My husband and I are planning our first-time trip to AZ, including 4 nights in Sedona.My head is spinning from surfing to do research on places to stay. It gets more confusing as I go along. Here are the facts : 4 nights in a pleasant place. We can't afford the utmost luxury (read: Enchantment !) but hopefully more than regular "motel" type accommodations for $200 a night or less (emphasis on LESS!)...
Please tell us where you have stayed and what did you like.
Many, many thanks !

How about the Hyatt Pinon Pointe, Jenny? We have two night in Sedona coming up, and I've booked a 'condo' there. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, sitting room - jacuzzi, balcony etc all for $165 per night!
http://hyattpinonpointe.hyatt.com/property/
It takes some believing, but the reviews on tripadvisor are good. There are some great photos on Expedia. http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll...=1&htid=971864
I should tell you that these condos which are being let out are unsold time-shares (so they are after more buyers - but no time-share talk is forced). Also, apparently the 1 and 2 bedroom condos are fine - but the studio apartments (part of the 2 bedroom units) are a bit dark and dingy.
Very central (on the 'Y' - though I don't, as yet, know where that is!!).
Anyway, just an idea for you. Hope you have a great time!

We stayed at Hyatt Pinon Pointe in April and it is an excellent choice if you can still get that rate. Very centrally located in town, with nice views too.

Another suggestion is the Sedona Hilton, which is a little way out of town, but not too bad. They have very nice suites that include a separate living room with fireplace and a small kitchen area. The prices are generally moderate, but of course it depends on what time of year you're going.

In addition to checking out their website, you can get good deals through the Entertainment Book, and through Costco Travel if you're a member.

wildblueyonder...what a phenomenal rate for what you are getting! We had a two bedroom/kitchen/living room with fireplace/balcony etc last Thanksgiving and I can tell you, they are just beautiful. As my husband works for Hyatt, I didn't know what they went for, but am amazed you could get it for that price! You'll be walking distance to many of the restaurants and shopping--as you'll see, the Y is the defining location in town. Everything is "this or that" side of the Y. Good selection and great price!!

OO, yes $165! I booked it some months ago (before anybody had started staying there, I think!) - and it certainly was the going rate up til now anyway (from the Hyatt website) and couldn't believe it either, especially when I looked at the photos on Expedia. ALL that for so little! I was a bit worried it might be too good to be true - but then the reviews started coming in - and it was great news!
Just had a quick tap in of dates - and although it seems that the end of September is sold out - you can get a 1 bedroom condo for $177 in October - so it's gone up a bit, but not over much!
Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to it! Looks absolutely fabulous!

Yup...all that for so little is right! Pretty amazing All 6 of us could have showered together in the glass shower it was so big, and jacuzzi tub was the same. Granite counters in the kitchen, full refrigerator and stove, dishwasher etc. I'm fairly certain we were the first people to use the unit and I christened the stove with an apple pie from Basha's that unfortunately, in the reheating/baking, leaked onto the elements resulting in big plumes of smoke. We opened all doors and were frantically fanning the smoke out in a successful attempt at warding off the smoke detectors!

Hope the following isn't creepy to anyone, nor sad, as the tale has a very happy ending. As I said we were there for Thanksgiving which we traditionally have some place in that area as our daughter and s-i-l live in Phoenix. The dining table easily accommodated the 6 of us and fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. As you'll find, the kitchen is fully equipped with all manner of pots and pans, coffe maker, all the utensils, plates, silver, wine glasses etc so cooking and dining in is easy if you are so inclined.

So, we sat eating Thanksgiving dinner, son, his wife, daughter, her husband, with our daughter sitting directly across the table from me. As she was eating and swallowing, I suddenly noticed that she had what appeared to be an adams apple...then immediately realized it was her thyroid gland, (mine is errant and checked yearly thus I knew the location) enlarged enough to make a lump in her neck. Dr. Mom uncharacteristically waited until later that evening to bring it up, thinking it was probably nothing (odds favored that cetainly) and not wanting to upset anyone's dinner. Neither she nor her husband had noticed it previously--told them that although it was probably nothing, they should have it checked. To make a long story short, it turned out to be thyroid cancer, a slow grower, and caught early (thank you, thank you Pinon Pointe for that dining set-up). It was successfully removed with a less than 1% chance of ever recurring and she's healthy and back to her normal self. I keep thanking my lucky stars we had Thanksgiving there, we sat where we sat--I think the only reason I saw it, (because I checked surrepticiously for the remainder of our stay there and at the Grand Canyon and never saw it again), was our position at the table and the fact that she was swallowing food as we chatted back and forth, making it more apparent. There is never going to be a Thanksgiving that I don't think about that and Pinon Pointe and really give thanks!! Hope this isn't too much information, nor creepy, but as you can tell, that place has a very special place in my heart!!

Hey, wildblueyonder, that Hyatt in Sedona sounds great. Hubby and I are coming for a week in November but he wants to stay part of the time in Phoenix. Since these are timeshares, do you know if there is a minimum stay?

OO, what a great happy ending for you and your daughter. Our family is going through something similar right now with my 25-year-old niece--cancer cells have shown up in her pap smear. Hope it turns out as well for us as it did for you.

Jenny, we just got back from our trip and stayed 2 nites in Sedona at the Best Western Inn of Sedona...this was a clean, quiet place with beautiful views off balconies for some of the rooms...we needed 2 rooms, so I booked the internet rate of $93.00 per room, which included cont breakfast...Hubby and I had a spacious room with king-size bed. The location is not in uptown Sedona, but if you have a rental car, it is only about a 3 minute drive to that area, and there was never any problem with parking. We would definitely stay here again! You will just love Sedona! See my trip report from Monday.

antlori, no there is no minimum stay for the Hyatt Pinon Pointe, as far as I'm aware. We're only staying there for two nights. (In Phoenix, we're 2 nights at the Camelback Inn!)

Yes, great ending to your story, OO - I've been having a few health problems myself, so hopefully and maybe the Hyatt will be lucky for me too!

When you get to Sedona, be sure to invest a few minutes at the visitors' center, Forest Rd. and Hwy. 89A. It's run by the local chamber of commerce and is an enormous gold mine of free information. It's one block north on 89A from the intersection with Hwy. 179.

Be aware that there are other "visitors' centers" -- and these are come-ons for timeshare sales.

If you like the idea of cabins in a wooded area by Oak Creek, check out the Briar Patch Inn (www.briarpatchinn.com). Lovely and peaceful surroundings, the privacy of your own cabin with fireplace and kitchen, and fabulous breakfasts on a patio by the creek every morning.

Thank you, thank you, all you wonderful people, who took time to respond.It certainly made my day !I looked at the pictures for Hyatt, and they are fantastic !!!! The price is , too !
It was useful to learn about the Visitors' Center, I wouldn't have known.
OO, so glad your story had a happy ending. What a blessing.
Our trip will be end of Sept.(Santa Fe) and early Oct.(Sedona). I'll have other questions, but will post them under appropriate titles.
We are looking forward to the trip!It will be great mostly due of what I learned on this forum.Fodor's is the best ! Thanks !

We stayed at the Wishing Well bed & breakfast. Go to www.sedonawishingwell.com
An amazing view, serve breakfast in your room. Each room has a private hottub on the deck. Really lovely.

jenny, just got bk from the pinon pointe on 8-12-04...i stayed in the studio which they claimed slept 4..no way...! it was just me and my 7 & 9 year old and was tight..the 2 bedroom shld be good..its in a great place..beautiful views and walk to town

We stayed at The Orchards Inn for two nights in June and really liked it. The price was $129, although she originally had told me $169. It looks like a motel when you pull up to the front--which really is the back; but, oh, what beautiful views from the other side. Each room has a balcony with a gorgeous view. The staff is wonderful. They want to do anything to enhance your stay. Also, it was nice not to have to drive everywhere. We could walk to nice restaurants as well as the quaint little shops. The Hyatt is in a nice area, but you will have more trouble getting out and walking. We liked being able to walk about at night after dinner for an ice cream cone, etc.

If you stay there, be sure to walk down the hill to Oak Creek and L'auberge. Fabulous.

My family consisting of my husband, 16 year old son and I stayed at the Hilton Sedona in Arpil. I had poured over reviews for several weeks! I really wanted to stay at the Enchantment, but at the time we were going, their most inexpensive room would have been $400 per night. I was considering the Sky Ranch, but had heard mixed reviews and quite a few comments saying it was a bit run down. I did not want a run down environment (that would have been fine at the lodge we'd stayed at in Grand Canyon, but I didn't want it for Sedona). We opted for the Hilton and I was SO GLAD we ended up there! Yes, it is a few miles out of "town" but it's still amidst the RED ROCKs which is why we were going... not necessarily for a typical "touristy" town with lots of t-shirt shops and souvenir shops that have merchandise from other countries - it was VERY difficult finding art and gifts that were from artisans from the area... as I said, most of the shops looked as though they could have been in New Hope, Pa or any Caribbean port.

The Hilton Sedona is an all-suite resort which is only about 5 years old. We were able to get a guaranteed red rock view, something most other resorts could not guarantee. Our suite was lovely, with a fireplace, kitchenett and a most spectacular view of Bell Rock! The pool was lovely, although we didn't use it as it was a bit chilly during our stay. The main areas of the facility are lovely... very open, airy, rustic and classy. The spa/gym was very nice! All areas, both building and grounds (which were BEAUTIFUL) were impeccably maintained.

I loved the fact that it was on the main road, yet set back off of it. It was only about a block away from a nice clean strip mall with a grocery store for anything you might need!

We had gone up to the airport for the sunset view... it was nice, but I really thought our view from our hotel area was more lovely.

Regardless of where you end up, you really should try and take a jeep trip! We chose the Pink Jeep's Broken Arrow which was clearly one of the highlights of our stay in Sedona! Very informative, going where you are not allowed, on your own... the vistas and sights were nothing short of spectacular!!

Have a wonderful adventure!

Lisa

Greetings! Has anyone stayed at one of the villas at Best Western Arroyo Roble? From a diagram I saw it looked like the villas are located next to the creek, behind the main motel complex. I'm wondering if they offer the famous red rock views. Does anyone know?
Thanks!
Gretchen

Gretchen,

we just returned from Sedona. We stayed at The Orchards, very near Best Western. Our hotel had a similar layout, with the hotel perched on the hillside and villas down below at the creek level.

Although I cannot answer your question directly, I would be concerned whether the creekside villas will offer much of a view of the red rocks. First of all, you'll be looking up as opposed to looking across, and second, your view may be obscured by the numerous trees at creek level.

Beach dweller,
Thanks for the reply. You gave me the answer I was afraid I'd get. We're kind of "stuck" with a villa. That's if you can consider a two bedroom villa with fireplace for $500.00 for a whole week "stuck"! I bought a week from a friend who has a timeshare. Fortunately we're outdoors folks. We'll be out in the scenery most of the time.

I hope you enjoyed your trip there. Is there anything you would especially recommend we should see or do?