Overall Impression A side street off the main road in the picturesque town of Sedona in Arizona led us to this luxury oriented small hotel set along the banks of the well known Oak Creek. Although the property was having major renovations during our late summer visit it was there that we enjoyed the highest level of service, luxury and gourmet dining in the Sedona area.

We appreciated our spacious and new looking cottage with an outdoor shower, the hotel’s service oriented staff, morning and evening complimentary offerings of hot beverages and wine, on site spa and gourmet dining restaurant.

We loved the hotel’s creek side location. It meant we had a view of the creek from our cottage front terrace where we enjoyed early morning breakfast. Dining at the property restaurant, L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek, was a special treat thanks to its creek side seating. Twice we dined to the sounds of running water and little creatures. It became our favorite dining spot, for the food and the setting, in Sedona. We look forward to revisiting this lovely property once the renovations have been completed in 2010. In the meantime, we remember it fondly.

Class Of Accommodation Luxury hotel

Concierge Graham Parker and Mecca Archuleta

Connectivity There was complimentary WiFi in our cottage.

General Manager Joe Mottershead

Handicapped Access Yes. Several cottages were ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant with the proper requirements for blind and deaf guests. The inn also had a portable system used in existing rooms.

Length Of Stay Two nights

Location In the heart of the town of Sedona, Arizona, about two hours drive north of Phoenix International Airport.

Managed Tarcadia

Owned L’Auberge/Orchards LLC

Pets Allowed Dogs were welcome for a daily fee of $75.

Size L’Auberge de Sedona is situated on 11 acres that house 90 rooms and cottages. Between 140 and 170 employees worked there.

Year Opened-Renovated The hotel first opened in 1984. The most recent renovation and expansion was taking place while we visited the property and was due to be completed in early 2010. The first phase of the expansion was scheduled to add sixty-four private, newly-built or newly redesigned cottages and twenty-six remodeled lodge guestrooms. New amenities in the 1,200-square foot, one-bedroom cottages under construction include upgraded indoor and outdoor living spaces with large observation decks for outdoor entertaining and dining, as well as spacious outdoor showers and gas fireplaces. Eighteen new hillside cottages, a new pool and fitness center are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2010 as part of the second phase of expansion.

Lobby And Common Areas The inn accommodations were designed to be reminiscent of a contemporary European hunting retreat. Kim Harley of KHI, Inc. Interior Architecture and Design was responsible for the property’s architectural design. There were two wood-burning fireplaces near the entrance to the common area. There were also plein air oil paintings by Ninfa, described by property representatives as one-of-a-kind impressionistic paintings depicting Oak Creek and the surrounding red rock vistas.

Bathroom The bathroom was to the right of the sofabed. In the rear of the room a wood framed glass door with a privacy curtain led to an enclosed outdoor shower, one of our favorite features of the cottage. To the right of the entrance of the bathroom and behind the bathroom door there was a coffee and tea service and mini refrigerator. There were also twin sinks and a large mirror. A second door led to a separate section with a toilet and shower bathtub with a shower curtain.

Room Our creek side cottage, number 22, was 450 square feet in size indoors. Outside the cottage had an inviting open front terrace with a table, two chairs and, at our request, a lounge chair. It was surrounded on three sides by similar looking cottages. From our front terrace we could see Oak Creek close by and the front terraces of three other cottages.

Indoors the cottage had a duvet covered king bed against the back wall framed by identical night tables. There was also a wall facing desk, comfortable armchair with footrest, fireplace, large flatscreen television handing over the fireplace, sofabed, coffee table, wood armoire, and a small side table with an ice bucket and bottled water. The décor was in soft wood and natural tones. A large Persian style carpet covered a lion’s share of the floor.

Food And Restaurants We dined twice at the inn’s restaurant L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek headed by Executive Chef David Schmidt. He served French-inspired American Cuisine which we enjoyed on the terrace. The same server, Tanya, a friendly young woman willing to make suggestions on request, looked after us both nites. The bus boys, Nacho and Gil, were also friendly and helpful. Both nites we were fortunate to be seated at candle lit creek side tables. To add to the mood there was soft moon light reflected in the water across from our table.

On our first night, shortly after we were seated Tanya took our order. Soon, warm bread and butter arrived followed by an amouse bouche of braised short rib with fig sauce and gruyere in a bite size profiterole. We ordered Macadamia Crusted Foie Gras with Grilled Pineapple, Humboldt Fog and Herb Flatbread and Goat Cheese and Beet Salad with Red and Gold Beets and Crumbled and Foamed Goat Cheese (not a favorite) with Red Beet Syrup to start. For mains we had BBQ Braised Beef Short Rib with Hickory Smoked Polenta Cake (savory) and Glazed Baby Vegetables and Roasted Rack of Colorado Lamb with Cherry Tomato-Olive Misto, Mint Eggplant Puree and Crumbled Feta and Roasted Tomato Jus. For dessert we sampled a well prepared chocolate souffle served with chocolate sauce, cream and banana ice cream.

On Tanya’s advice we accompanied the meal with a lovely Talley Chardonnay Arroyo Grande (for my beet salad), Row II, Vinas 3 Pinot Noir from California and a Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. While dining at L’Auberge was pricey we found the restaurant’s creek side setting appealing and the food better than the other places we sampled elsewhere in the area by a rather wide margin.

Facilities There was a restaurant. Guests at L’Auberge were invited to use the fitness center, pool, Jacuzzi and spa facilities of the Amara Resort and Spa, the company’s sister property next door.

Spa The day we checked in I had a Deep Tissue massage with Mariposa at the Amara Spa, part of the neighboring Amara Resort and Spa. Mariposa’s massage relied on deep kneading and hot towels, soothing and relaxing my muscles. Following the hour long treatment I enjoyed a visit to the steam room in the ladies lockers area. Since the inn’s spa was closed for renovations we were invited to take advantage of the company’s sister property’s facilities like the spa. The Amara Spa, a short distance on foot from the L’Auberge reception, was pleasant and the staff were attentive. My massage was very good.

Amenities There were twin sets of Gilchrist and Soames toiletries including a shaving kit, shampoo, body lotion, and shower gel. There was also complimentary bottled water and coffee and tea service. In the morning, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., the hotel served complimentary Coffee and Scones (there was tea and croissants too) in the lobby. In the afternoon, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., there was an Informal Wine Reception. Friday night we walked from our cottage to the parking lot above the hotel for Friday Evening Astronomy where, with the help of a high powered telescope and the guidance of Dennis Young, a well informed astronomer, we gazed at the stars. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Conference Facilities L’Auberge had 3,500 square feet of corporate event venues and five newly renovated meeting rooms.

Other When we were there, the inn had received its sixth consecutive AAA Four Diamond Award; and was named one the World’s Best Places to Stay in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2008 Gold List. It was also recognized with Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator in 2009.

Cleanliness Very good. Our cottage was spotless. The area near reception was dusty with construction elements. Whenever we walked through there in open shoes the dust attached to our shoes and feet and tracked along to the car and cottage.

Date Of Review August 2009

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Amparo Cadavid

Would You Stay There Again? Yes

Overall Impression The Northern Light Ballon Expeditions van was parked in front of our hotel entrance at 5:25 a.m. when we arrived five minutes before the scheduled 5:30 a.m. pick up time. Blair Preston, a friendly pilot with 21 years of experience, introduced himself and welcomed us aboard. We were the last two passengers on the route so we drove directly to Forest Road 9851B off of Lower Red Rock Loop road, the place from which our balloon with six passengers and two other balloons would launch for our dawn flight.

We departed at 6 a.m. and flew above the Coconino National Forest and outskirts of Sedona (it seems balloons are not welcome in the town) for 90 minutes and 8.5 miles. It was a clear morning allowing us to see the red rocks and local landscape for miles. We were fortunate, Blair explained, because for the previous 10 days the area was smoke filled with low visibility due to nearby fires.

As we floated above the ground at varying heights depending on the wind and our pilot’s whim we enjoyed the attractive southwestern scenery and listened to Blair’s upbeat comments about the area and ballooning. We even saw a few mule deer on the ground. Before we realized it our ballooning time had passed. We made a gentle landing assisted by the ground crew.

Once the crew for the three balloons had secured the gear and gathered us they served complimentary bubbly, fruit and pastries. It was worth it to get up extra early and dedicate our dawn to the balloon experience. The sky high view and scenery enhanced our visit to Sedona. In addition, we liked Northern Light Ballon Expeditions for the company’s professionalism, small groups, excellent piloting, and friendly staff. We returned to our hotel smiling and remembering the morning’s balloon flight.

Duration Of Flight We flew for 90 minutes, a little longer than the other two balloons from the company that launched at the same time we did.

Established The company was established in 1974.

Handicapped Access Although company representatives are welcoming of disabled guests, access to the flights depends upon the handicap. In general they indicated that balloons are not handicap-accessible.

Location In the town of Sedona, Arizona

Owned And Managed Doug Cory

Size At the time of our visit, the company employed five full time pilots and one back-up. It owned five balloons with space for up to seven passengers per balloon. In addition to the pilots, there were ground crew staff that provided support and picked us up following our flight.

Transportation A company van picked us up at our Sedona hotel at 5:30 a.m.

Souvenirs Once we landed and had our bubbly celebration with pastries and fruit the staff put t-shirts and caps on display for guest purchase for $15.

Other According to promotional information, only two balloon companies, including Northern Light Balloon Expeditions, had Forest Service permits to fly in the Coconino National Forest, which covers the Sedona area. The company flies once a day, early in the morning, on a year round basis. Because it is only possible to inflate hot air balloons in calm conditions without wind, it is necessary to inflate and fly around sunrise when flying conditions are ideal.

Date Of Visit August 2009

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Amparo Cadavid

Would You Visit This Attraction Again? Yes

Overall Impression Sedona Rouge was on our left on the road to into town on Arizona State Route 89A as we arrived by car from the Phoenix Airport following a day of travel from the east coast. Within minutes we were settling into the air conditioned comfort of our third floor hotel room. Right away we liked the easy to reach parking lot, comfortable double queen beds, flat screen television, electric fireplace and complimentary WiFi connectivity.

That night we discovered Reds, the property restaurant on the ground floor, where we had a tasty and well served dinner. The following day we visited the spa, my favorite area of the hotel, where I indulged in a throughly relaxing deep tissue specialty massage.

We liked the hotel’s stylish inclinations, new looking, clean and well maintained facilities, pool facing fitness center and roomy pool area as well as the convenience of an in house spa and a restaurant serving comfort food. We would recommend this property for conference attendees and spa oriented guests wanting to stay a few minutes drive from the heart of Sedona.

Class Of Accommodation Luxury hotel

Concierge Sierra Smith

Connectivity There was complimentary WiFi connectivity in our room.

General Manager Ed Conway

Handicapped Access The property welcomed handicapped guests and was compliant with the American with Disabilities Act requirements.

Length Of Stay Two nights

Location In the town of Sedona, about two hours drive north of Phoenix, Arizona

Owned And Managed Sedona Rouge, LLC (Bill Kassling, Robert Brooks, Jim Apple and Al Walburg)

Pets Allowed Dogs weighing under 50 pounds were welcome with the payment of a deposit and cleaning fee.

Size There were 77 guest rooms and suites on the 2.5 acre property and 100 employees.

Year Opened-Renovated Sedona Rourge first opened in 2005.

Lobby And Common Areas Past the main entrance to the hotel there was an open courtyard with a mermaid sculpture,a water feature in the background and some outdoor furniture. To the right of the entrance there was a stand for the bell service staff and just behind it an air conditioned reception and office area. Reds, the hotel’s restaurant, was directly across the courtyard from the reception area. Stairs led up two flights of steps to our third floor room. An elevator situated to one side of the courtyard served the same purpose. To reach the fitness center and pool we walked a few steps past the elevators. On the right there was a fitness area with stairmasters, elliptical machines and weights as well as glass walls and a view of the pool area. Just beyond the fitness room there was a gated pool area (we could enter using our room key cards) with a Jacuzzi, fireplace and lounge chairs and umbrellas.

Seeking to emulate the Spanish Mediterranean design of the southwest of old times the hotel was designed with Moorish and Spanish Mediterranean influences supported by authentic 18 ^th century Tunisian touches. The hotel contracted Raouf Benfarhat, a native of Tunisia and exporter of artifacts, antiques and architectural pieces to assist with the décor. His influence resulted in hand-painted tiles for the base of the swimming pool, decorative planters, intricate copper containers and terra cotta pots. Cascading fountains, round etched columns, and delicate Gothic iron lacework were some of the elements incorporated into the décor to remind guests of those places and heritage. Marni Leis was responsible for the interior design for the hotel and Cass Calder Smith, Principle; CCS Architecture handled the interior design for Reds, the hotel restaurant.

Bathroom The bathroom was on the right side of the room. It had a sink, large mirror, toiletries basket and a spacious walk-in shower with regular and overhead rainshower spray.

Room Our third floor 275 square foot room, number 311, was in the North Courtyard of the hotel facing the Column Garden. It had putty carpeting, walls and ceiling and two queen beds in the center of the room. In the middle, there was a rectangular table with a wicker ice cooler, telephone and lamp and on each side there was a red lacquer night table with a lamp. The beds were comfortable and cushy with goose down feather duvets and brick colored headboards and throw blankets. A 32 inch LG flat screen TV hung on the wall in front of the bed nearest the bathroom. Below it there was an electrical fireplace. To the right there was a desk with a coffee/tea maker and a khaki arm chair in the corner. The night tables and desk were glass covered. A small closet was located immediately to the right of the door at the head of the entrance hallway. In it we found an ironing board, luggage rack and two Kashmere synthetic fiber bathrobes. There was an oversize mirror on the wall in the hallway.

The room temperature was controlled with a remote control. The electric fire place was operated via a light switch. Sliding glass doors led to a small balcony with a view of the property, nearby residential area and Sedona mountains in the background. The accommodations were designed with Andalusia in mind.

Food And Restaurants There was a ground floor 150-seat restaurant, bar and lounge, Reds, under the direction of Chef Ron Moler. Dinner at Reds the night we arrived was just what the doctor ordered. Comfort food is what my heart called for after a day of travel and flying with only snack food on board and airport meal options on land. Reds delivered well. After a shared appetizer of crab and artichoke dips, my dining partner sampled a vegetable pasta and I had sea bass with angel hair pasta and steamed vegetables. Everything was cooked just right so that the sea bass had a light and juicy texture and the vegetables were still crunchy. Dessert was chocolate torte with sabayon cream.

Amenities There was complimentary high-speed wireless Internet throughout property, c omplimentary gourmet coffee service and house brand bottled water, two Kashmere bathrobes, travel size toiletries and scented soap.

Facilities A restaurant, bar and lounge area, fitness center, pool, Jacuzzi, spa and observation terrace with a view of Thunder Mountain.

Fitness Center And Spa There was a pool side 700 square foot fitness area and a 5,000 square foot stand alone spa with ten treatment rooms on the property. The spa had a tranquility room and garden for guests to relax before and after treatments as well as an outdoor whirlpool and a steam room in the ladies lockers area. There was also a retail gifts section next to the spa lobby.

Beyond the pool there was a walkway that led to the hotel spa. The day after our arrival, I enjoyed a 90-minute Deep Tissue with cupping specialty treatment courtesy of Nancy, one of two therapists offering cupping treatments. I learned of the cupping option from Regina, the staff receptionist who also confirmed my appointment the day we arrived and showed us around the spa the day of my appointment. As they explained it, the cupping aspect of the massage allowed the therapist to rely on the glass cups to reach deeper into the tissue.

Pool There was an outdoor swimming pool (40 feet by 16 feet with 4 feet as the average depth, Jacuzzi and fireplace in a gated 2,600 square foot pool area.

Conference Facilities There was 4,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities on site.

Other Sedona Rouge was a AAA four diamond property at the time we visited the property.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date Of Review August 2009

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Amparo Cadavid

Would You Stay There Again? Yes

Overall Impression Named for the wife of T.C. Schnebly, the area, at an elevation of 4,500 feet, is best known for its famous red rocks and vortexes or energy centers which appeal to spiritually oriented people many of whom have made the town their part time home. Having visited Sedona in the heat of summer’s low season it’s hard to imagine the town of 14,000 and one main street with four million visitors a year said to pass by the area.

What we liked most was the serene ambiance and striking scenery surrounding the area. We enjoyed hiking the nearby red rocks, exploring the trails and creeks, and searching for the better known vortexes like Boynton Canyon, Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock. We liked walking around town, having dinner by the Oak Creek, going on an early morning balloon ride, a sunset Dosha Tour, a train ride to the Grand Canyon for the day, an outstanding early evening astronomy session hosted by our hotel and enjoying spa treatments. We spent a week exploring the sites and would gladly return to the area.

Cost Of Visiting Reasonable to high

Currency United States dollar

How To Get There The best access at the time we visited was via flights to Phoenix. Once at the airport in Phoenix we rented a car and drove north about two hours along a state highway or a scenic road.

Location About 115 miles north of Phoenix between the Coconino National Forest and the Prescott National Forest.

Money Issues There were banks and ATMs (automatic teller machines) in town and everywhere we went credit cards were accepted.

Technology WiFi connectivity and cell phone access were widespread. There was only one place where my cell phone connection dropped and would not reconnect, the Red Rock Crossing.

Time Pacific Standard Time

Transportation Self driving was the best way to see the area in general. To discover the downtown we parked the car and walked up and down the main road.

Facilities Banks, drugstores, tourist shops, grocery stores and restaurants were all available within a walk or short drive.

Shopping While we found hotels, drugstores, convenience stores and restaurants, there were no large shopping centers in the area and only one sporting goods store. The hotels we stayed in offered little to no shopping options and most of the shops in the town were tourist oriented. Locals we spoke with said they drive to Phoenix where they find lower prices and better selection that in town for monthly purchases.

Tourism Highlights For many visitors the most important single feature of Sedona are the red rocks. Those can be seen from most anywhere outdoors. To see them close up it was necessary to purchase a parking permit ($5 for a day, $15 for a week) from the park service (there were vending machines and our hotel front desk sold them as well) that would allow us to park in designated parking areas on the side of the road to take pictures, follow hiking trails and enjoy the bounties of the area. Another favorite activity for those with a spiritual inclination or just curious was visiting the vortexes. We especially liked the drive along Oak Creek Canyon north toward Williams. The heart of the town was small with one main street lined on both sides with restaurants, art galleries, a variety of stores and souvenir shops. It was a well maintained, clean and new looking area and appeared crime free.

Other We had little luck finding reasonably priced good restaurants.

Date Of Visit August 2009

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Amparo Cadavid

Would You Visit This Destination Again? Yes