Sedona Lodging
 

Going to be spending two nights in Sedona in May on a family trip in Nevada and AZ. Mom has to leave early so Dad (me) will have our 19 year old daughter and 17 year old son to myself when in Sedona. I'm trying to figure out where to stay. I won't say that money is no object, but I would lean toward the luxury/experience side if it's not too crazy expensive. Considering either Enchantment or El Portal. I realize they are very different sorts of places, but El Portal looks "interesting" while Enchantment looks, well, like a huge resort. Not really married to either one so I am fishing for reactions to my choices or some other suggestions.

Also, I have heard conflicting thoughts on routes to take from Flagstaff to Sedona, i.e., take the Interstate and come back up north to Sedona or the winding, twisting other road seemingly is more direct. Any thoughts on that? Which way is quicker?

Many thanks for help!

We haven't stayed at El Portal althought it looks very nice and we may give it a try. We have stayed at the Enchantment Resort several times and have always enjoyed our stays there. The sunsets on the patio of the restaurant are gorgeous! I guess it would depend on if you're looking to enjoy the tennis courts, swimming pools that Enchantment offers and the resort feel. Of course unless you eat at the restaurant, you will be driving to Sedona for dinner and I don't know if that's a factor of not. It looks like Tlaquepaque may be within walking distance of El Portal which is a nice little shopping area and has some restaurants in it.

Enchantment resort is about as stunning a resort and have stayed many times. I see that expedia.com has a $250 room rate which I've paid 4x that.
It's a large resort but have never felt like its a resort.
The red rock make you feel so small since its built into the cliffside.
We enjoy lunch at Yavapai and we love mi amo spa.

Don't know about El Portal but looks lovely..smaller venue with about 12 rooms..we just got back from Sedona and saw it on the way to our hotel..love that they take dogs!

Sedona Rouge resort and spa is nice..very Kimpton hotelish.
Garland Lodge and L'Auberge are nice but Enchantment is luxury at its best!

I would take the more direct winding road 89A which is gorgoeus to Flagstaff.

The Enchantment Resort has a beautiful setting nestled in Boynton Canyon. It is like staying in a national park. Seeing the sun come up above the canyon from the patio was really a great way to start the day.

We visited in Feb. when we received off season rates. I know it is very expensive in May--but a lot of travelers are not as cheap as me. We had the casita--I love the looks of the casitas--very southwestern-- with the Murphy bed that connects to a 2 queen bed room. The 2 bed room is not impressive but the Murphy bed room (don't remember what they call it but I wrote it down in my notes if you need it) was really wonderful with a sitting area with a fireplace, separate well equipped kitchen, very nice bath and a huge patio with outdoor grill.

It was nice to start the morning walking the Boynton Canyon trail. It has a highly rated spa and the pool looked lovely--we had snow when we visited so we never used the outdoor pool.

I haven't been at El Portal.

I am sure the interstate is quicker from Flagstaff to Sedona but I wouldn't even consider it. The Oak Creek Canyon drive is beautiful.

Thank you for your responses. I may be leaning toward El Portal for the more intimate lodging experience. Being close to the shopping may appeal to the teens. Enchantment does sound wonderful. Linda, would the Murphy bed room hold the three of us?

ksucat-curious about where did you stay on your recent trip?

Also, the regarding the drive, how much longer of a drive is it going on 89a? My wife has to catch a shuttle from Sedona to PHX pretty much as soon as we get there.

What is El Portal charging per night?

This trip was to the BW Inn of Sedona..had a coupon from expedia for $50 and it was $100 room so my effective room rate was $50+ $8 tax= $58..woo hoo
New renovations with free breakfast and stunning views.
It is a great place for cheap..I'm usually a luxury hotel kind of guy but the beds were really nice, linens and great views.

Did you see if expedia still has the $250 per night for expedia?

We have stayed at a lot of places..Hyatt is nice and we had a 1 bedroom condo which is in the heart of the village but
I don't go to Sedona to walk around the downtown area.
Most hotels have shuttles that will take you to restaurants.

Sedona to PHX takes about 2+ hours..just depends on traffic and time of day and God forbid there is an accident and I've seen the highway closed for hours if that is the case.

A friend and I stayed at Sedona Rouge back in September and loved it. Great bedding, terrific "rain" shower, and excellent service. And you can walk to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Dahl & Deluca.

Isn't that a great place Orangey..did you get a good deal?
I think we paid off expedia around $149.00.
Did you eat at Red's?
The spa is nice and reasonable.
Love Dahl & Deluca's!

ksucat,
which dates did you find that $250/nt?

I was checking last month on expedia and they had them listed for several months since I put dates in for May.
I couldn't believe it.

Now looking into Sedona Rouge...About $100 less per night than Enchantment or El Portal. Hmmmm. Which would a 17 year old and a 19 year old like best? Doesn't sound like I can go wrong with any of them.

ksucat, I think we paid around $150 a night. We thought the food at Reds was very good. Had breakfast there each morning, and dinner one night. I love Dahl & Deluca - both of their restaurants are excellent.

I wasn't crazy about the spa at Sedona Rouge. My massage was great, but the spa desk was totally disorganized and there was alot of confusion about our appointments, which were made well in advance of our stay.

BKD - sorry, can't advise on which a teen would prefer. I would suggest, though, wherever you decide to stay, take a Pink Jeep tour. Those are a lot of fun. Broken Arrow is the one I would recommend.

BDK.
For $100 more for Enchantment resort per night, one of the most stunning resorts in the world..you are silly if you don't go for it..as long as your budget permits.
Sedona Rouge is great but vs. Enchantment, hands down night and day over and above SR.
Teens would love ER because its such a unique resort with tennis, pool, lawn bowl and the resorts is built into the huge red rock cliffs.
I've stayed at some of the best resorts in the world but this ranks right up with Bora Bora overwater bungalows and the Ritz in Paris!

Thanks orangey..they have a good steam and come to think of it the front desk is kind of not together.
$150 is what we paid on expedia and I had another coupon so it worked out to $100.
Breakfast at Red's was really good and they have a tapas/happy hour.

sorry that's BKD.

ksucat: Ok, now you have me leaning toward Enchantment. I'll check into that. Why not, right? You only live once!

Thanks.

BTW, back to my question about driving from Flagstaff to Sedona, how much longer is the drive to take the scenic route as opposed to the Interstate? I have to get my wife on the shuttle to PHX from Sedona to make her flight and need to know how much earlier we would need to leave. In other words when we pull into Sedona she needs to leave to go to PHX and she can't miss the shuttle.

It's pretty direct the scenic route from Flag to Sedona plus, you have to go past Sedona to Oak Creek and then north to Sedona and all the traffic via the freeway south on I-17.
I don't exactly how long it takes from flag to Sedona but the scenic route is the way to go.
Enchantment you will not be sorry.
For the extra $100 a night, I would so go for it..$500+ a night, well that is another story.
Did you get the $250 rate from expedia?
Keep us posted.

ksucat: I ended up with the Jr. Suite for $385 direct with the hotel. Expedia had an average of $320 for the regular two queen bedroom while the hotel quoted $319. They said the rack rate for the Jr. Suite is $475 (not that that means much, but...). I couldn't find the Jr. Suites on Expedia.

So done! I'll let you know how it went.

Depending on how busy they are, they will often upgrade you at Enchantment... ask when you get there.. we did, and got moved for no charge to a two bedroom Casita for our $250 per night... best upgrade ever!!

Hi, just want to let you know that El Portal has onsite concierge services! They will help plan anything you want to do, from jeep tours to shopping to hiking! Rooms are beautiful, unique and all have private patios, wireless... Talk about delicious breakfasts! Have a wonderful trip. Sedona is a wonderful place!

garyt22--thanks for the advice. Never hurts to ask (or did they offer?).

Jan2010--thanks also for the El Portal info. I'm kind of committed to Enchantment though. I think if it were just my wife and me, we would do El Portal. We prefer smaller, intimate, and not typical places to stay. It's the best way to meet people. Enchantment is probably the way to go for my kids.