Hi, welcome back and a Happy New Year to you !

Tusayan is as close to the park as you can get and other than booking lodgings inside it is your best option IMO. Williams and Flagstaff may offer better value options as they are a little further down the road. Out of the east entrance is the pretty cool 'Cameron Trading post' that does lodging and would be another option. It could be worth a stop on the way to MV to have a wander around the store if you don't end up spending a night there.