Sedona, AZ

[QueenCat]

Has anyone ever vacationed in this area? What did you like? Not like?

[PeacefulChaos]

I used to have family there and I LOVED it. It's absolutely beautiful!

It's a little new age-y, which doesn't bother me.

 

As far as practical stuff... well, we always stayed with family and stuff. And the last time I was there was about 12+ years ago? I was a teenager. So I'm not much help with all that.

But I would definitely recommend it. :)

[BakersDozen]

It's a beautiful area - definitely worth seeing! There is a church up in the rocks that is spectacular. Around Sedona are quite a few easy-drive attractions (Montezuma's Well/Castle, Flagstaff/Riordan Mansion/Snowbowl, Prescott/Sharlot Hall Museum, etc.).

 

It is new-agey (when we did service projects such as fixing trails we always had people who desperately needed showers/deodorant asking us where the vortex was :tongue_smilie:).

 

Best of all, if you come you might be able to add more WTMers to your list of those known IRL! :)

[jar7709]

I have been there a few times. Gorgeous! We love offroad driving and camping, I don't know what time of year you will be there but there are lovely campgrounds in Oak Creek a few miles to the north. I've never taken one because we take our own 4x4 vehicle, but I've heard the Jeep Tours are worth the money if you aren't going to drive yourself in the hills.

[Mama Geek]

We were only there for part of a day and it was beautiful. We were heading to the Grand Canyon the next day or we would have stayed longer. I would go back in a heartbeat.

[eloquacious]

Do the pink jeep to tour! I resisted so long, and now I regret it. It was SO awesome.

[Crimson Wife]

My grandparents lived in Sedona for close to 2 decades, so growing up we used to visit them nearly every year. Definitely do either one of the Jeep tours or a horseback trail ride. The brunch out at Enchantment is awesome. Slide Rock is super-fun if you'll be there when it's warm enough to go in the creek.

 

There is a really cool old Native American pueblo up towards Flagstaff. Meteor Crater up by Flagstaff is very interesting looking as well.

 

Jerome has become a tourist trap, don't bother visiting.

[Dobela]

The jeep tours are fabulous! I wish we had done it more than once. We also took a train ride that originated around there somewhere that we enjoyed as well. We rode in covered cars out in the desert and by old mining towns. It wasn't the one to the Grand Canyon, but that one was nice as well.

 

If you go to nearby Flagstaff, the planetarium is a fabulous visit as well.

[Ali in OR]

When we went to the Grand Canyon this summer, I insisted on adding Sedona to the itinerary just so we could go to nearby Slide Rock State Park. We went there when we did the Grand Canyon when I was 10 and it is what I remembered most about that trip. It's like a natural water slide--a little bumpier! My girls loved it. If your boys are older than about 8, they would have a blast.

[QueenCat]

You all have me ready to go. We're looking at going next summer. Probably fly in to Phoenix, stay one night there, and then a week in Sedona.

[PeterPan]

Cathie, unless you really have things you want to do *in* Sedona, I wouldn't spend a week in Sedona. It's gorgeous, but it was only worth a day for us. We stayed in Flagstaff and from there it was easy to do day trips to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc. etc. Maybe the train ride Dobela is thinking of is the Verde Canyon? We did that one, and it was very pleasant.

 

If you go up to Tuba (north of the grand canyon) you can see dinosaur tracks. In Flagstaff there's a famous telescope, etc. etc. The Frommer's guide for Arizona is quite good. It even tells you the best things to order at each restaurant, etc.

 

So yeah, for us a week in Sedona would have been overkill. It's not really central enough to make a good launching point. You could, but Flagstaff is at the crossroads and easier. Not staying in Sedona a week was the advice we got from family members who had done it, and it turned out to be right for us too. I think they had timeshares or something compelling them, which is why they did it. There's really not that much there, unless you intend to go out and hike on the rocks or do the New Age stuff. You can do 2 jeep tours (pink and Hummer) and see the shops and eat at two restaurants all in a day. Then there's nothing left. Seriously.

 

Make sure you see Montezuma's castle on the way up from Phoenix. It's pretty fascinating.

[Sara in AZ]

:iagree:

Cathie, unless you really have things you want to do *in* Sedona, I wouldn't spend a week in Sedona. It's gorgeous, but it was only worth a day for us. We stayed in Flagstaff and from there it was easy to do day trips to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc. etc. Maybe the train ride Dobela is thinking of is the Verde Canyon? We did that one, and it was very pleasant.

 

If you go up to Tuba (north of the grand canyon) you can see dinosaur tracks. In Flagstaff there's a famous telescope, etc. etc. The Frommer's guide for Arizona is quite good. It even tells you the best things to order at each restaurant, etc.

 

So yeah, for us a week in Sedona would have been overkill. It's not really central enough to make a good launching point. You could, but Flagstaff is at the crossroads and easier. Not staying in Sedona a week was the advice we got from family members who had done it, and it turned out to be right for us too. I think they had timeshares or something compelling them, which is why they did it. There's really not that much there, unless you intend to go out and hike on the rocks or do the New Age stuff. You can do 2 jeep tours (pink and Hummer) and see the shops and eat at two restaurants all in a day. Then there's nothing left. Seriously.

 

Make sure you see Montezuma's castle on the way up from Phoenix. It's pretty fascinating.

 

:iagree:

 

I so agree with this. A couple days tops in Sedona unless you really like to shop at overpriced tourist traps or really like to hike. Definitely expand out to some of the neat things within 50 miles or so: Lowell Observatory was mentioned, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Waputki National Monument etc.

 

If you do stay the week in Sedone as your homebase, look into Junipine Resort in Oak Creek Canyon. It is condo style where you have your own kitchen. You can offset some of the cost of food that way and it would be amazingly beautiful in the fall, if that's when you're going. I don't recall.

 

Have fun. It's a beautiful part if the country!

[QueenCat]

Cathie, unless you really have things you want to do *in* Sedona, I wouldn't spend a week in Sedona. It's gorgeous, but it was only worth a day for us. We stayed in Flagstaff and from there it was easy to do day trips to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc. etc. Maybe the train ride Dobela is thinking of is the Verde Canyon? We did that one, and it was very pleasant.

 

 

We'll be trading a timeshare week, so we can't split up where we stay. Sedona is on my short list as there several nice resorts there. I think there is something in Flagstaff but isn't that further from the Grand Canyon? We are really picky about resort quality when we are staying more than a night or two. For us, we tend to alternate between pool days and activity days. We were thinking a long "day" trip to Grand Canyon, Pink Jeep day, among other things. Friends from Phoenix will probably come out for a day. I've heard there are nice wineries in the area. Most important is relaxing. I'll give the area some more thought. We've got a few other places to consider but want to stay in the States. Dh has asked for a break from Disney and the beach.

[QueenCat]

I so agree with this. A couple days tops in Sedona unless you really like to shop at overpriced tourist traps or really like to hike. Definitely expand out to some of the neat things within 50 miles or so: Lowell Observatory was mentioned, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Waputki National Monument etc.

 

If you do stay the week in Sedone as your homebase, look into Junipine Resort in Oak Creek Canyon. It is condo style where you have your own kitchen. You can offset some of the cost of food that way and it would be amazingly beautiful in the fall, if that's when you're going. I don't recall.

 

 

Dh would love Lowell. One day shopping is nice, especially if there are good restaurants around. I can't remember the resort names we're looking at but they are all condo style.

[LinRTX]

We stayed in Flagstaff two years ago at a condo place. (I can't remember the name.) We went south from there to Sedona and north to the Grand Canyon. I loved Sedona, but we were only there for a morning and it seemed to be a lot of fancy shops and beautiful scenery. Flagstaff was a great place to stay to be in the middle of things.

 

Linda

[stripe]

Has anyone ever vacationed in this area? What did you like? Not like?

It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life.

[Jeannie in NJ]

years ago when dc were little, dh had a conference in Sedona. The conference was for 2 days but we added on days and went to Grand Canyon. Anyway, we stayed 2 days in Sedona. The first day it poured heavy all day, as in flooding. We had a pot belly stove in our room with a very large hot tub in front of the fire. The dc and I spent the day in that hot tub drinking hot chocolate and watching the ducks outside our patio door. The next day, no rain, so we went to the church up in the rocks that someone else here mentioned. It was nice, we lit candles. Sedona is beautiful but not counting the day of rain, the one sunny day was enough for us to see everything we wanted.

[Dobela]

We'll be trading a timeshare week, so we can't split up where we stay. Sedona is on my short list as there several nice resorts there. I think there is something in Flagstaff but isn't that further from the Grand Canyon? We are really picky about resort quality when we are staying more than a night or two. For us, we tend to alternate between pool days and activity days. We were thinking a long "day" trip to Grand Canyon, Pink Jeep day, among other things. Friends from Phoenix will probably come out for a day. I've heard there are nice wineries in the area. Most important is relaxing. I'll give the area some more thought. We've got a few other places to consider but want to stay in the States. Dh has asked for a break from Disney and the beach.

If I remember, Flagstaff is closer to the Grand Canyon. But it has been a few years. We also chose to take the train from Williams (??) into the canyon after hearing tales of hours of sitting in the car waiting to get into the canyon. The ride was relaxing and one day was all we needed to see what we wanted to see in the canyon. However, we went in July so timing may be part of the lines to enter.

 

We first went to Sedona in the late 80s, before it became the tourist place it is today. My dad knew an old guy that had done stunt work in the old cowboy shows and movies in the 40s and 50s. He told us that Sedona was one of his favorite places.

[PeterPan]

Yes, Flagstaff is closer to the GC than Sedona. (just look at the map) The GC has different entrances. When we went it was in the fall (October? I forget), definitely after school had started. We drove in the east entrance and literally just drove right in. There wasn't even a ranger there to take money. So while there would be lines in the summer, there won't be now I don't think. However weather can be iffy. Because it's so big, it can be gorgeous one day and snowing the next. Actually, I have no clue why that happened, but it was gorgeous the day we were there and snowed the next day.

 

The roads in the state drive pretty fast, because they're highway and open. The only really bad one is if you drop into Sedona from the north. That road is very windy and just ridiculous.

[QueenCat]

Yes, Flagstaff is closer to the GC than Sedona. (just look at the map) The GC has different entrances. When we went it was in the fall (October? I forget), definitely after school had started. We drove in the east entrance and literally just drove right in. There wasn't even a ranger there to take money. So while there would be lines in the summer, there won't be now I don't think. However weather can be iffy. Because it's so big, it can be gorgeous one day and snowing the next. Actually, I have no clue why that happened, but it was gorgeous the day we were there and snowed the next day.

 

The roads in the state drive pretty fast, because they're highway and open. The only really bad one is if you drop into Sedona from the north. That road is very windy and just ridiculous.

 

More for me to think about... Our vacation, wherever we end up going, is likely to be in May or August (but I doubt I'd do Arizona in August).

[CAMom]

We adore Sedona! We trade for timeshare there and have spent the full week 3 or 4 times. It is beautiful and relaxing!!

 

The last time we went, we stayed at the Hyatt at Pinon Point. It's a great resort and within walking distance to Uptown Sedona. I liked the central location of it. The other times we've stayed at Sedona Summit. Also a great resort, just a drive from the rest of the town.

 

Here's the train ride a pp talked about. We've done it and it was fun.

 

We've done a day trip to the GC twice from Sedona. (Flagstaff is closer to the GC as others have noted.) Once we just drove and the other time we took the GC Railway. That was super fun, too.

 

We've launched from Sedona to other day trips, too, including Meteor Crater but, honestly, we just love the quiet of Sedona. There is more hiking there than you could cover in a week. We're not huge hikers but there are plenty of shorter, accessible trails that can be done in a couple of hours and are not physically demanding.

 

Our family was recently talking about doing another week there to get away from the hustle and bustle that is our lives. New Age? Definitely!:) But, beauty beyond your expectations!

[QueenCat]

We adore Sedona! We trade for timeshare there and have spent the full week 3 or 4 times. It is beautiful and relaxing!!

 

The last time we went, we stayed at the Hyatt at Pinon Point. It's a great resort and within walking distance to Uptown Sedona. I liked the central location of it. The other times we've stayed at Sedona Summit. Also a great resort, just a drive from the rest of the town.

 

Here's the train ride a pp talked about. We've done it and it was fun.

 

We've done a day trip to the GC twice from Sedona. (Flagstaff is closer to the GC as others have noted.) Once we just drove and the other time we took the GC Railway. That was super fun, too.

 

We've launched from Sedona to other day trips, too, including Meteor Crater but, honestly, we just love the quiet of Sedona. There is more hiking there than you could cover in a week. We're not huge hikers but there are plenty of shorter, accessible trails that can be done in a couple of hours and are not physically demanding.

 

Our family was recently talking about doing another week there to get away from the hustle and bustle that is our lives. New Age? Definitely!:) But, beauty beyond your expectations!

 

Both of those resorts are possibilities (plenty open when we're looking). I'm so glad to hear that you found plenty to do. I really like the railway idea. How were the pools at these resorts?

[CAMom]

Both of those resorts are possibilities (plenty open when we're looking). I'm so glad to hear that you found plenty to do. I really like the railway idea. How were the pools at these resorts?

 

The pools were nice. However, each time we've been it's been the 1st week of December. Way to cold to use them. December is freezing there! :)

 

The suites at Sedona Summit are bigger than the ones at the Hyatt. But, I loved being able to walk more at the Hyatt. If you choose the Summit, try to get one of their Sunset Suites. So beautiful and so roomy!

[QueenCat]

The pools were nice. However, each time we've been it's been the 1st week of December. Way to cold to use them. December is freezing there! :)

 

The suites at Sedona Summit are bigger than the ones at the Hyatt. But, I loved being able to walk more at the Hyatt. If you choose the Summit, try to get one of their Sunset Suites. So beautiful and so roomy!

 

I do like the idea of being able to walk places! Have to figure out exact weeks we can go and then see what's available. Do either of the resort have pool side restaurant/bars where you can snacks, drinks and such in the evening? Thanks!