Seeing Sedona
Sedona is one of the most uniquely beautiful places I have ever been. When Kyle and I went a few weeks ago, we flew into Phoenix and drove to our hotel in the dark. As we arrived at Enchantment Resort and Spa, everyone on staff, from the guard at the gate to the front desk clerk, kept saying to us, "Enjoy the sunrise!" So, though we hadn't planned on it, we thought, "Well I guess we should get up for sunrise!" As we walked out of our "casita" in the pre-dawn light, we finally saw what we had been missing. We were surrounded by red rock cliffs all around! We made the short hike to a vista to take in the sunrise over Boynton Canyon. As the sun came up so did several hot air balloons in the distance, making it a pretty cool start to our vacation!
Enchantment Resort and Spa, set on 70 acres within Boynton Canyon, was unlike any hotel we have ever seen. Rarely (as in never) do we find ourselves planning to go back to a spot just for the hotel. The staff, spa, location, restaurants, pool and accommodations are all top notch. Aside, from a creaky pipe near our bed, which caused us (me) not to sleep very well, everything was superb. I highly recommend breakfast at the Mii Amo Spa Cafe. I had the best Acai Bowl of my life! Our only regret of the trip was that we only spent one night at Enchantment.
When talking to people about Sedona, everyone had rave reviews about the Pink Jeep Tours so we decided to give it a shot. We took the tour of the Broken Arrow Trail and had a blast! While it was a little on the pricey side, it was a great way to go off roading and see some sights up close and personal in short timeframe i.e. without having time to hike to them. Whether in a jeep or doing some hiking, I would definitely recommend making it to Submarine Rock, where you will get some great panoramic views of the cliffs!
We bookended our trip to Havasupai with another night in Sedona, this time staying in town at the Amara Resort. Situated right off the main street, Amara provided some much needed relaxation after a long hike. Between the rain and our sore muscles we chose to relax at the hotel for the evening, having some champagne and guacamole room service (a birthday gift from my parents!), enjoying happy hour in the lobby (free wine every evening!), eating dinner at the hotel's SaltRock Southwest Kitchen (good, not great) and finishing the night with a dip in the infinity pool.
Sedona is a great get away for anyone who loves the great outdoors. I would not consider the town itself a draw, but the surrounding outdoors has more than enough to occupy your time!