Since air and highway travel are so common, Route 66 is now essentially useless as a mode of transportation. Fortunately, there are a number of business owners committed to reviving traffic on Route 66 and preserving its rich heritage.
When I learned that a rebuilt motor lodge had opened along Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the same time that my family was preparing to visit the Grand Canyon for the first time, I knew we had to make reservations. I am a huge fan of road trips and all things vintage.
Quick take
The High Country Motor Inn has had various incarnations.
Before taking on a new life as a boutique hotel, the facility previously served as a paper mill, Howard Johnson, and Days Inn.
An appealing courtyard with a sizable pool, fire pits, and lawn activities surrounds the guest rooms, enticing families, friends, and potential friends to congregate there.
My favorite part of the hotel ended up being the community component, which is becoming increasingly rare in an era where you can check in to your hotel and request room service without speaking to a live person.
How to get there
Flagstaff is the nearest significant international airport to the town in northern Arizona, even though it is just over two hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
If you wish to avoid the drive, American Airlines and United Airlines both fly into Flagstaff Pullium Airport (FLG), but unless you are coming from a few specific places like Denver or Dallas, getting there will probably cost you more money and time than flying into Phoenix.
We flew into Phoenix and had a wonderful day driving through the beautiful Arizona countryside to Flagstaff.
Booking information
Three standalone "Cosmic Cottages" and 120 guest rooms and suites are available on the site.
The mattresses in the rooms can be one king or two queens, and there are also accessible and pet-friendly rooms available.
Standard rooms start at $119 per night, courtyard view rooms cost $134, and cosmic cottages cost $319.
My family of five spent $229 a night for a room with two queen beds and a courtyard view (my kids are still little enough to share a bed for the time being).
Despite not taking part in any of the main loyalty programs, High Country Motor Lodge is nevertheless bookable through travel rewards websites like the American Express Travel network.
The cost in cash is the same as making a straight hotel reservation, but the cost in points starts at 17,000 Amex Membership Rewards points per night.
Exceptional qualities
• At the hotel, we spent the majority of our time in the common spaces.
We made friends with other families in the courtyard while playing Foosball, pool, and board games, sipping craft beers in the lounge.
• Before going on this vacation, my kids had never seen a cassette tape.
My 5-year-old became fixated on playing the offered mix-tapes for us and made sure to play the evening mix before going to sleep.
• The breakfast at The General Store was a separate expense from the cost of our stay, but it was definitely worthwhile.
My egg sandwich included pancetta, smoked provolone, and a delightfully runny egg on a brioche bun. My kids struggled to pick a favorite among the assortment of fresh pastries.
The vibe
The outdoors are where Arizona has the most to offer, in my opinion.
High Country Motor Lodge does a fantastic job of bringing the outdoors inside with an earthy palette of blues and greens, camp-style mugs, and large, bright windows within the guest rooms. It also invites guests to venture outside for activities and stunning mountain views.
Even though the hotel has undergone a complete renovation, you can clearly tell that great effort was taken to preserve the motor lodge atmosphere.
The minifridge and overhead lamp's draped exposed wiring gave the impression that they had been there for a very long time, even though I assume they are both brand-new.
The room
We stayed in a room with two queen beds and a courtyard view.
All of the courtyard-view rooms are close to the pool, but for quick and simple access to the pool and other amenities, I prefer the first-floor rooms.
The room had white bedding and walls inside, but the door and accents were painted in a dark blue that resembled the night sky.
There was a little table with a leather catch-all tray, and the chairs were upholstered in a shade of green like the pine trees outside our door.
The only available storage was a row of wall hooks, a garment rack with one shelf, and the space under the beds because there was no closet or dresser.
A minifridge, coffee and tea makers, a vanity with a basin, and a full-length mirror were all located in the space outside the bathroom.
A door divided the vanity area from the bathroom's toilet and shower (that lacked a lock).
I suppose the toilet didn't have much flushing power because of the age of the building.
But surprisingly, the shower had the highest water pressure I've ever experienced at a hotel.
The 50-inch flat-screen TV features quick QR code setup for streaming capability.
The hotel elected to use a text service instead of providing in-room phones.
Although I didn't utilize the service while I was there, I didn't miss having a phone in my room.
Beverages and food
In the main lobby, there is an eating area and full-service bar called The General Store.
You can get warm breakfast sandwiches, cold drinks like granola and chia seed pudding, hot and cold coffee in the morning.
There are sandwiches, salads, and pizza available later in the day.
I paid $10 for my breakfast sandwich, which also included a side of grapes.
Although it was definitely not a cheap breakfast, I didn't mind because of how wonderful it was.
The lounge menu was not just fascinating but also varied.
I chose an in-state IPA from Mother Road Brewing, which is near the motel.
One of the four custom boilermakers on the menu, The Ring of Fire, was ordered by my spouse. It was prepared with a passion fruit beer and a shot of mezcal.
A modest grab-and-go store with drinks, snacks, mementos (such a take-home set of the in-room mix-tapes), and replacements for anything you might have forgotten at home is also located in the lobby.
Services and amenities
The service we received during our stay was exceptional, and not just because everyone we dealt with was donning tan overalls a la Dickies.
When the front desk employee realized we were traveling with children, she put us in a first-floor room with easy access.
When we returned following a day of exploring, a new tape player was waiting for us because the one we had at check-in wasn't functioning properly.
Because we arrived so soon after the hotel's opening, the hot tub and Nordic spa weren't yet ready for visitors, but we made the most of the board and table games in The General Store and the pool (until it got too chilly to enjoy).
During our visit, the three-hour time difference forced me to go to bed quite early, but just before I did, I noticed large groups gathered around the fire pits, laughing and conversing with one another rather than monitoring the number of likes on their most recent Instagram post.
Out and about
I chose my current residence because it is convenient for me to walk to the library, the gym, and my preferred coffee shop.
When selecting a hotel, I look for one that is convenient for walking, and the High Country Motor Lodge definitely checked that box.
There were many places to eat nearby, including the Mother Road Brewery.
The Lowell Observatory, the Barringer Crater, and historic Williams, Arizona, the final community to have its part of Route 66 bypassed by roads, are all accessible with a little more driving. You can also see the night sky if you travel a little further and get in the car.
Accessibility
In order to accommodate wheelchairs, the hotel's accessible rooms are equipped with roll-in showers, shower seats, grab bars, and other amenities.
There are also rooms available with doorbells and strobe fire alarms for hearing individuals.
The hotel's public spaces can be found in a wheelchair-accessible one-story building or outdoors in the courtyard.
Checking out
The best hotels are not just places to sleep while on vacation; they are an integral part of the experience.
A "laid-back luxury" motor lodge may just be my new favorite kind of lodging after the High Country Motor Lodge contributed to some of the finest vacation memories my family and I have when visiting the Grand Canyon.
FACEBOOK