okay, this is one of those long, long winded things - sort of like being invited over for dinner, then having to sit through the slideshow from vacation....
We spent our spring break vacation at the Grand Canyon. We stayed 2 nights in Santa Fe, NM then 2 nights in Tusayan, AZ which is just 2 miles from the gate at the Grand Canyon. It's a 17.5 hour trip from our home and can you believe it - I didn't get any stitching in at all? We did so much chatting and looking at visitors guides and seeing what everyone wanted to do (ie: where to shop) - it was just a wonderful trip.
If you ever visit Santa Fe, I highly recommend 
http://www.innofthegovernors.com/ they are right in the middle of the tourist/shopping/visitors plaza. This is a picture from our room.....The staff was the friendliest and most relaxed of any hotel I have ever stayed in. We had a kiva fireplace in our room with shuttered windows that opened out on the plaza square. We had spanish sangria and listened to the bag pipes play on St. Paddy's Day.
