Does anyone know first hand information about this resort in Sedona, Arizona?

I can only comment on my visit to The Enchantment's restaurant, last Thursday for lunch. The food was great, the view even better, but the service was about as poor as it gets. The lobby of the place is very sparse (which can be appealing also). Everything is expensive, and not as grand as I had expected for the prices they ask. If visiting, I would suggest maybe tea on the patio to enjoy the view, and that is about all. Oh, and by the way, you MUST make reservations to get through the gate (which we had done). I don't understand their snobbish policies and then offer such poor service once using their facilities.

To tell you the truth, I think I would skip this place and you really wouldn't be missing much. Certainly there have to be better places to visit. I'm sorry that I can't tell you about their spa… just that I have heard it is very nice. My experience would be to advise one to find another location in Sedona, or if it is nice spa you desire, shoot for one of the great ones in Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Just my humble opinion,

Happy Trails,
Paul

Jan there are dozens of opinions about Enchantment in the archives here.
Just type "enchantment" into the text search box.

The enchantment is way overrated.
They do have a new spa so that may be something. Restaurants seems upscale, but the pool is like a days inn pool and the rooms are simply ok. the gym is minor league, too. The scenery is neat though-you feel like at any given time,you'll see Apaches on the reddish hills above. Other than that, its at best a 3 star hotel worth about $100-125/night.

Kayo...

I am off to read them myself. I thought I had read such terrific things about this resort. Perhaps there are other comments similar to mine. (?)

Happy Trails,
Paul

Mark -
The pool that I saw at the Enchantment by the parking lot near the lobby - is that the ONLY outdoor pool? If so, you are right... it is small and not "resort quality." {I hear they have an indoor pool too, but who wold want to be inside on most days in AZ?}

I have gone back and read the archives of "Enchantment" and am amazed that people really like the place, err... "rate the place" as high as they do. I agree that the hiking on their property is great (we did that too), but you can get to the same area by parking just outside the resort's "compound" walls.

Still wondering what all the fuss is about there... besides the view.

Happy Trails,
Paul

Haven't been to Enchantment, but wanted to comment on the why have an indoor pool. Since it gets cold in Sedona during the winter and snow happens, you need an indoor pool if you want to swim in the winter in Sedona.

Our family of 4, including boys ages 8 and 6, stayed at the Enchantment in August 2000 and loved it.

Naturally, we got the low summer rate, so it was a good value, in our opinion, as well.

At any price, the place is gorgeous, and the casitas are spacious and beautifully maintained. In addition to the main pool, which we thought was very nice, there were smaller pools throughout the grounds, including one just steps from our casita.

I can't believe all the negative responses I'm reading.

I stayed at Enchantment in late December and we loved it. The staff was wonderful and the setting could not have been beaten. Even if you could afford only one night, I'd have to say that it's the way to go. Because the resort is situated in a red rock canyon, you're surrounded by the red rocks. It's an amazing experience.

There are packages you can get that help to bring down the price. Ours, for instance, included breakfast every day. We LOVED breakfasts there, and I can only imagine that they'd be even more spectacular in the warmer weather, when you could dine alfresco.

Our room was well situated, and we were happy with the furnishings and amount of space. I'll admit that the kitchenette in our room could use an upgrade for aesthetic reasons. But I'm sure it functioned fine.

The spa is nice, though not in the class of Canyon Ranch or anything. I took advantage of a couple of spa services, which meant I also got to use the general spa facilities. It was a nice change of pace.

In sum, I can't see how you could stay at Enchantment and be disappointed.

We ate lunch at the resort. The view was breathtaking and the meal was wonderful. I would like to go back and experience more of Sedona and the Enchantment

For those wondering what the real scoop is at Enchantment: it's main draws are unsurpassed beauty all around, very good food at the main restaurant, outstanding hiking right on site, and privacy/seclusion tailor made for melting away urban stress.
The spa provides a truly luxury-resort level experience.

As for rooms: the main rooms are old and outdtaed looking inside. Not bad, just not top end resort quality. BUT quite a few brand new very nice suites were added on last year. These are the rooms to get.
The pool is not a drawing card. Service is not like at the Four Seasons. It's more of a ski or mountain resort attitude as far as quality of service. Very pleasant folks, but not 3 service people for every guest, by any means.

Them's the facts regarding Enchantment.

Well, Kayo, at least you had the guts to admit that most of the rooms were below par, which they really are! As for the "unsurpassed beauty," well, quite frankly, in my opinion, it's one big YAWN compared to the scenery in Hawaii!!

I am a huge fan of Enchantment. I am going again this year for the 3rd year in a row. The older rooms are very nice, but not as impressive as the new suites. The view is amazing from all of the rooms. There are 5 pools at the resort. Two small ones at each end of the resort, near the rooms, one larger one near the lobby - these are just OK. Then there are two pools at the spa that are very nice. The indoor pool is heated and has underwater speakers.

The resort is amazing and the service is fantastic. Have a great time.

See the Sedona must see post for my reviews at epinions.com.