Sedona
Arizona


The Experience

Orchards and lush greenery worked for Adam and Eve, but the ancestors of the Yavapai preferred their Garden of Eden dry and rocky. Step into Boynton Canyon, home of the Enchantment Resort, and you'll concur with the Native Americans. Soaring in-your-face red rock formations mesmerize those who enter this box canyon, while its energy rising from the earth promises to strengthen one's inner being. New Age spirit rules in Sedona, and the Enchantment embraces this lifestyle as it caters to honeymooners, families and adventure seekers.

The Rooms

Tucked among the rock and Ponderosa pines, 71 adobe-style casitas feature private decks, the perfect spot to sit in your robe and enjoy the morning newspaper and fresh orange juice that's quietly set at your doorstep each morning. New carpeting and upholstery recently spiffed up the Southwestern style of the units, which blend warm colors with contemporary artwork, wood-beamed ceilings and beehive fireplaces. There are nicely sized standard rooms, but studios ramp up the space (between 600 and 1,400 square feet) and add Murphy beds, kitchens and dining areas, while one- or two-bedroom suites tack on amenities like soaking tubs and private pools. Sky lit bathrooms are stocked with aromatic bath products, including a luscious prickly pear shower gel.

The Service

Expect a call from the concierge three weeks prior to arrival to help you secure spots at the spa and in the popular Native American talking circle. A diverse, international staff delivers laid back, attentive service, including twice daily tidying with a turn-down that places cards with thought provoking Native American proverbs such as "It does not require many words to speak the truth," on your pillow.

The Highlights

Not surprisingly, outdoor activities are a big part of any Enchantment stay. There's mountain biking, tennis and a par-three golf course, and be sure to take the five-mile hike into Boynton Canyon, either solo or with a guide. Return back to lounge poolside, then visit the 24,000-square-foot Mii amo spa for traditional treatments or its "connect with the spirit" therapies, which incorporate hypnosis, meditation and psychic readings. (If you think it's hokey, you don't know Sedona.) Finish the day in the collared shirt-only Yavapai; dig into Tasmanian salmon or Colorado rack of lamb out on the patio, where you can sip prickly pear margaritas and watch the sun set over the canyon walls.

-- Kim Fredericks

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