Hotel in Sedona

My husband and I are going to Sedona for a couple of nights in March. I have been there only once for one night a few years ago. I am looking for suggestions for a nice hotel - hopefully under $200/night. I would like something close to town (I think). Great view would be nice. Not sure if we would use a pool or if it is even warm enough at that time of year but that might be nice. Thanks!

Hotel in Sedona

I doubt that you%26#39;ll use a pool in March. Take a look at Matterhorn and Best Western Arroyo Robles.

Hotel in Sedona

I kind of figured that. I am from Chicago so was just hoping. Thanks for the suggesetions. I%26#39;ll check these out. Anyone else?

Sky Ranch Lodge. Not close enough to walk to uptown, but only a couple of miles.

http://www.skyranchlodge.com/

I am still trying to decide between these hotels - BW Arroyo Roble/view ($179), Sky Ranch Lodge/full view ($149). I also got a rate of $230 (with $25 resort fee) at L%26#39;Auberge de Sedona and $184 at Amara. Are these places any better? I am not sure why there is a resort fee at L%26#39;Auberge. It looks beautiful but it doesn%26#39;t appear to have a workout area/pool/or anything like that. Any input would be great!

I would go with Sky Ranch or Arroy Robles even the other Best Western Sedona Inn I think in West Sedona has great views. Forget about the pool we%26#39;re having a very wet winter which will mean a fabulouse Spring!

Oops Amara would be even a better choice.

Thanks! Anyone else??

If you want to sit on the porch only, Sky Ranch view is great. If you want to walk the grounds, do Amara. think Amara is the newest too. Sky Ranch is like cabins.

La Auberge is for the resturaunt.

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Boat Storage: thoughts on http://islandstorage.net/

I%26#39;m looking for a convenient place to store my boat does anyone have experience with Island Storage %26amp; Marine. I like the location but would like feedback.

Boat Storage: thoughts on http://islandstorage.net/

I store my boat at Blue Water Storage in Lake Havasu and have had no problems.

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romantic weekend

looking for advice

husband and i are thinking of going to scottsdale feb16-feb18 for a relaxing and romantic weekend away

is it worth going for only 3 days? and where to stay that is relaxing?

romantic weekend

My definition of romantic is not sightseeing, and hanging around, enjoying the hotel I am at. If that is your definition, then try one of the larger, self-contained resorts that offer a lot of activities and amenities. Princess, Phoenician, Sanctuary, there are tens of them. Search this thread for couples resorts for more feedback. I like a place with a spa, great pool, and close or having night activities on site.

romantic weekend

I think you%26#39;d find Sedona more relaxing than driving around Phoenix and the traffice myself. There are definately plenty of places to stay but you are going to pay peak season prices for the hotels.

www.visitsedona.com

And now for something completely different..........aren%26#39;t you glad you asked. First I agree, there are several places that will fit what you are looking for, and in a lot of ways Sedona is %26#39;more'; than Scottsdale. But in my humble opinion, the two key words were ';relaxing %26amp; romantic';. Sedona is beautiful, but to truely enjoy it means jeep tours etc. (fun, exciting, but not relaxing or romantic......please don%26#39;t mis-read as Sedona is not relaxing.....Scottsdale is just more so)

With that said, relaxing/romantic to me is not BIG, it%26#39;s intimate and pampered. Where you can walk up to the pool, be escorted to your teak lounge of choice, have the terry chair cover and rolled towel for your head layed out along with the pitcher of iced water. Then have complimentary smoothie samples, frozen grapes, minted/iced face towels, %26amp; ice cream ';Dibs'; brought to you as you lay under the misters, float in the pool, or have lunch poolside. This is my idea of relaxing/romantic and it%26#39;s just part of what we experience when we stay at Four Seasons Scottsdale. Royal Palms, Sanctuary, and the Boulders are close seconds, but there is only one #1 in my book. Stay at FS you will love it.

See...everyone has a slithly different view of romantic weekend. I like traffic%26#39;s thoughts...but that is a caviar budget. Costs are also the other part of the equation, and if money is no object, then the FS (in season) is for you. My wife...she finds coupons and two-for-one deals VERY romantic!

Rafting the Grand Canyon

Hi

I am looking to do a paddle rafting trip of the Grand canyon. I have up to a week so i realise i can only do part of it. I am young (ish) 32, and quite fit and i will be travleing alone from Ireland. I would like to try a fairly averturious trip as its not often that i would do such a holiday. Can anyone point me in the right direction. I am looking for a company with a good reputation and paying a bit extra isn%26#39;t a major issue

thanks

mark

Rafting the Grand Canyon

Hello Mark,

I haven%26#39;t rafted the canyon yet (only hiked down to Phantom Ranch), but have been researching, so I will share what I have learned.

Here is the official park website with explanation of the raft trips:

nps.gov/grca/…whitewater-rafting.htm

And the list of approved outfitters for the trip you want to take:

nps.gov/grca/…river-concessioners.htm

I have heard very good things about O.A.R.S.:

http://www.oars.com/grandcanyon/

They offer both raft and dory (wooden boat) trips. You should read about both to see which you might prefer.

In your timeframe, you will either go from Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch and hike up (an ascent of 4400 vertical feeet); or hike down to Phantom Ranch to meet the boats, and go from there to Whitmore Wash.

I have heard that the really gnarly rapids are on the lower part, below Phantom Ranch, while the upper part may offer better side-canyon hiking opportunities. Hopefully someone who has actually done it can confirm that.

You might have to investigate several of the companies to find one that has space for you on the dates you want.

Good luck to you!

Mari

Rafting the Grand Canyon

Hi irishmark, I did a 6 day motorized trip last year. The website CanyonMarie gave you about river concessioners is a good one to see what companies are on the river. Then just google the company names and start researching.

Even a motorized trip is a true adventure! Motor (40hp) is small, not distracting and it sure came in handy as we watched as those paddle boats were going nowhere in the current!

Whatever way you decide to go,';Just do it'; You will not regret it. Amazing, adventure. Yes, the rapids are better after Phantom Ranch. They still have some good hikes there too. You%26#39;ll need more time if you decide to not hike in or out.(grueling and hot hike, You must be in great hiking shape for it) Most of the companies are similar. I have heard good things about many of them.

I did Arizona River Runners, they were fine. Canyoneers comes recommended from ';Red Rox';(from this forum) who is on vacation now.

Just read their websites, see what dates you need and if they have the kind of trip you want available.

Come back to TA to ask more questions, but as I noticed, not too many people post here about the different companies or trips.

Choices get limited fast, so you need to make some decisions soon, some will be booked now, it depends on how flexible you are with dates and outfitters. It truly is a wonderful trip of a lifetime. Have fun planning.

The website listing the various companies has ';clickable'; links, so you won%26#39;t need to Google anything---just click.

I suggest you look at several to start, perhaps the ones mentioned so far here, and read about the various types of trip. Then start looking for a company that has an opening at the time you want to come. Many of the trips book up a year in advance, but there should be vacancies here and there.

advice on nascar in phoenix

hello

I would like to take my 5 year old son to see nascar as he would love to see all the cars not necessarily the whole race.

We are thinking of going on thursday 10 april while on vacation in phoenix. I have checked that they have practice in the day and racing at night. Can you pitch up on the day and get tickets or do you have to buy in advance? would a ground pass be ok - he just wants to see the cars as he is a huge Cars (the movie) fan.

any advice?

thanks

advice on nascar in phoenix

Don%26#39;t know about Nascar - but you do know the movie cars is set in Arizona. It is a loose story of Route 66 in northern Arizona. Some of the motor courts are still there (like the one with the Teepees) And the drive through Monument Valley and the pine trees (Flagstaff) are spot on. Even the diners you see on the roadside look the same (names changed of course!). Wish he was old enough to appreciate the wonderful history of this very famous piece of Americana!

Knowing how huge Nascar is I imagine you could get a ticket at the gate. Always room for two more!

sedona to Grand canyon

I am planning on driving from Sedona to Grand Canyon in February. Can anyone give me a step by step driving directions and what I will see on the way to the GC? Where to go once you enter the GC? Best layout to see the most out of the GC? How do we get back. Do we back track or is there a more scenic drive back?

sedona to Grand canyon

Hi Chellae and welcome to the forum.

Leave Sedona via scenic 89A. First stop maybe Slide Rock SP, then north to Oak Creek Canyon (must stop). Drive further on 89 and hit I17 at it%26#39;s first connection. Follow the signs for Los Angeles. You%26#39;re on I40 now. Drive to Williams and follow the signs for Grand Canyon National Park. Maybe visit Williams and have a cup of coffee along old R66. Take az64 all the way to the south entrance of GCNP.(In Valle, halfway Williams-GCNP is Bedrock City, dedicated to the Flintstones, what else?) Pay your fee. Continue on the road and follow the signs for GC Village. I won%26#39;t give you a layout for GCNP. See www.nps.gov/grca. My suggestion is to stop at the first overlook at Mather Point. Park your car and a very short walk to the rim. Try to stay in one of the rim hotels.

On your return, drive from Grand Canyon Village same road back (you%26#39;ll have to drive a short one way loop before, you%26#39;ll see)). Then take the turn off to your left to Desert View Drive. See the various

outlookpoint along the east rim all the way to the Watchtower at Desert View. Maybe visit Tusayan ruins before you reach Desert View. Leave GCNP by it%26#39;s east entrance and visit Cameron Trading Post. Shop, hotel and restaurant. Continue south on us89 till the exit on your left to Wupatki NP. Between Wupatki and Sunset Crater maybe stop and take photo%26#39;s of Painted Desert. Visit Sunset Crater Volcano NM, drive to Flagstaff, see Museum of Northern AZ and down town Flagstaff and drive back to Sedona same way you came.

Hope this helps some.

Tet

sedona to Grand canyon

I ordered a map of the Grand Canyon/ Williams area from Discoverymap.com. It%26#39;s an interactive map. It%26#39;s pretty neat. You can go online and view it. They have one for Sedona also.

msdn

taxi rates?

Hello,

We will be flying in to PHX this weekend and may need to take a taxi to Fountain Hills. Can anyone ballpark on how much the fare may be? I realize that Fountain Hills is pretty far away, but we may not have any other choice. Does anyone know how reliable the public transportation system is? Are there commuter trains or subways, or just busses?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

taxi rates?

Taxi from Sky Harbor to Fountain Hills could be $50 or more. The only public transportation is buses, Valley Metro, which do run to Fountain Hills .... but it would be a very long bus ride from there to any attractions in the Phoenix area. Light rail begins in December, but doesn%26#39;t serve that area.

taxi rates?

Have you considered a shuttle service? Super Shuttle is the big one here, but there are several others. Depending how many of you there are, it may be cheaper than a cab.

If you have more than 2 people, you may be better off using a car service. Let me know and I%26#39;ll get the details of what we use at work.

A cab fare to Fountain Hills will be very high. I think $50 is very conservative, $65-75 would not shock me. The Supershuttle service mentioned is probably your best bet, economy-wise. It costs $34 from the airport to Fountain Hills. They can be hired curbside at the airport.

To amend my previous post. Additional riders cost about $7 apiece on Supershuttle. If you are planning on going anywhere while you are here a rental car is strongly recommended as Ft. Hills is isolated from the rest of town. Bus service is available, but it will be a very long ride.

Thanks everybody! There will just be the two of us, so I think the Shuttle sounds like the best bet. We will have transportation once we get to Fountain Hills, it is just getting there that is the problem...

Does anyone know whether the shuttles run often, or if there is a specific schedule that we could find online?

Super Shuttle runs when you want it. You can find them online. They are a nationwide company.