Crystal Magic

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hikes, yoga, a forest-bathing program, and views that look like you’re surrounded by iPhone billboards. That’s the gist of the sixty-two cottages and twenty-one guest rooms that make up L’Auberge de Sedona. This is the kind of place with outdoor showers (which you’ll love in the summer) and woodburning fireplaces (which you’ll love in the winter). As soon as you check in, head directly to L’Apothecary Spa, where therapists create oils, salts, scrubs, and other skin- and body-care products at an herbal blending station. They’re essentially Southwestern apothecaries using the full spectrum of herbs, flowers, and essences at their disposal to cure whatever ails you or, at the very least, to make you very, very relaxed. When you’re not at the spa, hang out in your creek-side cabin or get cozy by the fire. Just plan to spend the evening looking up—you’ve never seen so many stars in your life.

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.

Every town has its greasy spoon, and Sedona’s does not disappoint. This is the Mexican-food version, and everything we have tried we love. Tacos, taquitos, fajitas, burritos—the guys are all here. And there is more flavor in one bite of the cheese enchilada than in entire courses at other Mexican spots in the area. The Coffee Pot is, naturally, a favorite for breakfast, but both the food and the colorful, lively atmosphere make it a fun place for a meal anytime of day.

Cress on Oak Creek is the name of the restaurant—as well as the directions to it. Tables are set up on the patio overlooking a rushing stream, and adding to the vibe: twinkling candles, a view of the forest, rustling trees. In other words, you should go with someone you’re willing to marry—it is that romantic. Chef Michael O’Dowd has created a menu that relies heavily on local, foraged ingredients presented in a vaguely Italian way. We’re big fans of the Oak Creek salad with frisée, sweet corn, and goat cheese; the rainbow trout; and anything O’Dowd does with burrata.

Ask anyone what the best fancy restaurant in Sedona is and they will likely point you to Dahl & DiLuca (and if they don’t, they’ll probably suggest its sister restaurant, Mariposa). If you’re craving fine Italian, Dahl & DiLuca is the place to find it. This is Italian food by way of Sedona—many of the ingredients are organic and local to Arizona—but the architecture of the meal is classic Old Country. Arancini (fried risotto balls stuffed with peppers and cheese), something invitingly called the Wine Lovers Antipasto (Pecorino, cured meat, you can imagine the rest), insalata mista, gnocchi alla vodka, polenta con funghi...all the marquee players are here.

Head to Elote Cafe about an hour before sunset. It’s inside the Arabella Hotel, but there’s nothing much worth checking out in the hotel, so go right to the café. Grab a table outside close to the firepit. Order the guacamole (it’s the perfect level of spicy) and a mezcal margarita, while you check out the menu. Chef Jeff Smedstad leans heavily on local, seasonal Southwestern and Mexican food. Charred green corn tamales, fish tacos—you really can’t go wrong. It’s the kind of food you should be eating in this environment. And when the evening starts to get chilly, wrap the blanket (it’s behind you, on the back of the chair) over your lap. Order another mezcal, lean back, and look up at the stars. This is what you came to Sedona for. (But be advised: The café doesn’t take reservations.)

An evening at Mariposa is like a tiny trip to southern South America. The menu, which favors sustainable, organic ingredients, is heavily influenced by chef Lisa Dahl’s travels to Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. That translates to handmade empanadas (the portobello, poblano, and queso version is insanely good), shrimp ceviche, fresh fish, carne, carne, carne, and accents of mole or chimichurri sauce throughout. It’s all spectacular. We had to mention the menu first because if we started with the space, we might never have gotten around to the food. The restaurant is built on a rise over Sedona, and some smart person thought to make the windows as big as the walls. The view will blow your mind. Our advice: Go early, order as much as you can possibly eat, and stay until they kick you out. This is an evening to remember.

Lisa Dahl has a handful of restaurants in Sedona—Mariposa, Dahl & DiLuca, and Cucina Rustica all deservedly get a lot of ink. But our favorite feather in her cap may be her less famous pizzeria. Pisa Lisa is more of a lunch joint than a fancy evening out. It’s loud and boisterous, and there are televisions mounted on the walls. But the pizza is all wood-fired and could easily rival the best in Italy. The melanzane parmigiana (homemade tomato sauce, grilled eggplant, and spicy peppers topped with Parmesan and fresh mozzarella) tastes like something you would have had as a kid in Naples, if you’d ever been a kid in Naples. There are salads, grilled panini, and plenty of antipasti to choose from, but the reason to come here is the pizza. Oh, wait. Did we mention the gelato bar?

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.

Imagine comfort food, only more elegant. Now imagine eating that elegant comfort food in a beautiful dining room with a vaulted ceiling or, better yet, on the deck overlooking maybe all of Arizona. The view is so stunning that you might think it’s the star of the show. It’s not. Chef Jeff Storcz’s menu consists of unfussy, completely delicious crowd-pleasers. An evening might look like this: a glass of Riesling, salted soft pretzel bread with mustard, some form of bruschetta (there are many), and butternut squash ravioli with crispy sage. Or maybe the chicken pot pie? Oh, or the Hudson mushroom burger? No, no, definitely the ravioli. And chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.

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.

The minute you step off the plane, you will see turquoise jewelry everywhere you look—it’s built into the history of this city. Ignore every vendor, every lobby shop, every ad you see and head straight to Garland’s. This is hands down the best spot for a wide selection traditional Native American jewelry—Zuni, Navajo, Kewa Pueblo, and more—all of it crafted by artists, not machines. There’s an impressive selection of sculptures, woven baskets, rugs, pottery, and everything else you can imagine that speaks to the culture of this part of the world. A quick visit to buy a small souvenir can easily turn into an entire day and plans for a new suitcase.

About twenty minutes outside of Sedona is one of the most remarkable sights around: Arizona wine country. Known as Verde Valley, this unlikely wine terroir is rocky, full of clay, well over 3,000 feet in altitude, and increasingly considered a wine region of note. One of the first wineries in the region was Page Spring Cellars, which opened in 2004. It produces several varietals of red, white, and rosé—and is deeply committed to sustainable practices. These are clearly essential to the ethos of the winery, which also has a bistro café on-site and offers yoga and massage treatments. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch, hit the tasting room, and buy the bottle you want to have with your picnic (plus a few more to bring home). The grounds are lovely, and exploring them is highly encouraged.

Tlaquepaque (Tla-keh-pah-keh, and it’s so fun to say, it’s worth learning the correct pronunciation) is a warren of shops, galleries, boutiques, fountains, restaurants, and charm. If a shopping hamlet can have a soul, this one does. A handful of places to eat and dozens of shops—from jewelry to rugs to clothing to art galleries—means you can start at the coffee shop, end at the wine bar, and explore for hours in between. While you’re there, check out Azadi Navajo Rugs. The beautiful, authentic pieces will have you rethinking every design choice you’ve ever made.

Get up before dawn—trust us, this will be worth it. At that hour, two things are working in your favor: You’ll be able to get a parking space at the entrance to the Airport Mesa Loop Trail, and you will see the most spectacular sunrise of your life. The loop is about three and a half miles long and can take anywhere from two to four hours to complete, depending on much you hike and how much you stroll and how often you stop to take family pictures. It’s gentle enough to bring the kids along. (If it’s rained recently, be careful of slippery rocks, and if you go in the summer, bring extra water—it gets blindingly hot in the desert.) The 360-degree views are just about the most beautiful way to take in such magical surroundings. Other trails very worth exploring: Boynton Canyon, Doe Mountain, Fay Canyon, Little Horse, and West Fork.

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.

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.

When you visit such a tranquil place, one with so much spirituality and history that it seems to have many stories to tell, questions come up. Like what does Sedona mean in Spanish? (Hint: It’s a trick question.) Or who were the first settlers? And: Didn’t I see that place in the movie with that guy? (Probably.) Answers to the all questions you have and those you didn’t know you have are here at the Sedona Heritage Museum, which focuses on the history of the city from 1876 to the present. This charming trip to the past is brief—you can cover the whole museum in an hour.

Whether you’re an amateur Galileo or you just like looking up at the stars after dinner, Sedona’s night sky will astound you. It is so expansive and vast as to feel as if the entire universe is collected over this small pocket of the American Southwest. And hands down the best way to take it all in is with an expert. Sedona Stargazing astronomers will meet you about twenty minutes from uptown Sedona (to get away from the light pollution) with high-powered telescopes and a textbook’s worth of knowledge. You can expect to see shooting stars, binary stars, distant galaxies, the International Space Station, Venus, Saturn, and almost everything else in this universe.

It's difficult to articulate Ashley's full scope, as she offers everything from psychopomp (helping souls transition to the other side, like a death doula) to soul retrieval (finding unresolved traumas from past lives and energetically healing them). It is pretty much as mysterious as it sounds: Deeply intuitive, Ashley will riff on everything from your spirit guides to your spirit animals, touching on life path and purpose and the soundness of your relationships. She's based in Sedona, but also does sessions over the phone.

The same way the spiritual vortex of Sedona draws seekers, it draws healers—and you can work with the best of them at Mii Amo. For 3, 4, 7, or 10 days—no more, no less—visitors follow personalized programs designed by a guide. Depending on a guest’s needs, a journey might include traditional spa offerings, like enzyme wraps and lymphatic facials, as well as specialty services, like shirodhara and Reiki healing. Spiritual treatments—meditation, hypnosis, past-life regression, and more—can be emotionally intense and incredibly cathartic. During downtime, you might explore intuitive watercolor, hikes in the canyon, dry sauna, or private pickleball lessons.

Ride the waves of healing energy among the beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Sign up for a day long retreat and head off into the wild where your guide will help you tap into the transformational energies that are created where electromagnetic lines intersect. Though some may be wary of the New Age ways (add-ons include drum journeys and shamanic sound healings) even skeptics can't debate the beauty of the epic landscape. Sedona Vortex Retreat doesn't provide accommodations; we'd recommend bunking up at the L'Auberge de Sedona.