Sedona Travel Guide 2024

2024 Sedona Visitors Guide

Sedona is a luxury destination with so many unique attractions that you have to experience it to believe it. The red sandstone rock formations create a sharp contrast to the lavish spas and resorts of Sedona, Arizona, providing you with the perfect setting for both exciting outdoor adventures as well as the ultimate pampering experience during your Sedona luxury getaway. A Sedona luxury hotel experience can be as vigorous or relaxed as your mood. However, if you decide to spend your time in Sedona, choosing small luxury hotel accommodations will make for a truly memorable luxury vacation.

Sedona Luxury Hotels

In keeping with its unique nature, Sedona has small luxury hotels that invite the traveler with sophisticated elegance and attentive personal service. Although luxury hotels come in different sizes and styles, all luxury hotels offer an atmosphere that will melt away all the stresses of work and life. When traveling with your loved one, find a romantic luxury hotel package to make the most of your couple’s getaway; or if traveling alone, indulge in a luxury hotel spa package to help you find your own inner balance. Get back to nature in a peaceful, off-the-beaten-track locale where the sweet sound of morning bird songs reaches your ears through your luxury hotel room window. You owe it to yourself to choose one of the small luxury hotels of Sedona for the experience of a lifetime.

Sedona History

It’s hard to believe that the beautifully sculpted crimson landmarks of Sedona were covered by water millions of years ago. The powerful forces of nature—upheaval, wind, and erosion—created this masterpiece that is unlike any other place on Earth. Sedona’s earliest inhabitants, the Paleo, Anasazi, Hohokam, and Sinaqua, all left evidence of having lived here but archaeologists can only speculate as to what caused these tribes to abandon the Sedona area by the 1300s. Spanish explorers seeking gold and silver set foot in Sedona in 1583. Although the only treasure to be found was the beauty of the landscape, these early settlers left behind important historical contributions to Colonial architecture. Sedona received its name rather romantically by a man named T.C. Schnebly who petitioned the US Postal Service to make a postal stop in this area, and needed a name for the stop, he offered the name of his wife, Sedona.

By the 1950s Hollywood had discovered Sedona and the unique backdrop it provided and used it as the setting for over 70 films. This might explain why some Sedona luxury hotel guests feel like they’ve been here before. Today Sedona has become a magnet for New Age believers and a hotbed for alternative therapies. But the real attraction is the breathtaking light show luxury hotel guests will experience on the rosy sandstone at sunset, which is reason enough to make Sedona your next luxury hotel destination.

Sedona Tours

Perhaps the best way for small luxury hotel guests to get an overview of Sedona and the surrounding red-rock country is to take a tour. The Sedona Trolley takes in historic as well as inspirational landmarks, while Pink Jeep Tours will take luxury hotel guests on 4×4 adventures to the greatest natural attractions in and near the Sedona area. If a Hummer is more your style, Sedona Offroad Adventures is ready to provide you with the ultimate off-road experience in an environmentally friendly bio-diesel Hummer. Luxury hotel guests can take to the skies for a bird’s eye view with Arizona Helicopter Adventures, and Sky Safari Air Tours, or have a “wind in the hair” experience with Red Rock Biplane Tours. If speed isn’t your thing, a hot air balloon tour might be the answer to a lofty adventure. Northern Lights Balloon Expeditions, Red Rock Balloon Adventures, and Sky High Balloon Adventures are hot air balloon operators that can provide luxury hotel guests with incredible views and wildlife sightings from high above Sedona’s wonders. For a more intimate experience at your own pace, Earth Tours will create a personalized outdoor adventure itinerary to allow you to refresh and renew your love of nature. Luxury hotel stargazers can appreciate the Sedona night sky with Evening Sky Tours.

Golfing in Sedona

The canyon beauty provides a fabulous backdrop for the greens of golf. You can enjoy 18 or 36 holes of world-class golf on a number of challenging courses. Although there aren’t many courses, most Sedona courses are public, so reservations are recommended. The luxury hotel concierge is an excellent resource for tee times and recommendations regarding skill levels.

Sedona Shopping

Sedona features interesting shopping that luxury hotel visitors won’t find anywhere else in the country. Enjoy all of the high-end shops and well-known chain stores, as well as hundreds of small shops and local artisans that provide something truly unique to take home from your Sedona luxury vacation.

Your unforgettable Sedona experience definitely should include a stop at the internationally renowned Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-keh-pah-keh), Sedona’s Arts & Crafts Village. Originally conceived as an artists’ community, it is patterned after a traditional Mexican village with fountains splashing beneath giant sycamore trees. Be sure to experience the exceptional selection of Sedona art galleries and unique boutiques during your Sedona luxury hotel getaway.

The southwest is widely recognized as a region rich in the semi-precious stone, turquoise. Sedona luxury hotel guests will delight in the selection and unique treatment that this stone receives at the Turquoise Buffalo, a Native American art gallery packed with over 1700 one-of-a-kind pieces. Featuring stones from over two dozen mines (each mine producing a unique turquoise), the Turquoise Buffalo is the perfect place to learn more about this semi-precious stone.

There is no higher concentration of new-age shops in the United States than in Sedona. In Sedona, you can purchase crystals infused with the energy of Sedona, have your picture done in aura photography, have a Tarot or Chakra reading done, learn transformational breath, and so much more. You may come away with a more enlightened person after your Sedona luxury vacation.

Malls in Sedona are smaller, open-air, and combine breathtaking vistas with water features to make shopping a full sensory experience. Luxury hotel guests seeking a traditional shopping experience will love Sedona’s mall experiences and their unique flavor.

Sedona Dining

As with all things Sedona, the choice is the operant byword. Luxury hotel guests will be amazed by the variety of cuisine available for dining pleasure. Although all of your favorite chain restaurants can be found in Sedona, be sure to branch out and explore some of the local cuisines on your Sedona luxury hotel getaway.

The influence of Mexico and Spain is notable in a number of fine dining establishments. An evening spent sampling delicious tapas or tasting exquisite poblano or green chili mole will truly transport your spirit.

Mesquite is a pest when it is growing on ranch land, but what it does for fresh seafood or succulent ribs is out of this world! Grilling experiences range from corner take-outs to five-diamond restaurants. Slow grilling is best to let the smoke infuse the meat so it melts in your mouth.

The New Age movement has made Sedona a great place to see the different kinds of spectacular dishes that can be prepared vegan or vegetarian. From simply fresh to fiery and spicy there is something yummy for every Sedona luxury hotel guest. If you are having trouble deciding, ask your Sedona luxury hotel concierge for a recommendation.

A unique luxury hotel experience is waiting in Sedona. Plan to explore the beauty and sophistication a Sedona luxury hotel sojourn can offer. Whether you’re looking to get active, relax and rejuvenate, or find inner peace, Sedona’s luxury hotels will deliver just the right atmosphere for you to find what you’re looking for.