Sedona Arizona - Hotels, Tours, & Things to Do

Welcome to breathtaking Sedona, AZ! Sedona is absolutely a vacation destination in its own right, but many visitors find themselves here jon their way to the Grand Canyon or part of their big American Southwest Adventure. If a visit to the Grand Canyon part of your plan, we highly recommend that you book yourself a Sedona hotel room or vacation rental for a couple of nights. Sedona is also a fantastic home base to visit all of what northern Arizona has to offer. From Sedona jeep tours, hiking, Slide Rock, and Oak Creek Canyon to spiritual healing, massages, psychic readings and energy vortexes, Sedona will have your senses buzzing for days!

Sedona, AZ has become a mecca for all sorts of communities: spiritual healers, mountain bikers, hikers, artists, nature photographers, and even filmmakers. This vibrant and stunning area of Arizona's ability to attract and accommodate so many walks of life has created and nurtured an eclectic, unique culture unlike anywhere you've ever experienced. Sedona is truly one of a kind, and visiting Sedona will be an experience not easily forgotten.

When it comes to answering "Where to stay in Sedona?", the good news is that there's no bad news. The fact is that Sedona offers spectacular views from almost anywhere you go, so you don't have to book a room with a balcony and a view. And the three major areas of town—Uptown Sedona, West Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek (VOC)—are within 5 – 7 miles of each other, so location is a minor factor as long as you have your own transportation. You'll find that you'll use a car daily to venture beyond the souvenir shops and dining in Uptown Sedona, for example, to explore the entire Sedona area. Now, if the fact that the possibilities are virtually endless proves to be overwhelming rather than encouraging, let's narrow down the choices based on your particular vacation style and criteria. One of the simplest decisions to make is budget. Look for the budget-friendliest lodging in West Sedona or the Village of Oak Creek versus Uptown Sedona. Also, the least expensive times to visit Sedona are the late summer and winter off-season, when normally premium-priced hotels often offer greater availability at a bargain price. Also, many hotels offer discounts for stays on Sunday through Thursday nights, year-round. Next, consider whether you're a hotel person or would like an alternative. If you like hotels—including everything from pocket-friendly motels to the most luxurious resorts—you'll narrow your options by about 30%. There are about 50 hotels, motels and resorts in Sedona, each with specific amenities and benefits, across a range of rates and locations. Our Sedona hotel guide offers a quick look at each hotel's price range and displays them on a map, or you can use our Sedona hotel finder to sort by location and real-time rates for your particular vacation dates. Visitors interested in an alternative to the traditional hotel experience will find a lovely array of over 30 bed & breakfasts in Sedona, each with its unique character and offerings, but all committed to providing guest service tailored to the individual. Similarly, the availability of quaint creekside cabins make for a memorable and individualized vacation experience, though less intimate than a bed & breakfast, and are particularly apt for a longer stay. Timeshare rentals offer a perfect combination of hotel-style amenities and the elbow-room of a cabin, and you can stay in a vacation-ownership resort even if you're not a timeshare owner. If you're interested in a restorative and healing metaphysical retreat, book a multi-night stay at a spa resort or with a spiritual retreat provider. Finally, you may want to consider a vacation rental home if your vacation will be lengthy or your party is large. A final element to determining where to stay is who's included in your party. Children? Pets? Your new bride or groom? If your Sedona vacation planning needs a little more focused direction, check out our "Best For…" section for specific tips on family-friendly, pet-friendly, LGBT-friendly and the most romantic places to stay in Sedona.

There are veritably hundreds of things to do in Sedona. There are enough activities to satisfy a life-long stay, so the only trouble with planning a vacation to Sedona is how to manage to do the "very best things" in a short amount of time. If you have only one day in Sedona, make the most of the day by arriving in Sedona as early as possible (allow for driving time from Phoenix or where ever your trip begins.) You can take a self-guided driving tour, a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour, do a short day hike or an ever-popular Jeep tour. Spend time meandering about Tlaquepaque, Uptown Sedona, and the various art galleries, eateries and shopping centers therein. Drive up Oak Creek Canyon and back, stopping at West Fork or Slide Rock for a lovely, verdant hike as long or as short as you like. End the day watching the sun go down from Airport Mesa. A two- to three-night stay is the ideal length of stay for the majority of Sedona visitors. Use the extra time to heal and focus inward, or get out and explore outward. Book a day of restorative spa treatments at one of Sedona's acclaimed day or resort spas to quiet the noise of your everyday life. Or pile into the car for more driving than hiking. Head for West Sedona for additional shops and dining and a bit beyond toward Page Springs/Cornville to sample the terroir of Arizona wine country; venture down Highway 179 to poke around the Village of Oak Creek's shops and restaurants; or even take a day trip through cute-as-a-button Cottonwood to the funky former ghost town of Jerome. Sedona is so laid back, almost nothing (except guided tours and the sunrise and set) happens on a particular timetable, so relax and go with the flow of Sedona's palpable energy. If you can't see it all in 2 - 3 days—and we assure you, there's always more to do—come back year after year like many visitors, and do something different on your next visit.

Here on Sedona.net, you'll find loads of visitor information—from how to get to Sedona to what to expect of the weather, plus sample itineraries and straight talk advice on dozens of topics. We've put it all at your fingertips and have even created a custom trip planning quiz, question and answer forum, visitor reviews and a place to save your favorite places to stay and things to do. The most essential and frequently requested visitor information relate to maps, directions and transportation. After all, getting here is the first step before checking into your lodging and hopping on a tour or a hiking trail. While there's no telling exactly what each individual visitor needs, it's true that most people come to Sedona from the Phoenix area by car. Sedona is about 115 miles north of Phoenix, which takes about 2 hours to drive. Driving yourself is the best way to get to Sedona because you'll find yourself using your car each day of your vacation to explore Sedona's 18 square miles, plus the fascinating drives, side trips and trailheads throughout the Verde Valley. Plus, the expense of renting a car or fueling your own vehicle is comparable to the total cost of airport-to-Sedona shuttle(s)—about $49 per person each way. To get to Sedona from Phoenix, take I-17 North 98.4 miles toward Flagstaff, then take Exit 298 and turn left onto State Route 179. Travel 14.2 miles on Highway 179 to State Route 89A. The intersection of Hwy 179 and Hwy 89A is known as “the Y.” Many Sedona attractions, shopping, lodging and other business refer to the “Y” as a point of reference. The second most frequently asked topic area is related to Sedona weather, what to pack and when to visit. The spring and fall are the most popular times of the year, largely due to perfect weather conditions of clear skies and daily high temperatures in the mid-60s to low 80s (degrees Fahrenheit). However, as one can see from the average temperatures each month of the year, there is no bad time to visit Sedona, and in fact, coming to Sedona in lower seasons such as late summer and winter, or Sunday through Thursday year-round, is a great time to find bargains and fewer crowds. With such mild, pleasant weather in which to get out and play (and play you will!) the best thing to pack for your Sedona trip year-round is casual light layers, a brimmed hat, comfortable sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a camera. You'll be welcome almost anywhere you go, shop or dine in casual clothes, and unique personal style is celebrated here. With glorious weather and not a bad day to be had in Sedona, visitors and locals can't help but be drawn outside to the hiking trails, campgrounds, state parks, creekside, reported vortexes and red rock viewpoints. Before you venture out, stop at any one of the dozens of places around town that sell a Red Rock Pass and buy one for $5/day or $15/week; you're gonna need it, trust us. While you're at it, get a little extra cash to pay for other popular fee-use areas. For example, one can hardly have a vacation to Sedona and not visit Red Rock State Park and have a picnic at Red Rock Crossing—the most photographed place in Sedona. You absolutely must drive up Highway 89 through Oak Creek Canyon and back, stopping at Slide Rock State Park or Grasshopper Point. It's imperative you go up Chapel Road to the take photos of, and from, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and end your day with a drive up Airport Road to Airport Mesa for both vortex energy and spectacular sunset views.

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