Groovy New Life Goes to Sedona! Sharing the Details!

 

Sedona is one of my favorite Arizona towns, but it definitely has it's pro's and con's. Julie and I recently trekked there for a few days and here's our findings - 

ADVICE FOR YOUR VISIT

Prickly pear is in a lot of drinks, candies, desserts. The fruit from the prickly pear cactus tastes like a cross between watermelon and bubble gum. Definitely try the margaritas!

In T'laquepaque Plaza is the El Rincon Restaurant. I have been going there every Sedona trip for decades and it's always provided exactly the taste of Sedona I need. 

The enchiladas and chimichangas are great, the atmosphere is so beautiful - especially on the patio among the ancient sycamores. The margaritas are perfect and their chocolate chimichanga is a dream way to end a meal.

We recommend you avoid Slide Rock - it is always overpacked with people, full parking lot, traumatic slide down the rocks, and often times in summer has bacteria issues. Keep driving a few more miles to West Fork Oak Creek Trailhead. For $11 you can park and hike.  This area is beyond gorgeous and the path takes you down to a gorgeous creek - very short walk, but the entire route is over 3 miles if you want to take it. The creek is gorgeous, completely shadowed by trees and berry brambles and is utterly magical and cool.

There are a million great places to stay in Sedona, but if you want location, affordability, and beauty, we have a recommendation - 

Arabella Hotel in Sedona is one of the prettiest hotels I've been to in a long time. The art is off the charts gorgeous and every detail in the rooms is gorgeous. It has Mole Restaurant on the premises which is nice if you like Mexican food. Rooms in the main courtyard have a hanging chair on the patios looking out at the pool. The breakfast is questionably a breakfast, as it's hard-boiled eggs and pastries mostly, but they make up for that when it comes to daily events and such, like smores by the pool and wine tastings. The location is away from the insanity that is downtown, but close enough to downtown to be just a few short miles. It is also very close to T'laquepaque center which is our favorite hangout for great beauty, a brewery, a fantastic fudge/candy shop, tons of art shops and jewelry stores, and unique gift shops. 

Breakfast at Coffee Pot Diner is a dream. They really do a great breakfast, wonderful decor, super nice staff. 

T'laquepaque is so utterly beautiful and feels like a beautiful central area in an old European village. Art, fountains, soft steel guitar music, ancient sycamores, birds singing, light filtering into cobblestone-like courtyards makes one of the best experiences for those who adore shopping among beautiful art, jewelry, collectibles, and finer things.

If you want a really relaxing and beautiful experience, my favorite place is at Alma de Sedona Inn. This is a gorgeous place, out of the noisy part of town. I would highly suggest staying there. But, they do have a garden with a labyrinth and medicine wheel, tumbling waterway with art. It is the most beautiful location I've been in Arizona in a long time. It feels like you're in a castle's magical garden. It's peaceful and walking a labyrinth is always centering. When you pull into the resort, park right away in the spaces that are open. That is where the garden with these features are located.

PRO'S

Natural beauty like nowhere else in the world. The red rock against the green foliage is stunning. It's like being surrounded by decorative castles. You almost feel as though they are watching you with ancient knowing eyes.

Beneficial sensory overload. Many locations from T'laquepaque plaza (one of the most European-vibed gorgeous shopping centers in America), to the new age shops downtown, you smell incense, hear tinkling windchimes and birds, steel guitar and indian flutes playing. The restaurants pull out all the stops on Southwest cuisine, sending your palate into heaven overload. Gentle breezes and fluttering leaves overhead lull you into your comfort zone.

directly across from T'laquepaque - great psychics, aura photos, crystals, incense, and new age items.

Vortexes and UFOs, healing and spa amenities. It's impossible to not feel utterly renewed when you leave Sedona. It has a way of resetting your buttons like rebooting a computer. That they offer all sorts of healing and adventures in new age methods.  

Hikers' heaven.  The trails here aren't just paths to a destination, the entire trek is the destination. The vistas, the green plants against red rock, the quiet, the away-from-the-fray vibe, and the odd energy that comes from the earth... It's an experience. 

Art-lovers mecca.  Everywhere you go in Sedona there are galleries, but even strip malls are loaded up with sculptures, gardens, poolsides... I have never seen a more prolific artist's colony. It gives you this whimsical magical vibe that is almost otherworldly. 

CON'S 

Traffic in paradise/waiting lines. There is really only one artery to get into Sedona and one artery to travel around in it. Shopping areas in the downtown often have packed parking and long lines to eat, even on weekdays. It's an ideal place to visit all year, so there's no "ideal" time to go. I prefer October to January because autumn is lovely and cool and they do Christmas decorations so beautifully. Summer can be exceedingly hot and forces you indoors and in a place like red rock country, you'd like to be outdoors. It was well over 100 when we visited and we found ourselves changing a lot of plans based on not wanting to be burned by the sun and dehydrated.

Everything is closed or closed early.  We jiggled a lot of doorknobs on businesses to find they have odd hours like 12-3 on just three days of the week, or were closed for summer. And restaurants and bars tend to close quite early, like 10 pm. We found one bar, Mooney's that was open until 2 am and were amazing. That place must get super packed! Vacationers do not want to roll up the carpet at 10 pm. Sedona has missed the boat on this one.

VORTEXES

Sedona is also known for four main vortexes of energy @ Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon. 

You know the ancient Native symbol of a spiral? That symbol has been used for hundreds of years. The Spanish seeking to hide treasure showed where to go next when they left spiral markings - one direction showing climbing and another direction showing descending. 

The vortexes in Sedona are symbolized well by the spiral as some vortexes have energy spiralling skyward and others spiralling into the earth. 

If the spiral of energy goes into the earth, it is ideal for meditation and introspection. Spirals going skyward create an uplifting and optimistic vibe. Sedona's airport vortex is a masculine upward spiralling energy.

As many psychics can explain, there are vortexes of energy (swirling energy) that can be healing and positive (like Sedona's) or negative and draining.

While in Boynton Canyon (me above waiting to view UFOs), I had the most euphoric feelings. I felt as if I were ancient, having an almost omniprescence with the rock surrounding me. The spires stood up like giant castles with spiritual eyes peering down at me. And we were totally in sync for all time....

Julie and I had a rather mystical moment going into Boynton Canyon to UFO watch away from city lights. We saw a Mexican Wolf cross the road. I had no idea there were any in Sedona and the long fluffy tail and graceful movements were a beautiful thing to witness. 

I looked up the meaning of seeing a wolf - As a spirit animal, the wolf symbolizes instinct, intelligence, and ingenuity. A wolf sighting is a reminder to rely on our instincts and to trust our intuitive abilities. ... If the wolf is your totem animal, you have a deep connection with nature and are a freedom seeker.

😎😎😎

Julie and I both highly recommend Sedona as one of your top Arizona visits.