Driving from Colorado to Arizona...where to stay/what to do?

Hello...

Does anyone have any suggestions with our upcoming road trip?? My wife and I will be driving from Denver to Arizona for a quick get-away... Our biggest goal is to just have some fun and relax. And, maybe get out of our long winter. We have 5 days...not sure of where we want to go...or stay. We%26#39;ve only been married for 1 year and would love to find some romantic destinations. We love breweries, wineries, hot springs, great local foods, etc. I know this seems pretty broad, but we are totally open for new experiences. Thanks for any and all help. WE will be leaving the middle of Feb.

Thanks,

R

Driving from Colorado to Arizona...where to stay/what to do?

I forgot to mention that we really want to relax...Don%26#39;t want to stay in the middle of busyness..would love to find a place that has a nice grounds away from the ';hustle and bustle';

Thanks

Driving from Colorado to Arizona...where to stay/what to do?

Roadtrip? Who not fly Phoenix and visit some of the sights like Sedona and Grand Canyon NP (among others) and maybe stay one day at a Scottsdale resort.

Well, you already know about possibly roadconditions in feb. so I won%26#39;t mention.

Maybe this:

Day 1: Drive from Denver to Moab

Day 2: Moab for Arches NP and Canyonlands Isand in the Sky

Day 3: All day drive to GCNP south rim. Visit Monument Valley on your way

Day 4: GCNP

Day 5: Drive to Sedona.

Day 6: Drive to Phoenix and your flight home.

Tet

There aren%26#39;t many hot springs in Arizona. There is one near Safford and several more in the Gila Mountains of Southwestern New Mexico.

Have you been to Sedona before? It%26#39;s beautiful, romantic, and has breweries (Oak Creek in Sedona, several more in Flagstaff), wineries and great food. You%26#39;d find more of it in Phoenix or Tucson, but that starts getting far from Denver.

If you are willing to drive to Tucson, Arizona%26#39;s wine country is just to the east. There%26#39;s a B%26amp;B near Cochise Stronghold that%26#39;s in a beautiful canyon, very isolated from everything else, but that may not be what you%26#39;re looking for. Sonoita is also gorgeous but still fairly isolated. Otherwise, plenty to see and do in Tucson and we have three breweries in town.

Spend a night on the way down at the least, as it%26#39;s a long drive. Either Gallup, Flagstaff, Durango or Page, dependent upon how adventurous you%26#39;re feeling as far as the route (interstates or side roads) and drive times.

Thanks so much for your replies...both are very helpful....so a couple of things....if we flew into Phoenix...what would be a good way to spend our time?? Rent a car?? Stay where?? How long?? Also, if we drove, do you have any recommendations on resorts or hotels along the way? I really appreciate all the help you can give. I%26#39;m trying to finalize some plans this week. Many, many thank you%26#39;s!!

For flying into Phoenix: If you want to relax and enjoy scenery, then you should head to Sedona. If you want to enjoy a city and the resort where you%26#39;re staying, stay in Phoenix. Renting a car will be absolutely necessary either way. The only issue now is that this is the start of Phoenix%26#39;s high season so resorts are at a premium.

For resorts on the way, you really should re-post in the Colorado or New Mexico forums because there are simply are none in Northeastern Arizona.

If you want to drive I recommend driving Denver-Moab-Sedona instead taking I25 and I40. It%26#39;s a more scenic drive and not that much longer if roads are snow and icefree. Sedona is a great place to stay and I also recommend to stay one night at the rim in GCNP. El Tovar is very romantic but maybe no vacancy. Check www.grandcanyonlodges.com

Also Moab will have some scenic lodging but we never stayed, we prefer a condo or townhouse when in Moab.

Tet

Would drive down and stay at one of the hot springs resorts in SW Colorado, then either the Lodge at Canyon De Chelly or La Pasada in Winslow, then get to Sedona for the balance of the trip.

The oak creek winery is actually in Cornville, but is a great spot, and the breweries are fun.

Burn a day and come up and visit us in Jerome !

Thank you all for your suggestions....it%26#39;s very helpful...I think we are planning on making Sedona our destination rather than Phoenix. A couple of questions: Where are some cool places to stay in Sedona?? The La Posada in Winslow looks great??!?! How long should we spend in Sedona?? Are there breweries in that area?? It looks like there are some wineries which is good. So, for right now this is our tentative plans...Drive from Denver to Grand Junction the first day...stay. Do wineries around Grand Junction the next day and make our way to Moab for the night. Drive from Moab south to Sedona area...spend a couple of nights. Then drive back thru New Mexico Santa Fe/ Taos?? Any suggestions with lodging along the way?? Any ';must sees';. Please let me know if I am being to aggresive with driving...not enough time...spend more time where?? ETc?? Never been in the area at all...but very excited to venture thru.

Middle of Feb driving through the mountains can be problematic depending on the weather. If it was me, I would not even try to get to AZ. Stop in Glenwood, Grand Junction and Moab. Save AZ for another trip.

Here%26#39;s a plan based on what you originally posted:

Day 1 Denver to Moab. I would think about stopping in Glenwood and visiting the springs there. Visit Eddie McStiffs and/or Moab Brewery.

Day 2 Visit Arches Nat Park in the morning, then drive on to Flagstaff. A couple of brewpubs there. You may also want to spend a night at GC.

Day 3 Flagstaff to Sedona. Maybe drive through GC and then head to Sedona. Stay in Sedona

Day 4 Spend day in Sedona

Day 5 Drive to Santa Fe. About 6-7 hours. Stay here.

Day 6 5-7 hour drive back to Denver, depends on where in Denver you live.

I would grab a copy of ';Touring colorado Hot Springs'; by Falcon Press, and pick something near Durango or Pagosa Springs for the first nite. Down through Aztec for the Grand Kiva, Farmington,Shiprock, then south on the 666 till the turnoff at 13 for Lukachukai. this will bring you out at Canyon De Chelly. hike or half track tour, then down through Painted Desert and overnite at La Posada. Drive to Sedona and chill.

On the way back go through Grand Canyon, (by 180)and up to Monument Valley. Straight up to Canyonlands. If you want out of the car, do Maze district, not Islands. It is all drive to overlooks.

Arches in the morning, and back to denver.

Save the N.M. till you have a copy of the Falcon guide for the hot springs there.!!