Sedona trip report - Graham Inn and things to do
 

Many messages on this bulletin board helped me with my trip planning a few months ago, so I thought I'd try to give back. <BR> <BR>My husband and I went to Sedona and the Grand Canyon during the last week in August. In Sedona we stayed at the Graham Inn, which is actually in the Village of Oak Creek about 10 miles away from "downtown" Sedona. We very much enjoyed our stay at the Inn and took advantage of every option, from our 2-person jacuzzi tub and 2-person sauna, to breakfast in our room, mountain bikes, outdoor pool and hot-tub, etc. The staff was great and the food was very good. I'd highly recommend it. <BR> <BR>Since the weather was a bit warm, we'd go out for a couple of hours before breakfast and hike, take a jeep trip or whatever. One afternoon my husband played the Oak Creek Country Club golf course while I went shopping; he quite enjoyed it. Another day we hiked the west fork of Oak Creek Canyon, which was fairly shady. <BR> <BR>We had an outstanding dinner at an Italian place called Dahl & Deluca's and walked around the Tlaquepaque shopping area afterwards (the shops were closed, which was probably a good thing!). Another excellent meal was had at Shugre's Hillside Restaurant, which had lots of window-shopping right there. <BR> <BR>Sedona is a beautiful place and there is so much to do, especially hiking and mountain biking. I'm looking forward to returning there some day. I'll put my comments on the Grand Canyon in a separate message.

Laura, <BR> <BR>Thanks for your trip report and recommendations. My wife & I plan to vacation at or around Sedona in the not-to-distant future, and this information will certainly be helpful.

For those planning trips to Sedona, please don't overlook a trip to Enchantment in Boynton Canyon. It's about a 12 minute drive from downtown Sedona and is one of the most striking resort settings in North America. And the food at the restaurant is truly outstanding...all of it, breakfast, dinner; the views are simply stunning, especially as the sun's going down and the rocks get really red.

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We hiked Boynton Canyon which starts out alongside Enchantment Resort, and I'll agree it's a beautiful location (but I liked the Oak Creek Canyon hike better). We would have like to see the resort but they wouldn't let us through the gate without a reservation.

If you make a reservation for lunch (on the terrace is lovely), then you can get in without a problem

We visited Sedona 3 years ago on our way from Scottsdale to GC and found it beautiful. Spectacular!! We had lunch at a restaurant in a mall, where there were lots of statues, scultpings, the restaurant had a terrace and served Jack Daniels BBQ beef sandwich. My mouth still waters. It was soooo good. I want to return to Sedona to spend more time there and I hope that sandwich is still on the menu. It's a very intriguing (sp?) area. So remote yet so many people from around the world visiting. I still don't fully understand. I gather it's an upscale community with visitors who are into arts, holistic wellness, alternative spiritual experiences, ?????

Restaurant was Shugrue's Hillside. Sedona is world-famous for its scenery and climate. Gets visitors year-round and from all over the world. Population of 10,000 with 3.5 million tourist guests each year. Not remote; only 2.5 hours from the nation's 8th largest city and 3 hours from the nation's #1 natural attraction. Direct air to Europe, Canada, Mexico via PHX. Laid-back lifestyle, the antithesis of Las Vegas.

Hi! Had a delicious meal at Shugrues (sp) Hillside. Ate twice at Judy's (there was a coupon on the internet), had lunch at French cafe in Tegucigalpa (I apologize for all the spelling!).There is a health food supermarket which is amazing...and they make excellent sandwiches. <BR> <BR>Regarding the New Age idea, I tried to learn about it, but really couldn't understand it. We were at the vortex near the Cathedral Rock, and all I could figure is that if a place is beautiful and awesome to look at, it must be spiritual.

I think 2.5 hours from a major airport is pretty remote...we won't even travel 30 minutes to another part of Miami to eat dinner. It was certainly a gorgeous place. That's a lot of tourist. It didn't seem crowded when we were there. Wonder where in the mountains and rocks everyone was. I felt like there was something going on outside of town we didn't know about that sustained the downtown area, which seem to cater to wealthy tourists.

My husband and I will be in Sedona next week for three nights. We are starting our trip in Las Vegas, then on to the Grand for one night then to Sedona. We also are staying at the Graham B & B, in the Purple Lizard Casita. What room did you stay in? <BR>Thanks for all the advice, I like to gather as much info as possible before a trip. What type of dress is appropriate for the restaurants such as Shugrues or Rene. I prefer to wear jeans and a nice top, but I can dress up is needed. <BR>Also want to go to the restaurant at Enchanment. Would lunch, where we can sit outside, or dinner for sunset, be a better option? Looks like a lovely place. <BR>There is so much I want to see and do in the short time that we'll be there. I'm finally getting excited about going again. I must say the events of 9/11 took a lot of the joy out of my planned vacation, plus I'm flying from Newark. But we are coming and we are going to have a great time. <BR>Any further comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. <BR>KathyH

Kathy: <BR>Lunch or dinner at Enchantment would depend on time of sunset and temperature. <BR>It can get cold up in Sedona, and the sun goes down earlier than in non-DST states. <BR>If it's a nice day and you can get there for dinner before the sun sets, the perfect set-up is one of the outdoor tables looking up at the canyon walls. On weekends the restaurant can fill up quickly. You might want to make a reservation and ask for an outdoor table if you can swing it. <BR>The setting there is so beautiful I actually took photos right from my seat at the dinner table which were as good as most others I took of the canyon.

Re: what to wear....I wouldn't be sloppy, but aside from that...anything goes. I would dress for whatever activity you are doing before/after the meal. If it's dinner and you have time to change, wear whatever you'd wear to a restaurant at home. Enjoy! PS Shugrue's has a FABULOUS chicken salad!