Sedona - ladies trips- suggestions on where to stay and time of year?
 

We're a group of 4 girlfriends, ages 55-65, that travel together yearly. For the majority of us, this is a return trip since earlier years of traveling with family. This year we're thinking about Sedona for about 5-7 days. We love culture, learning, shopping, food, sight seeing...I would say we need easy pace vs strenuous :)

We would like suggestions on the following:

- time of year to go ? - we're considering May, June, July 2015
- where to stay - both lodging and location - (not crazy expensive)? eg we usually rent an apartment as we like min 2 bedrooms and space it affords but would consider timeshare and/or resort.
- can you walk 'into town"? or should we realize we'll need to use our car to get places?

Amara Resort is really nice, and you can walk to town.
https://www.kimptonhotels.com/boutique-hotels-in-sedona

We stayed there last NYE and it was quite nice and reasonably priced.

May would be likely to be a bit less crowded and expensive. June and July get busy. October is also nice.

If you join Karma Rewards, it gets you some nice perks as well as deals on rooms sometimes.

https://www.kimptonhotels.com/karma-rewards/overview

May is my second favorite month to visit Sedona October is my first choice.

You will need a car the get around to the sights, but for walking to a few restaurants, stay in the uptown area or just below the "Y". Two timeshares in the area are the Best Western Arroyo Roble and Los Abrigados.

I would second the Best Western Arroyo Roble (which has both hotel rooms and condos) for walking to downtown Sedona. However, it is pretty and a little more peaceful in the Oak Creek area, which has a lot of condos too. You would need to drive into Sedona (10 minutes or so), but you will have to have a car anyway, because a lot of the beautiful hikes and excursions require a car. Go to the Elote Café one night; it is great but you will have a long wait (no reservations) so go as early as possible. I would think May would be perfect there.

I think voyager61 is talking about the Village of Oak Creek, about 6 miles south of Sedona and which does have several hotels and condos and restaurants within walking distance. But there is also Oak Creek Canyon, which is along 89a north of Sedona. So if you look in areas other than right around the "Y" in Sedona, pay attention to the area where the lodging is located.

We stayed at the Enchantment Resort several years ago but it still remains as one of my favorite places to stay. They do have a regular hotel room that adjoins the beautiful suite that has a Murphy bed, kitchen and fabulous patio that looks out at Boynton Canyon. I think it would be great for a girl's weekend.

The resort is pricy but we got a great rate in the off season. I don't know when the off season rates start. We were there in February. It has restaurants, a spa and a lovely hiking trail. The drive out to the resort is beautiful.

The town of Sedona is a disappointment so being close to town wouldn't be a priority for me.

You do not want to go during monsoon season. It usually starts at the beginning of July.

Yes, you will need a car in Sedona.

We are going to Sedona 9 May -16 May. We are staying at Los Abrigados. We are renting a car and plan to visit some state parks as well. It will be a drive but I want to see the South West. We are planning on going to Las Vegas and stay one night. We are flying into Phoenix.

What do you recommend for a spa? I have a group of 10 girlfriends that are making a similar trip next year. We're young professionals and mothers, so we're wanting to splurge on ourselves, but can't afford to go too overboard. Thanks for any advice!

Enchantment Resort has a spa.

Amara has a spa too. Enchantment is lovely but $$$$