Sedona

2.12.2026 – 2.17.2026 || Sedona | Arizona

This is my third blog post about Arizona in five years and my fifth visit overall. I love Arizona for its dry desert weather, stunning views, delicious tacos, and prickly pear margaritas. In the past, I’ve played tennis at resorts in Scottsdale and Litchfield Park near Phoenix. On this trip, I wanted to explore further north of Phoenix. I first visited Sedona with friends about 20 years ago and remember its dramatic red sandstone and great food. Through Souvenir & Far, I found a fantastic resort in Boynton Canyon. Here’s how we spent five days while staying at the Enchantment Resort.

We took an early flight from Washington, D.C. to Phoenix, arriving before 11am. After getting a rental car, we drove two hours to Sedona. My task as the passenger was to find lunch tacos, and we stopped at Carbon & Salt about 30 minutes into the drive.

Since we had a few hours before checking in at Enchantment, we stopped at Bell Rock, just south of Sedona. Unlike Phoenix, which has many tall saguaro cacti, the Coconino National Forest is known for its red rock scenery and smaller cacti, like the prickly pear shown below. Bell Rock offered a pleasant flat walk after our five-hour flight and two-hour drive.

The drive to Enchantment was amazing. The resort is nestled in Boynton Canyon and fits perfectly into the scenery. Thanks to Elizabeth at Souvenir & Far for the upgrade with a view and a bottle of champagne. Our room had a great view of the knoll rock formation and the Kachina Woman formation at the Boynton Canyon Vortex.

I’m glad we made a dinner reservation at Enchantment. After a day of travel and our first hike, we were happy to walk over to Tii Gavo for dinner. Tii Gavo, meaning gathering place, had a lively atmosphere. The highlights of the meal were the Dirty Verde margarita and the chopped salad. This salad was amazing, featuring mixed greens, poblano buttermilk dressing, roasted corn, pepitas, piquillo pepper, cotija, and avocado. The corn fritters and trout were well-prepared too, but the salad stole the show, making this a memorable meal.

We visited Mii Amo, Enchantment’s sister property, a well-known spa and wellness resort nearby. I began my day there with a Labyrinth Walk, learning about a medicine wheel used by Native American Tribes for health. I appreciated discovering the meaning of the four directions.

Another benefit of booking with Souvenir & Far was a free daily breakfast for two at Che Ah Chi (which means red rocks). The Desert Garden omelet was full of vegetables and topped with goat cheese.

Rain in Arizona is unusual, but it often rains in Sedona. Despite the weather not being ideal for hiking one day, we explored local art exhibits and shops. We had lunch at Golden Goose and visited the Sedona Artist Market and Fine Art Museum of Sedona nearby. Next, we went to Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, which was tricky to navigate with an umbrella and many tourists. Since we were in the area, we stopped at the Hillside shops. They are worth visiting on a rainy day, but next time I would prefer hiking or relaxing at Enchantment and Mii Amo.

Dinner at Gerado was the only time we left the resort at night. This popular Italian restaurant has been making authentic Neapolitan pizza for over 25 years. They don’t take reservations, so expect to wait. It’s worth it.

The rain cleared on our third day in Sedona, which was a Saturday and Valentine’s Day. After avocado toast for breakfast at Che Ah Chi we went out for a hike.

We decided to hike Devil’s Bridge, a 4.6-mile round trip that features a large sandstone arch perfect for photos. There are several routes to reach it. We began at the Mescal trail, passing through the Coconino National Forest.

The hike was mostly flat with some tough rock climbs through narrow paths. We reached the top in under an hour and then lined up for almost an hour to get a photo on the arch.

It is much wider than it appears to be. Otherwise, there was no way I would have mustered the courage to venture out there. I love these photos that perfectly capture the rich hues of the red rocks and the greenery of the forest, and the bright blue sky.

After the hike, we went for lunch at Tres Amigos. The shrimp quesadilla was excellent, but I left the very sweet prickly pear margarita behind.

The tennis courts were another reason we chose to stay at Enchantment. The views were great. I would play daily if I had access to courts like these.

Enchantment guests can make reservations at Mii Amo’s main restaurant, Hummingbird. We ate outside with heat lamps, and dessert was the highlight. The pistachio cheesecake cubes were a delicious end to a wonderful day!

Che Ah Chi’s breakfast with a view was beautiful the next day. The sky was decorated with hot air balloons as the sun rose.

I attended a morning tennis clinic with locals and hotel guests while my husband played golf. Afterwards we had sandwiches from Hilltop Deli for lunch to prepare for another hike.

There is a Trail House at Enchantment that helps guests plan hikes. We talked to a guide who suggested the Boynton Canyon Trail to Subway Cave for an out-and-back hike. After leaving the hotel, the trail was mostly in the forest.

The main attraction is a captivating cave that requires some climbing and upper body strength to enter through a narrow passage, which adds an element of adventure for those willing to explore its depths.

The view overlooking the canyon was incredible.

Before we turned around, we kept walking towards the end of the trail, eager to explore more of the forest and see what it had to offer. The mix of desert and forest in this area was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Mii Amo offers a 30-minute evening sound meditation in a custom built crystal grotto. This serene space is designed to help you unwind and immerse yourself in calming sounds, giving you the opportunity to breathe deeply and let go of tension after a day filled with activities.

We liked Tii Gavo so much that we reserved a table for Sunday evening to order the chopped salad again. Their prickly pear margarita was delicious. I also enjoyed the tuna.

Breakfast the next day at Che Ah Chi was filling. I had eggs benedict made with corn masa cakes and topped with spinach, tomato, and poached eggs.

Boynton Pass Vortex & Mescal Mountain Trails were other suggestions from the Trail House for easy out and back hikes from the hotel property. We headed to Mescal first. This part of the trail is different from the one we took to Devil’s Bridge. It was flat and went alongside the rim of a rock formation.

We stopped at the vortex to see the knoll rock and Kachina Woman formations up close before heading back to Enchantment.

We went to town for lunch at Cafe José, which has a diner vibe and serves Mexican American classics. I love their “a fiesta every day” tagline and that you can get breakfast for lunch. The chilaquiles were tasty and gave us energy for one last hike before leaving Sedona.

We headed to the Schuerman Mountain Trailhead, as recommended by Enchantment’s Trail House. The trail begins near a high school and quickly climbs, providing beautiful views of Cathedral Rock and Sedona. Although it was windy and overcast, the scenery was amazing. What a great way to conclude our five days in Sedona.

We had dinner at Chi Ah Chi on our last evening after eating breakfast there throughout our stay. The kale salad and halibut were a perfect end to another active day.

We had our last breakfast at Chi Ah Chi before checking out and heading back to Phoenix.

We returned to Phoenix with over an hour to spare before returning the rental car and checking in for our flight. We visited the Heard Museum to explore American Indian art. We went through the exhibits quickly, but they were well done and helped us learn about past and present customs.

That’s a wrap for how we spent five days in Sedona.

Question: Where should I go next in Arizona? Requirements include stunning views, tennis and golf options, delicious tacos, and prickly pear margaritas.