Romantic get away to Sedona
 

My husband and I are thinking about going to Sedona to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We are looking for recommendations for a romantic hotel to stay at and top notch restaurants to try. We enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, shopping for art, and touring historic landmarks. What do you all suggest? We also would enjoy a spa treatment while we are there. Any spa recommendations?

What month? You won't be doing any hiking, biking or kayaking if it is over 100*.

As tomfuller wrote, 100 degrees may not be condusive to hiking.

For hotels, the Enchantment Resort is probably the one you'll want.

For short hikes.
Right near the resort you have Boynton Canyon. I wouldn't do the full canyon hike. I found it boring. However, the Boynton Canyon Vista that's right near the start of the full hike if extremely scenic.

Much closer to the "Y" and a bit south is the Bell Rock area. Very nice.

And you can either hike or take a Pink Jeep Tour on the Broken Arrow Trail.

Go to Crescent Moon Picnic area in west Sedona and ask where Oak Creek is. There are a couple of spots where you can see Cathedral Rock with Oak Creek in the foreground.

This is a spectacular sunset with Cathedral Rock turning orange in the sunset.

Tomfuller,We will be there in September. If hiking is out of the question, what do you recommend? Although being from the South, we are use to hiking in very high temps and with a lot of humidity which makes it feel even hotter... I would think 100 and dry wouldn't feel as bad as long as we bring adequate water supplies-- am I wrong?

Myer, I have the impression that Enchantment Resort is more family oriented-- is this incorrect? How would you compare it to L'Auberge? Are there any b & bs that you would recommend? Thanks for your hiking recommendations.

I've never been inside Enchantment but many here have written positive things.

I stayed at BW Inn of Sedona located right near the "Y".

It had just been redone when I was there and the layout was excellent. While right near the highway it was up a hill so no noise. Also it had multiple levels. My room was on the same level as the office and had two doors. The front went out to the parking lot and the back went onto a large shared patio facing Chimnet Rock. Great view. But not romantic. I was alone.

We honeymooned in Sedona 20 years ago! Happy Anniversary!!! We loved a restaurant Rene's in case you are interested in 20 year old restaurant reviews!!!

But seriously, when we got into town we asked where we should go for sunset and were laughed at as it was a bit overcast. Well we went out on our own to the Chapel, the sky opened up and the red rocks glowed neon blinding wonderousness.

The next year we returned and went for a fabulous horseback ride that had a great cowboy breakfast by a stream. That was 19 years ago. We liked it more then the Pink Jeep Tour.

For a romantic place to stay, I would recommend the cottages at L'Auberge if those are within your price range. The main restaurant at L'Auberge is fantastic, and the breakfasts out on the deck adjoining Oak Creek are not to be missed. The omelets are great, the cool water is rushing by a few feet away, with sunlight flashing and sparkling off it and small convoys of ducks struggling to maintain formation against the current. And you don't have to stay there to eat there.

I might also check out some of the B&Bs in Sedona. Try TripAdvisor, or go to Fodors's own B&B and small hotel reviews.

By September (depending to some extent on when in September), the heat should have faded. Check weather.com to get a sense of what it's like. Remember that Sedona is at 4700 feet elevation -- Phoenix, it ain't.

I second the recommendation of the Pink Jeep Company/Broken Arrow Tour; you might want to get some of the old westerns that were filmed in that area and see them before you go. And I love the natural water slide in Slide Rock State Park, although the water is typically very cold (e.g., 54 degrees). Quite bracing for short periods, however.

We'll be out in Sedona in about ten days ourselves.

Enchantment is outstanding for celebrating an event. I stayed at L'Auberge but I like Enchantment a lot more. Enjoy your trip.

littleman, why did you like Enchantment more than L'auberge? We are considering both of these places, but I am concerned that Enchantment is more family oriented (e.g. noticed that they offer a kids club).

We went to Sedona last year and loved it! It is on our list to re-visit. My advice would be to hike early in the mornings, before the temperatures get too high, and then go back to your resort to relax in the afternoons.

We've gone to Sedona in the summer and did ok with hiking. If you hike on the trail in Oak Creek Canyon, you will be in a lot of shade. I was miserably hot in Boynton Canyon because there was no shade. One visit we spent at a B&B called The Inn on Oak Creek. The service and the food were fabulous and there was a surprising amount of quiet and privacy. We liked the rooms which overlooked the creek and had a private balcony. Pretty romantic place. I've heard that L'Auberge was nice also.

We stayed at the Enchantment and loved it there. The location in Boynton Canyon is amazing. The casitas are nestled in the canyon. It is like being in a National park. We stayed in the casita with the living room/kitchen/murphy bed. The deck outside the casita is huge with a fireplace. It was wonderful to sit out there and see the sun come up in the morning. I think it is one of the more romantic places we have stayed.

L'Auberge has lovely cottages along the river in a lovely locatin but it does not have the spectacular setting that Enchantment has. If you don't stay at Enchantment, be sure to eat lunch outside there on their patio.

Since you are going in Sept., children should be back in school. I wouldn't think there would be many families.

Has anyone heard of Adobe Grand Villas? I see that tripadvisor has it listed as its #1 hotel in Sedona.

Also which restaurants do you recommend?

Activities beyond hiking?

Adobe Grand Villas was very close to one of the B & B's where we stayed end of Oct/beginning of Nov last year, Boots & Saddles; we really liked this B & B (stayed in the Ghost Rider room; we peeked in the Sacred Feather room when it was being cleaned & it was very nice!) very much; each room had a lot of privacy; I'd recommend a second floor room to not have any overhead noise. Breakfasts were very nice.

We did visit Enchantment for lunch one day while we were there & all I can say is WOW! The setting is truly beautiful. I told my husband I'd love to stay there on a future visit.

Restaurants I found to be pretty average compared to other places we've visited, however, we did really like Elote Cafe.

Both Enchantment and L'Auberge have plenty of availability when we want to go. It looks like Auberge is a little less expensive. Those of you who have been to one or both of these resorts, what are your thoughts? How far from town is Enchantment?

Since my only disappointment with Sedona was the town, we were happy staying outside of town--and the setting for this resort is amazing. I don't remember it taking long to drive there but I do remember how beautiful the drive was. It was also very close to some trails we hiked. I remember Doe Mountain--a short switchback trail that leads to a mesa. If you take this trail be sure to walk to the edges of the mesa for the wonderful views.

I'm ammused at how Linda put it that her only disappointment with Sedona was the town.

I agree totally. T-shirt stores, art galleries and restaurants that close at 9PM. But you're not there for the town. It's the surrounding red rocks.

For hikes, I did mention Boynton Canyon Vista (a Vortex site and extremely scenic and short) which veers off right near the start of the Boynton canyon Hike (much longer, kind of boring and nowhere near as scenic as the vista).

I also mentioned Broken Arrow. I hiked it but you can take it as a Pink Jeep Tour. Very scenic either way.

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I think we are going to stay at Enchantment as it seems to have slightly better reviews.

We are still looking for restaurant recommendations. We in particular are interested in at least one dinner at a place appropriate to celebrate our anniversary. Are there any top notch restaurants located near Sedona?

Will it be a waste of our time to go into Sedona? We enjoy going to galleries, but are the galleries selling "touristy" art?

We are also interested in doing a balloon ride. I think that there are just two outfits that tour this area. Anyone have any experience with either one of them?

100 degree weather? That is in the middle of the day. Early morning should be just perfect for hiking and biking. Nothing better than a sunrise off road bike ride in my book.

Hey I see that your looking for spa recommendation. I took my wife to a place called Stillpoint Living in Balance for her birthday! She said it was the best message she's ever had! There website is here.

http://stillpointbalance.com

Also another fantastic place to watch sunset is up off of upper Red Rock Loop Rd. Take 89A west to Sedona Red Rock High School. Turn left on upper red rock loop and you can't miss the pull on the left. This place usually isn't very busy at all but it's absolutely stunning at sunset when the sun brings the colors of Red country to life!