Utah, USA. An all-American, all-adventure destination. Who knew?!Red slot canyons to wander. Adventurous hikes to conquer. Caves to explore. Sand dunes to board. It’s no wonder we’ve chosen Utah for our annual road trip three times in three years! But no vacation is complete without a great place to stay after a long adventurous day. Here are my personal finds of the best family “hotels” in Utah (although some are apartments and VRBO’s).
The narrows near Kanab are gorgeous.
Table of Contents
- Our 10-day itinerary:
- Best Family Hotels in Utah – Salt Lake City Area
- Best Family Hotels in Utah – Moab and Arches
- Best Family Hotels in Utah – Kanab
- Best Family Hotels in Utah – Zion (Springdale)
Our 10-day itinerary:
~ We left from the Sacramento area
~ to rest a night in Salt Lake City
~ to Moab/Arches National Park for 4 nights
~ onto Kanab for 4 nights
~ and then a quick night in Vegas to recover (I know, who recovers in Vegas?!)
~ before heading back home
Check out my more detailed itinerary on the travogram app. There is a link on my IG page.
We drove from SFO to SLC, so after 13 hours in the car with two under four, we were craving some space.
So I was thrilled when I found some awesome family-sized accommodations with just that. A nice place where you can spread out and relax will make a world of difference when traveling with kids!
It’s rare that I can say this, but every place we stayed in exceeded our expectations. By the way, our stays weren’t sponsored or paid for. Unfortunately.
Check out my great finds that fit both our hope-to-retire-early budget and hotel snob standards. Email me if you have questions or want me to help book and plan your trip. My services as a travel advisor are free to the client. I can score perks, discounts and upgrades at no extra cost to you.
If you’re looking for a place to stay closer to Zion NP, skip to the bottom or read my blog post about our favorite, so much so we’ve stayed there twice.
Best Family Hotels in Utah – Salt Lake City Area
If you are just passing through the area, Draper is a suburb of Utah where you’ll find well-serviced hotels (at least according to the hundreds of reviews I read) for a lower price than in the heart of the city.
We weren’t looking for anything spectacular, just a cheap and easy overnighter to get some food in our bellies, a good night sleep, and let the kids play a bit. Homewood Suites was perfect – our big suite was quiet, comfy, clean and bigger than I expected.
Well, clean until our baby threw up twice. Poor thing. That’s for another post though. Or better yet, check out my Instagram for my series “mistakes I’ve made traveling with toddlers.” Carve out some time for that one. Ha.
The kids slept well in the living room, with Ella in the big pack n’ play that they provided us.
We reserved a crib in advance, like we always do, but if you want to play it safe and bring your own, check out my travel gear post on the best travel cribs out there.
After a day and a half of driving, dippin’ into the indoor pool was just the refresher we needed.
It was a bit on the cool side for my liking, but the kids loved splashing around, so I braved it for them. That was the least I could do after 12+ hours in the car. right? Anyway, our toesies got toasty again after a quick dip in the hot tub.
We DoorDashed Marco’s pizza, and it hit the spot.
What is it about a long road trip that makes you so hungry? I mean, you haven’t moved all day…
The kitchen came in handy for leftovers, milk, and of course some ice-cold IPA’s to pair with our pizza.
My only complaint about this hotel? The breakfast. Oh, the breakfast!
A full spread was included. But it’s probably not a good sign if this waffle/egg/bacon-loving mama liked the oatmeal and granola the best. Forgive my high expectations after so many melt-in-your-mouth European hotel buffets. The kids gobbled up a hearty meal without even leaving the hotel. So, my hunger aside…happy kids, happy mama.
The location was easy to find. Also,I found an indoor jumping arena down the street, but we didn’t have time to hit that up. That would have been the perfect place to let the kids go wild after the long drive.
My final thoughts on the place? Their friendly service, easy location, pool, cleanliness, and large family suites (don’t forget the separate bedroom) were more than enough to please the traveling mum for a quick stopover. Bonus points for the self-service laundry and nice-looking gym.
I’ll admit, it was nice to pay so little for once!
If you plan on booking, use Expedia to rack up some points for future bookings or contact me to check rates as I may have some perks or discounts.
Best Family Hotels in Utah – Moab and Arches
If you didn’t already know, Moab is the town in which Arches National Park is located. Yep. Just right there in town. It’s not out in the middle of nowhere like you might think (that’d be Bryce Canyon!).
Our trip was in May of 2022, a time when hotel, Airbnb and VRBO prices started to skyrocket.
So I was becoming more and more discouraged as I saw nightly rates at Marriott-style resorts hitting $350 plus for dinky closet-size rooms.
At the time of writing this, prices seem way better (under $200 for a family to spread out at a Homewood Suites). Again, haha, Homewood Suites isn’t paying me. I just know firsthand that they have large living spaces and kitchens with separate bedrooms.
You can imagine how psyched I was when I found a huge place with an awesome pool, hot tub, waterfall, and views.
Sage Creek Resort has a ton of listings available at their property (found through VRBO), so you’re bound to find one that works for you. The stay is run by Utah’s Best Vacation Rentals, who provided great service start to finish, and they were available right away when I had a Wi-fi question.
The kids loved running down the hallways, racing their toy cars. Although I’m now realizing that the tenants below us probably weren’t exactly loving it.
Everything from the barbeque and fully stocked kitchen (with appliances, not food…wouldn’t that be nice though?) to the new washer/dryer and walk-in shower, made this place feel like a bit of home.
If you’re traveling with a big family, then this is your place – it sleeps 12! We had a room, master bath, and balcony, make that two balconies, all to ourselves!
We kicked our feet up and watched the Warriors playoff game as the kids slept in their separate bedrooms, Elle cozy in the pack ‘n play they had in the closet ready to go and Jame Jame in one of the four, yes four, double bunk beds.
We stayed in Building E, Unit 10 on the third floor, enjoying the sunrise and sunset views over the mountains in the distance, all from the comfort of the master bed.
And not so distant were the local ranch properties right below our window, strangely enough. Meh, I got used to it, and they were quiet anyway.
Sage Creek Resort is on the opposite side of town as the entrance to Arches, so it’s about a 10-minute drive. The grocery store is only about five minutes from where we stayed. There are hotels right by the park entrance, but be ready to pay if you want to be that close to all the action.
If you want to check out this unit and others at Sage Creek Resort, you can book through VRBO.
Best Family Hotels in Utah – Kanab
You just can’t go wrong staying in Kanab, the adventure hub of southern Utah.
Not only is it the gateway to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon, there are all kinds of things to do in and around town, all of which are only 10-30 minutes from the awesome hotel I found.
Read all about our Kanab adventures if you still aren’t convinced. Then tell me what ya think.
On our first trip to Kanab three years ago, we left a lot on the table. Adventures that is, not food. The food in Kanab is so good that we had to go back for more. This time we completed our Kanab adventure list.
Check out my Instagram for the best restaurant recs. Our faves were walking distance to the hotel, although I took the easy route and drove. When you’re hungry, you’re hungry.
After hours of searching for our perfect spot to stay, I found Timber and Tin. I was just ecstatic. A family-friendly resort near the center of town, with 2-bedroom villas, a big grass area, play “house”, jacuzzi, pool with mini water slide, fire pits, and indoor gaming/movie area – what more could the flying mum ask for?!
Each place has its own rooftop terrace and private fire pit. From there, views of the red-orange southwestern mountains never get old.
Bring your swimsuit, because you’re never too old to throw your long bod down a waterslide, whether you have kiddos or not.
Even on the tiniest of slides like this one. Hm, maybe I should have checked the weight limit. My feet barely hit the water as soon as I sat down, but I loved being a kid again with my little guy. And what a perfect sized slide for toddlers!
After we’d had our fill of fun splashing with the kids in the pool, my husband and I actually shared a few quiet minutes relaxing poolside and in the jacuzzi, while the kiddos were enthralled by the outdoor playhouse.
The best part of the “hotel” – it was bright and spacious. We stayed in building H, which is a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom unit. You might want to use the guest bathroom for your shower, as it’s an enclosed, big shower, as opposed to the master bathroom’s bath and curtain (which was perfect for the kids!).
Our baby slept in the second bedroom while Jameson set up shop in the living area. That fold-down couch was just as soft and comfortable as our couches at home. At his eight o’clock bedtime, that living room was bright as day, even with the shades down, but that kid prefers the light at night, so it was perfect!
Timber and Tin definitely deviates from the typical concept of a “hotel”. As we pulled up to our unit, we were a bit caught off guard by the modular open layout. But once we got used to it, we were just loving the design and family vibe.
I thought the rental in Moab felt relaxing, inviting, and homey… until we stayed here. My goodness! The quiet relaxing space was so timely- at the end of our jam-packed Utah-ian road trip.
This little town of Kanab has definitely moved up on my list of favorites -addictive food, comfortable accommodations, and family-friendly adventures. Sold!!!
Best Family Hotels in Utah – Zion (Springdale)
We skipped Zion on this last trip because we’ve already been there twice. But each time, we enjoyed our stay at Watchman Villas, one of the best family “hotels” in Utah. It’s actually not really a hotel. They have multiple spacious condos with plenty of options for a big family. We preferred the downstairs villa so the kids could run around on the grass.
The best part about it was the location- a 2-minute walk to the city bus stop, where you’ll then be escorted for free right to the park entrance. Smile as you wave to the countless cars sitting in traffic hoping to snag a parking spot.
As with all of our stays, the “Villas” had free pack n’ plays and yummy coffee. That’s a good combo right there for a hiking travel mama.
For details on this villa and all-things Zion, check out my Guide to Zion.
Hopefully you’re on step closer with your Utah trip-planning now that you’ve found some great options. If you’re looking for a more outdoorsy kind of stay and don’t mind something smaller, check out Under Canvas Moab and Under Canvas Zion. I hear the Zion location is a treat.
If you aren’t set on Utah for your next trip, take a look at my Destinations page for more travel ideas. Or contact me to help plan and book your next adventure! My services are free, and I can hook you up with an awesome itinerary, perks and discounts.
