel. It's one of the nicer and more well-maintained hostels I've seen in the US. Always friendly people around too. Keep in mind that Flagstaff is a 90-minute drive from the Grand Canyon, 45 minutes from Sedona, 30 minutes from Wupatki National Monument, etc. It's a good base but is not really a destination in itself. Good museum and bar scene, but there's just too much better stuff near it.

Thanks for all your suggestions! I chose Flagstaff because it's a good base but if you know a better place to stay feel free to let me know :)