Peachhead™ Approved Vacations: Enchantment Resort— Sedona, AZ

I decided it was time to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world….The Grand Canyon.

We flew to Sedona from Los Angeles (a one-hour flight). Upon arrival we rented a car and drove 2 hours to Sedona to stay at the Enchantment Resort . The name of the resort says it all. What a magical place. The 70-acre resort is designed to take advantage of the incredible scenery with private, one-story adobe accommodations. We had a 1-bedroom, 2-bathroom casita which has a bedroom with a king-size bed and a living room with a couch and a queen-size Murphy bed. The living room also has a fireplace and a kitchenette complete with refrigerator, microwave, stovetop and toaster oven. The patio even has a bbq. Every morning the resort leaves a bucket with cold orange juice and a newspaper at your front door and at night when they turn the beds down they leave bottles of water and a card with a tribal quote or saying. The hotel recently renovated the rooms (the complete renovation is expected to be done by November 2011) and you can definitely tell. The beds are so comfortable. In fact, I am trying to figure out how to buy the pillows…they were that comfortable. The room is decorated in southwestern style with a homey feel to them. There is a clubhouse that contains two restaurants. Tii Gavo, which we ate at our first night, has the most amazing ceviche, crab cakes, chipotle creamed corn, and ribs. Even the dessert is incredible (graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow). Tii Gavo also has a great children’s menu. The other restaurant in the clubhouse is Yavapai. We ate there for breakfast a couple of the mornings. We sat outside where the view is stunning. The girls loved their chocolate chip pancakes (which were not on the menu but they were happy to make them) and I had the breakfast buffet that includes wonderful fruit, bagels and lox platter, my favorite chocolate crossiants and so much more. I was definitely full by the time I was done there. The other restaurant on the property is at the Mii Amo Spa Café which is only available to resort guests. It serves 3 meals daily and is geared towards more healthy food using fresh and nutritious ingredients, including items from the spa chef’s own garden. I had a very nice lunch at the café and then hung out at the spa pool.

Speaking of the spa, Mii amo Spa was one of my favorite places to hang out at the Resort. The daily resort fee includes complimentary access to Mii amo for all registered Enchantment Resort guests age 16 and older. This entitles guests to the use of all Mii amo facilities, including locker rooms, steam, sauna and whirlpool, fitness room, indoor pool with fireplace, outdoor lap pool and spa, as well as participation in all fitness classes, art lessons, cooking demonstrations, programs by visiting experts, and other activities at this spa resort. I love that you can use the spa facilities even if you are not getting a treatment. However, I did choose to set a day aside for a massage. I had the Intentional aromatherapy massage, where your intentions are expressed at the beginning of the treatment. They start out by having you choose a card that either describes you or what your intent is…once you choose a card it will tell you the different essential oils to create your aromatherapy oil. They start by doing a dry scrub and then massage you with this amazing aromatherapy oil. It was so relaxing that I think I actually dozed off a couple of times. When I finished, I felt so relaxed that my kids were making fun of me because I was talking so soft and mellow (which they are not used to seeing me do). The spa is open from 6:00 AM till 10:00 PM and I loved stopping at the spa before going to bed and relaxing in the steam, Jacuzzi, and sauna. Be sure when visiting the spa to do the morning ritual in the Crystal Grotto. The spa pool is a very relaxing pool to hang out at during the day. They serve food and drinks at the pool. I was very surprised to hear music playing in the pool when I put my head in the water. They even have a large bottle of sunscreen out for guest to use. They think of everything here. If your room is not near the spa, they offer rides throughout the property on their golf carts. Just call and ask to be picked up and they will be there within a few minutes. Since the spa is for ages 16 and older, there is a family pool on the property as well.

The resort offers a number of activities going on daily that are complimentary including morning walks, tai chi, hikes, mountain biking, meditation, lectures, cooking demos, pottery, yoga, zumba and so much more. The resort fee also includes use of the tennis courts, bicycles, croquet, pitch and putt golf, and ping pong. There is a kids' camp called Camp Coyote. The program is designed to educate and entertain children ages 4-12. Trained counselors guide camp-goers in different activities that explore the area's natural environment and culture. Highlights include nature walks, sculpting pottery, star gazing, obstacle courses and painting. I loved walking around the property. The spa offers guided hikes and power walks throughout the property as well as off the property. I really enjoyed Boynton Canyon Trail. You need to use your room key to get through the gate that leads to this trail. What a beautiful view when you reach the top of the vista.

The Enchantment Resort can set up a number of activities for you and one day they set us up on a family guided hike. Jenna, our guide, was wonderful. She took us to Thunder Mountain and taught us about the plants, different mountains, and explained how to know if we are staying on the correct trail by following the stacked rocks that are in a wiry cage. It was so satisfying to reach the top of the mountains and what a view. We climbed to Chimney rock as well.

Another fun adventure we did was to go on the Pink Jeep Tour to Diamondback Gulch . What an adventure. We went 4-wheel driving in places I never would have thought possible. It is amazing how a jeep can go over these rocks and climb the hills it did. It was an incredibly bouncy ride but full of fun. Think Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland times 1000!!! The girls were laughing like crazy.

At night we enjoyed going into town to shop around and eat dinner. We ate at Relic’s Restaurant , which is the town’s oldest continually running restaurant. It looked like a house converted into a restaurant. The food was wonderful and the service was great. Another night we went to the Oak Creek Brewery and Grill and our last night we went to Troia’s , which was wonderful as well. I especially loved their Caesar Salad.

We were very excited to visit the South rim of the Grand Canyon . It is approximately a 2-hour beautiful drive from the resort. We stopped at a place along the way that had a beautiful view (sorry don’t know what it was called) and there were Native Americans selling their crafts so we bought some cute items and continued on our way. Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon we paid a $25 per car entry fee (it is good for 7 days). We parked in the main parking lot and checked out the various view points. The massive rift carved by the Colorado River begins just south of Utah at Lee’s Ferry and curves with the river through 277 miles of Arizona toward the California border, brushing Nevada along the way. At places, it is 15 miles wide (it averages 10), and its depth reaches a mile, cutting through rock formed two billion years ago. The view was majestic, really indescribable. You can take a complimentary shuttle bus along the rim and it stops at various viewing points. There are also a number of hikes you can go on. You also can view the Grand Canyon via helicopter or even take a mule ride down the canyon (books way in advance so plan accordingly). We were short on time so we were not able to experience these different opportunities.

It was hard to leave the Enchantment Resort. It is the perfect place to visit with family, couples, or even a friends' getaway. On top of everything else I mentioned about the resort, they also offer a complete Native American program...with activities including the Talking Circle, Walk to the Ruins, Medicine Walk, Native American Drum & Flute and weekly documentaries. They even think of the little extras such as postage for postcards and letters, free wifi, use of onsite laundry facilities and products, faxes. I can’t wait to return.

I would like to thank Enchantment Resort for hosting my trip.

Linda Perry April 2011
Peachhead2@aol.com
Twitter - Peachhead
www.Peachhead.ne