# Sedona and surrounding area questions



## suzanne (Mar 30, 2011)

Questions and more questions  We will be in Sedona at the Arroyo Roble the week of May 21st. We are driving from Vegas with friends so will be arriving late on the 21st. Will just be dinner and early night. We are planning morning in Jerome and  the afternoon Camp Verde Train Trip. With plans to be back in Sedona for dinner. Is this a good way to do both, or should we skip Jerome and just do the train trip? The other tour we want to do is the river float/wine tasting tour. Is it worth the $130 per person or should we just drive down and tour the winery skipping the river float part?

We plan to spend one entire day driving up to GC and will take picnic lunch with us. We also want to drive thru the Red Rock Canyon area with no time frame in mind for that. DH and I plan to do the Pink Jeep 1/2 day trip. Can this be combined with early AM Hot Air Balloon Ride and do jeep tour in the afternoon? None of us are hikers so to speak, but are into photography.

Unfortunately we leave on May 28th to drive back to Vegas so fitting in as much aas we can during our short time in Sedona. This is our first trip to both Vegas and Sedona so any advice is appreciated.

Suzanne


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## John Cummings (Mar 30, 2011)

I would do the train tour and Jerome on the same day. You will have plenty of time to do both.


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## eal (Mar 30, 2011)

Do go to Jerome -it is a really neat town.  Red Rox posts regularly about Sedona so you should see a response from him too.  You will have a wonderful time!


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## Red Rox (Mar 30, 2011)

Basically you've got three days planned that require you to leave Sedona. I hope you'll dedicate the other three to spending time doing things IN Sedona.
You can combine Jerome and the VCRR but it gets a little tight. The thing is that nothing opens in Jerome until 10AM. Then you have to be back down in Clarkdale by noon. Tight but doable
I'm not a fan of anything that means getting wet in the Verde River. It just doesn't appeal to me. I've only toured one winery in Page Springs. It can't compare to those I've visited in Napa or even Temecula. But there are some good local wines to be found and sampled. You could actually do it in Jerome or Sedona at some of the wine bars there that feature the same wines from the local vintners. 
There is no 'Red Rock canyon' anywhere near Sedona. There is a Red Rock State Park and they do offer some guided hikes there. However, if you aren't really hikers, you'll probably enjoy many other places like Bell Rock, Oak Creek canyon, Enchantment, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Tlaquepaque, and of course, Red Rock Crossing. I would do that Pink Jeep tour on day one, rather than leave town and go to Jerome and Clarkdale. The things you will learn on the jeep tour will make the rest of your time in Sedona much more meaningful


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## John Cummings (Mar 30, 2011)

We did the VCCR and Jerome in one day and it was very easy. We did the VCCR first and then visited Jerome. We had lots of time and were still back in Sedona by dark.


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## suzanne (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks everyone. i mistyped Red Rock Canyon, its Oak Creek Canyon. Friends really want to do the float/wine tour so I guess we are locked into doing that. I'm a water baby so getting wet appeals to me. But I live in SE Florida so used to warm ocean water. Hopefully the Verde River isn't too cold. 

Us girls enjoy wine tasting so we will be trying out the different local ones in the wine bars in the evenings. The guys, not so much for wine. We promised them lunch and beer at the micro brewery we read about.:rofl: 

Since we are driving from Vegas is there a good place to stop for lunch along the way? We will be taking the Interstate route not the Route 66 route.

Suzanne


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## eal (Mar 31, 2011)

Page Springs winery has a lovely deck out back where you can enjoy the sunshine as well as the wine.


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## soxfan65 (Mar 31, 2011)

*Wine and Food*

If you like wine and good italian food, you must visit this restaurant..find it on map.. its on rt.179  about 6 miles sth. of Sedona in a little plaza on right side going south in village of Oak Creek..OMG!! so good..glad we found this place..best meal we had while in Arizona..

http://www.cucinarustica.com/


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## Red Rox (Apr 1, 2011)

Your drive from LV will take close to 6 hours. Depending on when you depart LV, lunchtime could be at Seligman, where you can get a RT 66 fix at West Side Lilos, or The Roadkill Cafe, or Delgadillos SnoCap drive in. Seligman will be slightly more than half way to Sedona.


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## suzanne (Apr 1, 2011)

Thank you for the link. Sounds like our kinda place. Any recommendations in Sedona for Mexican food?

Suzanne


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## suzanne (Apr 1, 2011)

Thanks Red Rox, we plan to leave Vegas by 9AM at latest. these places sound interesting. We will check them out.

Suzanne


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## nightnurse613 (Apr 2, 2011)

Hard to tell when Red will be back but, I can assure you, his favorite mexican restaurant is Elote Cafe.  For run of the mill people like us, we are happy with Javelina Cantina (and, yes, we have been seen at Cafe Jose, strictly for us low brows).


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## eal (Apr 2, 2011)

Sunday Brunch at the Enchantment Resort is fabulous, you would probably have to make a reservation a few days in advance.


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## derb (Apr 2, 2011)

soxfan65 said:


> If you like wine and good italian food, you must visit this restaurant..find it on map.. its on rt.179  about 6 miles sth. of Sedona in a little plaza on right side going south in village of Oak Creek..OMG!! so good..glad we found this place..best meal we had while in Arizona..
> 
> http://www.cucinarustica.com/



Oh yeah...prices not bad either....and the drive from sedona to it is
one of the great scenic drives.


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## cgeidl (Apr 2, 2011)

*Grand Canyon trip*

Suggest leaving before 8 o,clock at the latest. makes a long day but worthwhile and doable. We wnet with friends last April and stopped at a really tasty but not fancy Japanese restaurant in Flagstaff on the way back.About a 45 minute roll down the hill then from Flagstaff to Sedona.For Mexican I would go to the Malplaquet Mexican restaurant and spend an hour or two touring the fine galleries. IMHO skip the raft and wine trip and let your friends go.


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## cgeidl (Apr 2, 2011)

*Grand Canyon trip*

Suggest leaving before 8 o,clock at the latest. makes a long day but worthwhile and doable. We went with friends last April and stopped at a really tasty but not fancy Japanese restaurant in Flagstaff on the way back.About a 45 minute roll down the hill then from Flagstaff to Sedona.For Mexican I would go to the Malplaquet Mexican restaurant and spend an hour or two touring the fine galleries. IMHO skip the raft and wine trip and let your friends go.


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## Red Rox (Apr 2, 2011)

Nightnurse knows me.  
Elote Cafe is not Mexican, but it is Mexican inspired. If you enjoy good food and also enjoy Mexican food (because they are completely different) then I highly recommend Elote Cafe. The chef/owner, Jeff Schmedstad was featured today on PHX Channel 3 TV. His restaurant is that well known and respected. http://www.elotecafe.com/
If, on the other hand, you are looking for the kind of Mexican food that you can get at most Mexican joints around the USA, try El Rincon at Tlaquepaque, or Casa Bonita in the Basha's shopping center. Both are probably more along the lines of what you are expecting. Even Cafe Jose will offer some authentic Mexican food.
Stay away from Oaxaca and Javelina Cantina. Both are long on cheesy Mexican food and premixed maragaritas, and short on service and character. I'd sooner go to Taco Bell. At least there you know what to expect.
Someone suggested Enchantment for Sunday Brunch. I heartily agree, but unfortunately not for your Sunday in Sedona. That will be Easter Sunday and so Enchantment is probably already completely booked. And I wouldn't go that day anyway, because they always jack the price up drastically. Normally it's about $45 pp, but on Easter it's around $75. The same is true for L'Auberge, which is the other fabulous Sunday brunch in Sedona. On Easter Sunday you will find a large number of restaurants offering special menus that are completely different from their normal fare. Choices will be limited and prices will be high.
I also neglected to address your balloon flight question in my previous reply. Here's my thoughts. Sedona balloon flights launch before sunrise. That means you'll need to be up at about 4AM to get picked up and transported to the launch site. The flights don't actually fly above Sedona. They fly to the south and west of town above the high desert. You see the sun rising over the red rocks of Sedona, but not in the best light IMO. If you do choose to do the early morning flight, I would hesitate to plan anything else for the day that requires you to be on a schedule, like a jeep tour or a train trip. Although you might be able to sleep on the train.
Finally, I'll agree about leaving LV before 8AM. It will be a long day on the road and you'll want to arrive and get settled in Sedona before the sun goes down.


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## suzanne (Apr 3, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your help. Having spent several vacations in Mexico eating REAL Mexican food at a Mexican friends home, we definately know the difference from USA type and  authentic Mexican fare. Guess which we prefer? 

We are really excited about our first trip to Sedona and Vegas. Its going to be very different from SE Florida. If anyone has any other things we should see or do, please post and let me know. No kids on our trip just us 4 over 50 folks who enjoy trying new things.

Suzanne


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## eal (Apr 3, 2011)

This may be your ffirst trip to Sedona but I guarantee it won't be your last...


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## Red Rox (Apr 3, 2011)

I lived and worked in Palm Beach Gardens in SE FL for 25 years. I vacationed in Sedona 7 times in 5 years before I pulled the trigger and moved here. No regrets.
And we have vacationed many times in Mexico, both east and west. We loved them all, but with the friction inside Mexico today I choose not to go back. It's not that I would be afraid, but I see no reason to support their economy these days. On the other hand, I have friends who live 6 months in Sedona and 6 months in Mazatlan. They are seriously considering leaving the home they have had in Mexico for over 20 years.


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## John Cummings (Apr 3, 2011)

suzanne said:


> Thanks everyone for your help. Having spent several vacations in Mexico eating REAL Mexican food at a Mexican friends home, we definately know the difference from USA type and  authentic Mexican fare. Guess which we prefer?  Suzanne



My wife is Mexican and we lived in Mexico and vacationed all over Mexico. We also owned a Mexican Restaurant in San Jose, California. You generally get better quality Mexican food in California than Mexico primarily because the ingredients are higher quality. All of my wife's family live in Mexico and when they visit here, they like the food much better here. I am not talking about chains like El Torito.

There are a few dishes like "Pollo en Mole" that is much better in Mexico. Actually the best Mexican food is what my wife makes as she is a gourmet cook and makes everything from scratch.

Some of the best Mexican restaurants are in Tijuana like "La Espadaña" in "La Zona del Rio".


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## suzanne (Apr 4, 2011)

Red Rox, we were your neighbors just down the road in Pompano Beach, now Deerfield Beach, they incorporated us couple of years ago. we have been down here 13 years now. We relocated from Coos Bay, Oregon where my husband grew up. Sadly its changed alot from when we first moved down here and not for the better. I would love to move back to either Oregon or Northern Calif. in the Monterey area. We do love the oceans. Unfortunately, hubby's health will not let us at this point. He is still undergoing chemo for NHL cancer. He doesn't want to change Oncologists. Our trip will be between chemo treatments unless his CAT Scan shows he is remission. Scan is sceduled for April 26th. We are thinking positive thoughts and keeping our fingers crossed that this time will show him to be in remission. But after 3 years of chemo treatments we are prepared that it may not be.

John, I bet your wife is an awesome cook. We have friends who also spent part of the year in Mazatlan and part in Oregon. They gave up Mazatlan and go to Yuma, AZ instead.

Thank you all for your help. We are really excited about our trip. 

Suzanne


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## Red Rox (Apr 5, 2011)

Suzanne, I'll pray that your husband will feel some of Sedona's healing powers while you're here. We used to return to PBG feeling more relaxed and refreshed after every Sedona vacation. It kept drawing us back.


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## GTStone (Apr 25, 2011)

*Sedonna*

My wife and I joined another couple in Sedonna last year.  We found it to be a location with lots to see.  We did take a bus tour to the Grand Canyon which we had not seen in many years.  The driver was excellent, and I loved just watching the view and not worrying about the drive.

Our favorite time was the Pink Jeep Tour.  We had an excellent driver, and loved the great stops for photos.  We did a brief stop in Jerome on our way to the train trip.  Both were pleasant.

We ate in a variety of places and never had a bad meal.  

I can easily see another visit to Sedona in the coming years.


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