Sedona

Tii Gavo, tucked inside the Enchantment, is Mexican food through the lens of a world-class resort. The baby kale salad comes with mango, cotija cheese, and lime-Tajín vinaigrette. The stuffed poblano pepper comes with vegan cheese sauce, avocado, corn, and quinoa. The menu—with plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options—spills over with healthy dishes that don’t look or taste like healthy dishes. (There are plenty of ways to indulge, if that’s what you’re after; the chips, fresh salsa, and homemade guacamole are great places to start.) And we haven’t even mentioned the view, which is breathtakingly expansive. Sit outside or close to the windows and have a homemade watermelon soda while Mother Nature puts on a show.

ChocolaTree is a lot of things, none of which are that easy to explain. It’s part spiritual wellness center, part health-food restaurant, part Airbnb, part coffee shop, part hangout destination. But the most interesting part is the chocolate shop, which is what started it all. If healthy chocolate exists, it is here. ChocolaTree has its own organic cacao farms, where the cacao pods are hand-harvested (unacceptable ones are tossed) and ground by hand. Then the master chocolatiers use only organic sweeteners, like honey, maple syrup, and dried fruit. This is a chocolate shop that even non-chocolate people can get behind.

Amara is the kind of place that turns fallen trees into headboards for the guest rooms. It lives in harmony with its surroundings. The rooms (there are a hundred of them) are clean and modern, with spare design, wood accents, and lots of right angles. The best part of the hotel is what’s outside the rooms: cornhole by day, a firepit by night, and an infinity pool with a view of Red Rock Canyon. And we haven’t even mentioned the spa, which is very, very worth a mention. A guided meditation or detox wrap is about the nicest way to unwind after a day spent, um, unwinding. For good reason, Amara is a popular place for weddings. If that’s not your jam, call ahead to make sure there won’t be one during your stay.

Our favorite thing about Saltrock at the Amara Resort and Spa is the afternoon snack menu. After a morning hike and a late morning spa treatment, there is nothing more welcome than sitting on the outdoor patio, taking in the view of the red rocks, and treating yourself to a late lunch or early dinner. We’d go with an order of grilled corn with lime, cotija cheese, garlic, and spicy aioli or the tacos verduras with carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pecans, and prickly pear vinaigrette, plus the spicy-smoky concoction they call a West Fork Margarita.

Enchantment Resort, considered the most luxurious in Sedona, is tucked into Boynton Canyon, but if that doesn’t mean anything to you, just know that it’s exactly where you want to be if you want to go exploring, biking, or hiking, even if you can’t commit and call it walking. The trails will take your breath away and are easily accessible. Rooms are a beautiful amalgam of luxury hotel amenities (flat-screen TVs, plush king-size beds, private decks) and pure Sedona tranquility (adobe fireplaces, exposed-beam ceilings, red rock views). All the rooms are wonderful, but if we had to pick, we’re partial to the pool suites, which have decks, wood-burning stoves, outdoor fireplaces, private pools, and views that are all your own. Enchantment also has tennis courts, yoga classes, and all manner of activities down to a foam-rolling class, along with the services at its Mii Amo spa, which is right next door.

If you’re going to name your hotel after the view, you’d better be damn sure it delivers. Let’s put it this way: If there is a better view of the overwhelming, vivid red that is a Sedona sunset in Red Rock Canyon, we haven’t found it. The rooms here feel a little on the Airbnb side (leather sofas, faux antiques, electric fireplaces), but that’s all the more reason to get out of them and go explore. There’s a pool and a hot tub, but better still, make your way to the Airport Mesa Loop, one of the loveliest hikes in Sedona—or anywhere.

The Hilton has a slightly corporate vibe but in a very definite Sedona way. All the rooms are done in muted earth tones, fireplaces abound, and activities include watching the sunrise, kayaking down the Verde River, and everything in between. Yes, there are boardrooms and conference halls, but if you look in the other direction, you’ll find the Eforea Spa (the red clay body wrap is as cleansing and detoxifying as it sounds) and about a dozen beers on tap at the hotel’s Shadowrock Bar. And then there’s the real reason we love this place: Pets are welcome.

Red Rock State Park is 286 acres of forest, creeks, trails, views, and predictably, red rocks. The natural beauty of the park alone is worth a trip to Sedona. A few hours exploring the preserve will very likely be the highlight of your time here. But stay on the trails, Indiana Jones. Tempting as it is to venture out on your own, the park is home coyotes, mule deer, river otters, rattlesnakes, lizards, javelina (ugly/cute boarlike animals), tarantulas, scorpions, and enough species of birds that there are bird-watching tours.

Not many churches are inspired by the Empire State Building. Then again, not many churches look like the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The most ardent atheist can appreciate this formidable work of architecture, which juts out from two red rock spurs hundreds of feet high, anchored by a giant cross. It looks like a spaceship materializing out of the earth. It’s mesmerizing even before you go inside. (Technically, this is the Coconino National Forest, but this area is better for rock climbing than mushroom foraging.) Designed by architect Richard Hein, the chapel has been here since 1956 and gets more popular every year.

Off-roading is infinitely more fun when someone else is driving, especially when that someone is a professional tour guide familiar with every crevasse and canyon in the area. Pink Jeep (all the cars are the signature shade) has over a dozen tours of varying views, cost, time, and white-knuckling. The Broken Arrow tour is amazingly beautiful and a great choice if you don’t hike Broken Arrow, but the eleven-hour day trip through Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend—and the rocks, spires, and views that come with it—is not one you will soon forget.