Opened in 1905, the El Tovar Hotel is the Grand Canyon's finest lodging. Perched 20 feet from the canyon's edge, many rooms offer exquisite views while the lodge's architecture and decor gives guests the feeling of staying in a very upscale log cabin.
Charles Whittlesey designed the eclectic building for the Fred Harvey Company which operated luxury hotels and restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Line. Over the years the hotel has hosted scores of celebrities such as George Bernard Shaw, William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt.
Make sure to book breakfast in El Tovar's dining room. Surrounded by large murals of Native Americans, original to the hotel, you can cozy up near the stone fireplace, sip coffee and watch the sun play with the colors along the canyon.
Wake up just before the sun rises to find elk and deer on the lawn in front of the hotel. Don't forget to take your camera and then join other early-risers for one of the most magnificent sunrises on the planet.
