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My best friend and I live in different parts of the country (we’ve been best friends for 24 years, and have only spent about 1/3 of them in the same city), so we love taking trips together. Let me tell you, the joy of packing light (only for yourself! not the whole fam!) and having a few nights of sleepovers in a fun new place and exploring so freely (just us eating dessert for breakfast if we want to!)… it’s euphoric.
And our latest trip that we enjoyed was a completely new spot for me! She grew up going to Sedona with her family, but I had never been! She didn’t have to work hard to sell me on it though – the gorgeous views, the warm temperatures, magical mystical vortexes, shops full of crystals, and this pool? Sold!
Where We Stayed In Sedona
We splurged to stay at Enchantment Resort, which is a resort that my best friend has always wanted to experience. I mean look at this lounge room located next to one of several gorgeous outdoor pools:
It was definitely expensive by our standards (about $500 a night each for the 3 nights we stayed!) but we had a sudden realization that bff trips might be an ideal time to splurge because (sorry John!) it’s two households splitting the cost of one room! Our philosophy probably also has to do with the fact that John and my best friend’s husband don’t really have any interest in staying at a nice resort – so splitting the cost and enjoying this place together just makes sense. Is that, my friends… girl math? Whatever it is, we loved our stay!
We also should take a second to acknowledge that we are grateful to be married to partners who understand that these trips are deeply fulfilling for both of us and encourage us to make time for these little reconnection soul-filling trips and they’re happy to stay back with the kids. We both do that reflexively for our partners too (wherein they book something hilariously not-restort-y). Actually both of them went to a cattle ranch once. There were also many chickens. It’s great for everyone to get away from time to time – even if the destinations might look wildly different 😉
Back to my stay at Enchantment Resort with my bestie. It was basically this amazing “village” of casitas with so much to do right on the grounds. We shared one suite, which had a little kitchen area, a beverage fridge, this adorable fireplace, and a giant gorgeous bathroom as well as a lovely balcony with a view of the mountains! Every morning we stepped out onto the balcony and saw a different wild animal on the ground below. More on that in a minute.
I cannot underscore how great this was as a home base for our trip. We loved walking around the resort to get to the pools and various restaurants. They also had some nice shops and even a fancy spa and things like a crystal meditation room. So much to see. There were also various free events while we were there, from star-gazing expeditions, and we even stumbled upon the chef’s garden, where they grow all the fresh herbs and vegetables they serve in the restaurants.
When I say that this resort is IN THE MOUNTAINS, I mean it is literally among them. The novelty never wore off. It was STUNNING. Towering mountain views almost everywhere you looked.
I have a lot more photos of the trip to show you, but first please enjoy this AI poster that my bestie made before our trip. I mean. Vertexs! Sheiry! Girts Girls Trxps! Jetepes! It really has it all:
I’m also glad this poster design is the “modiated version” – whatever that means! Sidenote: doesn’t it seem like the easiest thing AI can do is spell girls and jeeps and vortexes and YOUR OWN ENTERED NAMES correctly? That being said, it’s very entertaining this way.
Also please notice that one of us is playing a flute above. Just a work of art.
Quick Video Recap Of Our Sedona Trip
Before I get into a lot more photos and info, this video does a great job of capturing a ton of our trip highlights in under 2 minutes. Feel free to book a trip just like ours and tell me how great it was so I can live vicariously through you because we both left immediately wanting to do it again. Also please do not stop the video before you see my unmatched athletic prowess at the end. It will surely take your breath away.
Note: You can also view this video on YouTube.
And now back to all the extra photos and details that those two minutes couldn’t contain, like…
How We Got To Sedona
There are no commercial flights into the Sedona airport, so most people fly to Flagstaff (about 45 minutes north of Sedona) or Phoenix (about 2 hours south of Sedona). We chose to fly into Phoenix because those flights were cheaper and easier to come by. My best friend even got a direct flight from DC to PHX! Meanwhile, I got to meet this adorable therapy dog at the airport while I waited for her to land.
We rented a car and drove 2 hours to Sedona. I would recommend an early arrival so you don’t have to drive late at night. Our flights didn’t arrive until around 9pm PST, but the rental car line took forever so we didn’t get to Sedona until after midnight… which was nearly 2am my time (and 3am my best friend’s time!).
The Wildlife In Sedona
Yes, I’m giving this an entire section in this post, because it was SO COOL! When we arrived and saw a tiny lizard on the curtains, which felt just like being at home in Florida. But the wild mule deer and javelinas that roamed the resort were SO DIFFERENT than anything I’ve ever seen!
The mule deer were… like a donkey mixed with a deer? Very different than the ones we have here! And I had never seen a javelina in my life. They look sort of like wild boars, but we learned they’re more closely related to rhinos and hippos! They were really fun to watch.
I realize I used a lot of caps lock in this section of the post. I stand by it. We both had so much fun walking around the resort (usually after a giant delicious meal) and spotting all the furry friends.
The Activities That We Did In Sedona
We really embraced our woo-woo-loving selves and leaned into all the cool mystical vortex-and-crystal-related things you can experience in Sedona. And we also did some fun “adventure” stuff that definitely got my heart pumping.
1. A Guided Vortex Tour
A few weeks ahead of our arrival, we booked a Vortex Tour through Blue Bear Tours. It was REALLY FASCINATING, and taught us a lot of the history of a few spiritual spots as well as the lore of many vortexes in the area.
It was an amazingly small group of us (6 people total), and our guide Robert drove us to each spot and taught us about things we had never seen – from the trees that grow in a swirl pattern to the experience of entering a medicine wheel and learning the significance of each entry point. We loved visiting the Stupa (“Peace Park”) that you see above, and the highlight for me was standing inside the medicine wheel (Robert did sort of a “cold read” on all of us based on where we walked into the wheel). All of us cried. Not even kidding. It was GREAT.
There was a fair amount of hiking and standing, so wear comfortable shoes.
Also I held these rods (see below) and they went crazy, crossing and then flapping out and hitting my arms. I only wish I had a video. The guide was like “wow, that’s a lot of energy” and my best friend said “stuff like this always happens to her” while laughing hysterically. It truly was a mystical and deeply bonding day. I wanted to get everyone’s numbers afterwards because we all had this fun experience together.
So I highly recommend using Blue Bear Tours and booking Robert for the vortex tour if you can. By the way, no part of this trip was sponsored or gifted in any way. We paid for everything that we did and nobody knew me from Adam. Although they might now remember me as the lady who made the metal rods go crazy.
Ok, onto our next adventure, which was pure adrenaline and adventure, and zero percent woo-woo unless you count when you ask a higher power not to let you careen off a mountain.
Pink Jeep Tour Of Broken Arrow
My best friend had actually done a different one of these tours (Pink Jeep Tours are available in many cities) and she said it was a fun way to see things from other vantage points while really appreciating being alive. So we also booked this tour (specifically of a park called Broken Arrow) a few weeks in advance of our trip.
After stepping out of the Jeep after a 2-hour jaunt up and down an extremely steep and craggy mountain, my best friend’s description of the tour = a true statement. By the end you are like “WOW! I survived!”
If you are a person who is afraid of heights (me) and you don’t love a Jeep doing a donut near a giant dropoff (or charging down or up a 45% angle and then pausing in the middle of the grade while your brakes scream) you will definitely have moments where you think “WHY AM I PAYING FOR THIS?!?!?” but we absolutely loved our tour guide: Rick. My best friend made me pose with him because he’s from Iowa (which is where she’s from, and where most of her family still lives). Rick was THE GOAT. Like I think he could do the tour with his eyes closed. But I’m very glad he kept them open.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
We actually learned about this next activity from some other women who did the Jeep tour with us (there were 6 of us on the Jeep tour total), so we made time to visit this beautiful chapel that is literally built right into the mountains.
It’s definitely a huge tourist spot, so the parking lot is pretty packed, and you have to climb up a ways to get to the chapel after parking. They had these pretty carved stone paths in some areas that led to the chapel. And once there, the views and the chapel itself were breathtaking. We also really enjoyed the gift shop downstairs, so check that out if you stop by.
It was absolutely a giant tourist destination – hence me posing for all these photos because my best friend saw everyone else stopping to take them and kept saying “let me get one more for the blog post!” She’s the best.
Also I feel like I should add a note about the weather while we were there. In the mornings and late at night it was sweater weather (around 60-65 degrees) but otherwise it was very very hot (85-90+). Yes, it was “a dry heat” but I’d describe it like “being in the microwave.” Literal waves of heat radiating into my body. Not much breeze, and not much shade in most places. Remember your sunscreen and your sunglasses! By the way, we went in early October, so I’m sure the weather isn’t like that year-round, but hopefully that helps anyone else planning a fall visit.
Our Favorite Shopping Spots In Sedona
Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Vilalge
We LOVED Tlaquepaque, which was a small area full of shops and a few places to eat. The buildings themselves and the lush plantlife was GORGEOUS. We also found some really lovely little businesses in there, so it’s where we got all of our souvenirs for our kids.
I mean, look at this pumpkin display:
You can see from the photo above and below that it feels like a little village with charming old stairs and pathways, and fountains and the most lovely mature greenery that literally grows all over the buildings and walls. Magical.
Our absolute favorite shop was the one you see on the left of this photo below. It was called Cocopah Jewelry, and it had so many cool “curiosities.” From really interesting fossils, shells, and butterflies, to beautiful beads & jewelry-making supplies (also – CRYSTALS!) they felt like a tiny shop full of treasures. I got tiny carved crystals in the shape of a few animals, as well as a gorgeous glass evil eye. So many cool items. My best friend got a necklace with a tiny bell on it for her daughter. Just lovely. The woman who worked there was wonderful too.
The Shops In Sedona
Walking around Sedona was also really fun. There were lots of places to grab a bite to eat (or dessert!) as well as some very enticing crystal shops, various other places to get souvenirs, clothing stores, etc. I mean, look how excited I am:
We also were very happy to come across this shop that sells incredibly specific things, like jewelry and jerky (and then they added flutes to the mix!). You can easily spend a full day walking around Sedona (by contrast, Tlaquepaque can probably be checked out in a few hours – it’s much smaller).
We also really wanted to get our tarot cards read, and stopped into four or five places until we both had that THIS IS THE ONE feeling! And I’m so glad we took our time, because the woman who read our cards was named Monet and she was SO WONDERFUL. I legitimately tried to find her on Instagram afterwards because I want to be her real-life friend, but she’s mysterious and un-find-able.
Monet works in a shop called Green Witch Creations, right next to an amazing gelato place (more on that in a sec). My best friend and I both got “angel readings” + “charm castings” done (she has you pull charms out of a bag and interprets them, along with having you pull a bunch of tarot cards). It was a meaningful hour of our lives. We both cried. Monet, if you ever read this, be my friend in real life! We loved every minute of our reading.
Ok, I know I teased a great gelato spot next door to this shop, which brings us to…
What We Ate In Sedona
We really ate our way around this town, and it was all extremely good (one place was so good we went back again the next day!). I’ll start things off with the gelato spot that was right next to our tarot reading:
I got cherry and chocolate and my best friend got mango and vanilla. Both very good.
Probably the most memorable meal of the entire trip was the one fancy meal we had at one of the resort restaurants, which was called Tii Gavo. This appetizer that we split was grilled peaches + burrata + mint with oil and honey and pistachios. When I tell you it was out of this world, believe me. I still daydream about this.
I got a tavern burger as my main and it was GREAT TOO. I know sometimes fancy resorts don’t have great restaurants and it’s smarter to leave the resort for good food, but I can vouch that this one is worth staying in for! We also ate this on their back patio overlooking the mountains with a firepit roaring nearby. It was delightful.
Ok, here is the spot we went to twice! It’s a local favorite called Coffee Pot – and their breakfast is SO GOOD. Would you believe me if I told you that they have 100 omelettes to choose from? Yes. A Hundred. And our waitress had them all memorized by number. So you could be like “do you know what #76 is by heart?” and she’d say “avocado and bacon! It’s easy! We all know all of them by heart!”
I got exactly the same thing two days in a row, and please forgive me for forgetting the actual number of my omelette, but it had bacon and cheese and chirizo or sausage I think! Maybe #47 or #74? Also, yes I did get a big heaping scoop of COTTAGE CHEESE as my side both days. I was in heaven.
One of our other food-related favorite things to do on our trips (besides getting dessert at any time of the day) is to visit a grocery store to get little snacks and treats. We grabbed some cheese & crackers and wine one night, and even melted chocolate in the microwave to make chocolate covered strawberries another time. What can I say? We love a good DIY.
Another day we got hot wings from the grocery store and devoured them in our room. For sure there was a good balance of eating out, as well as little grocery store treats that we worked in there.
We also got to witness the most beautiful wedding while we were staying at Enchantment. It was for a couple named Tommy and Baltazar, and it was a STUNNING sight to behold. They got such a gorgeous night for it and it was fun to see lots of well-dressed wedding-goers moving around the resort for the festivities. They looked so happy and sweet. We totally shared in their joy and cheered when they passed through the resort to get to the reception you see below.
They got married at the base of one of the giant mountain ranges on a sunny evening, and the above photo is a while later when they moved to their meals at the reception. Truly if you or anyone you know is looking for a breathtaking venue… look into Enchanted! It looked amazing.
Our Day Trip To Jerome, Arizona
On our way back to Phoenix to catch our flights home, we had fun exploring the “ghost town” of Jerome, which my best friend had done many years ago. She said we just couldn’t miss it, especially because it was on the way to the airport and I’m so glad we stopped there! This self-proclaimed “ghost town” gets its name due to having a very small population, and also a lot of ghost lore – especially about a former hospital that is not a hotel at the top of a hill. There are some great creepy stories, as well as a lot of fun shops and even a pretty famous restaurant. Many of the homes are built right into extremely steep mountain ranges, so it’s really cool to see.
This copper shop, called Copper State Gift is something you see pretty quickly when you get to Jerome. It was full of treasures and cool things! Definitely worth stopping in if you see it. You’ll probably notice the copper wind spinners out front first!
The photo on the right below, is also a really cool kaleidoscope shop called Nellie Bly in downtown Jerome. We really liked a lot of the shops there, and it was fun to browse a bunch of them.
I got John the cool skeleton shirt at The Coppertown T-shirt store that you see him sporting below:
We also heard, from literally everyone, that we had to go to Haunted Hamburger for lunch. It was one of those buildings that was carved right into the edge of a mountain. So when we walked through the building and were shown to our seats…
… this was the view! We learned we got lucky because there are hardly any balcony seats available, but since we were just a party of 2, that’s what was open and we got to enjoy the view.
Also, yes I was craving burgers this entire trip. We ordered a wedge salad & a bacon mushroom cheddar burger and split them. It was a very good call.
After this, it was off to the airport to go our separate ways home, with full hearts (and aching stomachs from laughing so hard). In terms of a girls trip (and we have done MANY) this one is at the top of the list. Highly recommend!
Girls Weekend In Sedona: An Overview
Other Trips We’ve Taken
If you’re interested in our take on other destinations or are in search of family-friendly trips, you might also enjoy these posts:
More posts from Young House Love
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