Planning a trip in April and will be flying in to Phoenix. We are debating between spending the week in Sedona or Scottsdale. We have three children under 12, and grandparents may be with us. Although the hotels look amazing in Scottsdale, we will likely rent a house on VRBO because it's so much less expensive. It seems like Scottsdale will be warmer, so we could rent a house with a pool and kids could swim every day - but Sedona looks beautiful and maybe more of a vacation? Any thoughts/opinions on the two for a week vacation with kids? Thank you!

IMO Scottdale is a wealthy suburb, with all the usual diversions. Sedona is spectacularly beautiful, with a truly unique landscape (in the US, anyway ).

So regardless of lodging, I'd always recommend Sedona over Scottsdale.

Isn't Scottsdale where all the oldies go to retire and bake themselves in Arizona? Sedona is an actual travel destination, Scottsdale notsomuch.

A week in Sedona with 3 kids under 12 would be hard to do, IMHO. Unless they really REALLY like nature and hiking, I wouldn't do more than a day or 2 there.

How old are the children and what sort of activities are you/they interested in? April can be cool, even in Scottsdale, make sure the pool is heated.

I much prefer Sedona however it is not as warm as Scottsdale in April and an entirely different experience. We have had snow in March in Sedona.
Scottsdale is an upscale suburb of Phoenix, feels like LA, traffic, upscale stores, resorts lining Scottsdale Rd.
Sedona would be a nature and hiking experience.huge red rocks, a natural landscape full of wonder.
Living in So. AZ, we avoid Scottsdale except for the Mayo Clinic.

I agree that a week in only Sedona would be a lot, unless you're killing time just hanging out at a gorgeous resort--I wouldn't turn that down

But you could check out Prescott and Flagstaff and Oak Creek Canyon, maybe even do a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Weather permitting, of course.

Sedona has more outdoor activities, and is in a beautiful red rock setting. If you can deal with all the mystical new age superstition, it's the preffered of the two for family adventure. Scottsdale is upscale, both for lodging and shopping, has a large gallery district, and is close to Taliesen, Cosanti, and endless cultural options locally and throughout the valley. You could easily go to Sedona for a day or two from there.

I'd spend 2-3 days in Sedona, maybe with a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Then do the rest in Scottsdale.

Thanks so much for all the comments - I guess this is why I'm having a hard time making a decision! Our kids are 12, 10 and 8 and like hiking but definitely won't want to every single day.

Went to Camelback resort in Scottsdale last February for a conference, and it's definitely not a vacation destination - what appeals to me there is the weather (my husband bought tickets for April on a whim).

The resorts in Sedona (and Scottsdale for that matter!) are too pricey for the 6 of us.

For vacation my kids would enjoy swimming, eating outside, going on a hike or two, horseback riding .... reading, relaxing. ....

To tell you the truth, your post confuses me. Are you saying you're looking for a resort that offers all that? Because, for instance, you could find horseback riding and hiking within an hour's drive of Camelback. And why would you think that Sedona offers all that you're looking for?

"For vacation my kids would enjoy swimming, eating outside, going on a hike or two, horseback riding .... reading, relaxing. "

Based on this info -- Scottsdale. WAY more to do because a week is a long time and after the things mentioned above, that will still leaves lots of time with little to no things in Sedona to fit those likes.

Google family activities in Phoenix and see what's there. LOTS more to choose from. And if all they want to do is hang around, it will be easier and less costly to do so in PHX area.

<And if all they want to do is hang around, it will be easier and less costly to do so in PHX area.>
This, exactly. Take a day trip to Sedona, though.

<And if all they want to do is hang around, it will be easier and less costly to do so in PHX area.>

Or, heck, in the PHL area.

<it's definitely not a vacation destination>

I don't understand what you mean by this. I'd personally go to a Scottsdale resort, with day trips to Sedona and maybe Tucson (the Biosphere tour is very interesting).

Sorry - didn't mean to be confusing.

Think I got the info I need. Sedona would be a little more ideal for me, but Scottsdale perhaps better with the kids for a week. Will plan a day trip or overnight.

There's a lot for that age group... grand canyon, meteor crater, flagstaff,Lowell observatory, jerome, sedona, volcano park, the chapel, and the Phoenix zoo.... you just have to keep moving...

About 10 miles east of Flagstaff off I-40 is Walnut Canyon National Monument. It does involve some climbing, mostly on stairs, up to cliff dwellings that the kids can go into.