Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Romantic get away to Sedona

I just got back from four days in Sedona. I can add comments on a couple of restaurants, and some other things.

For lunch, if you want something that's not fancy, but is cheap, got and fun, try the hot dog place called Senor Bob's just off one of the last roundabouts as you're coming in towards downtown Sedona from the south on 179. Good dogs,a wonderful selection of toppings, a friendly proprietress, and the price was right -- dog, chips, and drink for $4.99. Senor Bob's is actually rated the # 2 restaurant out of 140 in Sedona on TripAdvisor (at least as of a week ago).

For dinner, we ate at:

Oaxaca: Mexican place on 89A right in downtown Sedona. Has a roof deck with good sunset views of the red rocks. Good food, and huge portions -- be very careful about ordering an appetizer unless you're very hungry. The margaritas pack a real punch and aren't for the faint of heart (or anyone who has a long drive back to their hotel). My family and I liked it, but I thought the prices were 10-15% higher than they should have been.

Heartline Cafe: On Highway 89A in west Sedona. Wonderful, wonderful food. I had a $30 fixed price dinner -- a strawberry/gorgonzola salad as the appetizer, Top Sirloin for dinner, and then white chocolate mouse that was so light it could practically float off the plate for dessert. Also sampled my wife's creme brulee, which was amazing. The downside was that the service was a little slow and sloppy at times. If you go, take cash -- they offer a 10% discount if you pay by cash. The appetizers are quite substantial, and you may be able to make a meal off them alone -- my 15-year-old son did. Total tab with tip for a family of 4 - around $110.

Golden Goose: Also on 89A, in west Sedona, on the south side of the highway (left side as you're driving towards Jerome). Amazing place. Great food, huge quantities, reasonable prices, and very attractive decor. My wife's dinner salad was $8.99, was quite large, and yet it came with your choice of any side dish you wanted. My wife observed in perplexity: "They are just giving their food away." Our server was a total rookie, but that was the only down side. The four of us ate quite well there, and got out for under $60 with tip. And it's rated # 5 on TripAdvisor out of the 140 restaurants in Sedona. My theory was: maybe they're relatively new to the local restaurant scene and are currently pricing their entrees low to generate good buzz.

Breakfast by Oak Creek at L'Auberge: A magical setting, dining mere feet away from the stream. The food was superb: my wife had bread pudding French toast; I had some lemon ricotta pancakes. Both were wonderful, as were the side dishes. Pricewise, though, it came to $100 including tip for a family of four. The deal is that the main entrees are priced reasonably, but then they try to earn it back by charging you $4 or $5 for the sides (and also the coffee and the fresh-squeezed orange juice). Other people we know recommend the Coffee Pot in west Sedona for great breakfast food at very reasonable prices.

We didn't eat at Shugrue's Hillside (entrees were all priced in the high twenties and thirties for dinner), but it has a good reputation and a deck with what look to be superb views of the red rocks.

One of the other earlier responders mentioned Rene's. It's still there, in the Tlaquepaque shopping center. I haven't eaten there myself.

Hiking: My family did a four mile hike up the West Fork of Oak Creek (maximum hike length: 6 miles, but it was a hot day) which I would recommend. You're mostly in a shaded canyon and stick close to the stream, which you cross repeatedly. We've also previously done the hikes to Vultee Arch and the swimming spot at Grasshopper Point and liked both of those. The concierge at L'Auberge recommended a hike from a trailhead in west Sedona called Soldier's Pass. Falcon Guides has a book called "Best Easy Day Hikes Sedona", and there was another guide for sale at the Oaxaca restaurant called "Sedona's Top 10 Hikes" which was well-illustrated and mapped and covers a range from easy to difficult.

Depending on when you're there in September, it should be cooler than it is now (it was pushing up towards 100 degrees during the day, but with occasional overcast spells in which the temperatures dropped 5-10 degrees). And the low humidity does make a difference (maybe the equivalent of 10 degrees-plus if you're coming from the east or south).

Galleries: Garland's Navajo rugs is like a museum of all the different styles. If you like big, beautiful photographs, there are a couple of good places in Tlaquepaque, or try the Greg Lawson Galleries (there are two, right across from each other) in Hillside Sedona. There's also a fun minerals and fossils shop in Tlaquepaque. And there's a huge gallery called Expressions a short distance south of the "Y" as you're coming into town from the south that has a remarkably eclectic assortment of art, ranging from wind sculptures to photographs (taken by the owner) to blown glass and Navajo sand painting and somewhat garish sculptures of several-times-life-size bald eagles that will set you back major bucks.