what to do when you have 3 nights in Sedona

  • Visit Mariposa Grill in Sedona. Get a Sedona, Arizona travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Sedona, Arizona travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Sedona, Arizona travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Sedona, Arizona travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.

ITINERARY

STAY: L’Auberge De Sedona (hotel review below)

DAY 1

  • Drive from Phoenix Airport (we arrived around 3 pm).

  • Grab a snack from Chocolatree, which is part cafe, part chocolate shop, part apothecary, part clothes/art store. We got a juice and some chocolate (they’re known for very healthy chocolate)- definitely get the salted caramel chocolate and go sit in the garden. There is some real vortex energy back there.

  • Check into L’Auberge de Sedona.

  • Hike: Fay Canyon (2.3 miles)

    • Our favorite hike of the trip, and it’s really magical to do at golden hour when the sun is just starting to set. But, make sure you look at the sunset time and give yourself ample amount of time to complete the hike so you’re not walking in the dark.

    • I felt a bit of the energy vortex at the beginning of the hike, even though it is not one of the seven main vortexes.

  • Dinner at Cress on Oak Creek. In my opinion, the best restaurant in Sedona. High quality ingredients, beautiful (and romantic) setting right on the creek. Be prepared, it is quite expensive. We got the octopus, filet mignon and lobster and all were awesome.

DAY 2

  • Breakfast at the hotel.

  • Hike: Boynton Canyon

    • Depending on the time of year you visit, it may get very hot so the earlier you go the better. It’s an out and back trail, and the first/last 1.5 miles have no shade - be prepared for that and time it up so you go early or later in the day and bring lots of water.

    • The trail is six miles total (three in each direction), but at mile two you can veer off to the right to go to the cave (you’ll walk about fifteen minutes from that fork in the trail where you turned right). I’d HIGHLY recommend doing this instead of going to the end of the three miles. All Trails has the map for the cave so you can follow that.

    • Make sure you walk up the right side of the rock leading up to the cave - it is much easier / safer.

    • It’s a really great hike (definitely one of my favorites), but note that the first mile you are walking along / looking at the Enchantment property which is a bit of a bummer from a feeling removed from civilization perspective.

  • Lunch at The Hudson - has an amazing view and really great food. The portobello mushroom sandwich was great, as was the quinoa salad.

  • Visit The Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is known to be one of the strongest vortexes in Sedona and a really cool place to visit (even if you don’t believe in the vortexes). It’s in one of the prettiest, most scenic parts of Sedona and nestled right into the rocks.

  • Massage at the L’Apothecary Spa.

  • Dinner at Mariposa. I’d ask for an outdoor table, the indoor feels a little cruise ship-esque. Not the most amazing restaurant, but it is solid and probably the second best dinner after Cress on Oak Creek. Try to go before the sun sets as the view is really spectacular. We made the mistake of going after it was already dark, which is why our experience was not as amazing.

DAY 3

  • Breakfast at hotel.

  • Hike: Bell Rock

    • We were going to do the Big Park Loop but instead decided to do Bell Rock Pathway and actually hike up the rock. You could do both, but we felt like we had already gotten all the best views from climbing up. It would have been cool to go around The Courthouse, though.

    • Definitely try to go early or later in the day, as there is no real shade on the rock and it can get very hot.

  • Drive across the street to The Cathedral, which is one of the main vortexes. It is not a long hike (but can get very hot). There is an “easy breezy” path (we did the intermediate, so I can’t speak to it) and then you can hike up the rock as well.

  • Lunch at The Secret Garden and explore Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village. To be totally honest, Secret Garden was pretty mediocre - I would’ve preferred to go back to The Hudson, or just pick up something quick at Whole Foods.

  • Wellness / spiritual activities, which I can’t recommend enough, especially while in Sedona. If I could only pick one, I’d choose the reading with Jen as it was so transformative, enlightening, powerful and very actionable, but both were really great.

  • Dinner at Dahl & DiLuca, and I’ll say lower your expectations. The food was pretty average, and not really worth the $ in my opinion. I would have preferred to go back to The Hudson (but for dinner) or to eat at Cress on Oak Creek again.

DAY 4:

  • Breakfast at hotel

  • Hike: Soldier’s Pass (4.5 miles)

    • Make sure you check the website to see whether Soldier’s Pass is open for parking or whether you need to take a shuttle. It looks like Mon-Wed you are free to park in the lot, but Thurs-Sun is shuttle only (though this might change depending on the season). I’d recommend reconfiguring your itinerary so this hike falls Mon-Wed, if possible, to ensure you can park yourself vs needing to rely on the shuttle.

  • Lunch at Whole Foods (we were supposed to go to Pump House Station but wanted something quick, easy and reliable).

  • Check out and head to the airport.

Things we wanted to do but didn’t have the time for:

  • Visit the swimming holes. We tried to go to Grasshopper Point, but didn’t have cash (they are cash only) and Midgely Bridge, but didn’t wear hiking shoes and it seemed like a bit of a climb to get down there. This article lays out the details for each. I really wanted to go to Red Rock Crossing!

  • Airport Mesa Vortex Hike.

HOTEL REVIEW

I liked the L’Auberge and thought the service was very luxury/high quality - everyone that worked there was great and really provided a five-star experience. The accommodations, though, were nice but not standout luxurious. They leaned into the idea of “treehouse cabins,” but the look in reality was kind of motel-esque and didn’t have any spectacular views which felt wrong in Sedona. The pool and the spa amenities were fine (though the services were amazing). Food was great, ambiance of the outdoor restaurant (Cress on Oak Creek) was really nice, and overall the hotel is very conveniently located right in town.

We were deciding between The Enchantment and the L’Auberge (both considered five star hotels) and chose L’Auberge because it was smaller (70 rooms vs 250) and we had heard the service was much better. From what I’ve gathered on The Enchantment, the rooms haven’t been renovated in a while so feel a bit outdated, it has a much bigger feel since there are a lot more rooms and it’s located much farther away from town so you do more driving (though some of the hikes are actually closer to Enchantment).

I will say, the setting of The Enchantment is pretty spectacular and I’d want to stay there if I go back to Sedona for the views alone (getting to have breakfast, sit on your balcony, etc and look out). From the information I have, it sounds like a decision between better service & less driving vs amazing (but more remote) setting and poorer service/more outdated rooms. One thing to note is that the Mii Amo Spa is currently being renovated, but when it re-opens, you can access the spa only if you are staying at Mii Amo or Enchantment - that in itself is a selling point!