Everything about Sedona is shrouded in mysticism. From the crystal shops lining the roads that lead into the centre of Sedona, to spiritual yoga classes; the energetically-charged red rock vortexes and restaurants that assign folkloric meaning to their service; the Navajo jewelry galleries dotting the town’s centre and, on the fringe, UFO tours beckoning you to believe, there’s just something about this town.
The drive in from Phoenix, the closest commercial airport, is two-and-a-half hours. The roads — wide, open, and punctuated by pit stops and cacti — narrow to a bottleneck by the time you reach Camp Verde. Highways branch off into one-way, two lane roads in either direction, separated by medians and roundabouts. Passing the entrance to the Bell Rock hike (we ventured into this vortex on our last day), one of many vortexes on the outskirts of Sedona known for their vibrational charges, and side-of-the-road gem shops with signs that read “Aura Readings Here,” there’s no mistaking it. You’ve arrived in Sedona.
There’s a magic in the air in Sedona, and whether it’s an ambiance constructed for tourists, completely authentic, or perhaps earnest but campy, it’s an intangible force that begs you to dive in.
And, oh, we did.
THE KIMPTON AMARA RESORT & SPA
Off of the Arizona 179 North Highway, descending down Amara Lane, is the inimitable Kimpton Amara Resort and Spa — lauded as one of Sedona’s most celebrated hotel and spas.
The Kimpton Amara imbues a sense of luxury and warmth. Guests are greeted by the friendly concierge and valet staff as they enter the grand foyer boasting high ceilings, a comfortable guest lounge, and a chalkboard of complimentary amenities (daily yoga classes, morning coffee, evening happy hour). The walls are adorned with south-western style art and woven baskets. The hotel’s foyer conveniently leads into the stunning SaltRock Southwest Kitchen dining room and continues straight through to the restaurant’s patio, which, of course, is encased by a stunning backdrop of a looming red rock mountain.
Kimpton Amara’s “social hub with a private paradise” slogan rings completely true: there is an undeniable vibe of community at Kimpton unlike any other hotel or resort. The SaltRock restaurant and patio overlooks the hotel’s communal lawn, infinity pool, and hot tub — accented with yellow lounge chairs and Navajo blankets for chilly evenings. Between the hours of five and six pm, guests (families, couples, and friends alike) flock to the hotel foyer for a complimentary canape and a glass (or two) of red or white wine and settle on the lawn for a game of bean bag toss, a swim in the pool, or simply to take in the view of the sunset by the fire.
As golden hour approaches, the red rocks surrounding the Kimpton property begin to glow like embers and then, remarkably, fade into the stars. Even in a hotel you are overwhelmed by Sedona’s undeniable magic.
Kimpton spares no detail when it comes to comfort; the guest rooms, decorated with wood accents and colourful art, are equipped with plush beds and lush robes; the perfect greeting for two after a long drive in from Phoenix.
The Kimpton staff are attentive and dutiful in providing the best experience for their travelling guests. Bonus: they even fulfilled our strangest request and sent our dirty hiking clothes to be washed and returned them to our room that evening.
YOGA
With amenities at our disposal at the Kimpton Amara, we’d be fools not to take advantage of at least a few. Leisurely dips in the pool, lazing about on the chairs by the hot tub, a gym for those who just can’t stand to sit still, and complimentary yoga in the morning.
There are two time-slots for morning yoga, and it’s advised to sign up well in advance as classes are small and spots fill up. We opted for the later class: a luxurious 8:45 am.
Like all things Sedona, we weren’t going to get anything less than a spiritual experience. Our class was hosted in the Amara Spa by an eccentric yogi with pink bell bottoms. She treated us to a blend of pranic yoga (focused on breathing and energy) and the MELT method, which focuses on the body’s fascia (connective tissue). Between stretches and unorthodox exercises, our enlightened teacher periodically exclaimed “Ouch!” “Ooh that burns!” and “Whose hips are those?” as she sympathetically honed in on the bodies in her class.
We left the class feeling refreshed and revived, and with an elevated vibration to tackle the town’s crystal shoppes!
VORTEX HEALING ATV
There’s no shortage of 4×4 excursions one (or in our case, two) can take when visiting Sedona in order to explore the city’s surrounding nature and outdoors. Jeeps and SUVs pack tourists by the swathes to sight-see. We opted for the (dirt) road less travelled with Vortex Healing ATV, a rental service offering ATV rentals and trail rides through the verde valley. No tour guide needed. The Vortex Healing ATV office is located in Cottonwood, about 20 minutes away from Sedona’s centre.
While some trails lead into the vortexes, we decided to go easy on ourselves and find some healing on a short ride to The Shaman Cave.
Vortex Healing ATV set us up with a brand new, two-seater CF MOTO ZForce 800 EX and a play-by-play map that would lead us to the repose of The Shaman’s Cave within an hour — or so we thought. As we packed up our buggy, a hummingbird zipped up to our faces and flitted away. A blessing, we agreed, from our animal totem because everything in Sedona has a deeper, spiritual meaning. Of course.
Included in every rental is a cooler, bottles of water, maps, gas, helmets and goggles. In the summer months, this will run you $185 for 2 hours, $285 for a half-day, or $455 for a full day exploring Sedona’s dusty backroads. Four- and six-seaters are also available depending on the size of your group.
For those inexperienced at map reading (we can thank the almighty Siri for her constant, automated direction), Vortex Healing ATV sets you up with a picture-by-picture flipbook to ensure there are no missed turns or wrong paths taken. Otherwise, you really are on your own in rural, desert land where you might swear you passed that exact same cactus and fork-in-the-road 20 minutes back.
After weaving through bumpy roads, cutting through ranches and happening upon a few solar-panel ladened campsites we can only assume are a collection of people truly living off-the-grid, we finally arrived at the bottom of the hill that would take us to a 20 minute hike to The Shaman Cave. A quick GPS search reveals the spot — an enclosed, natural cave on the side of a red rock face — is known to locals as “Robber’s Roost.”
The landmark’s name discrepancy raises questions about how the space had been used in the past. For Navajo shamans to heal the spiritually affected? Or for rebel cowboys to stash away stolen goods off-grid? Whichever it is, the cave is worth the trip. Airy but enclosed, a veritable hideout in a desert landscape, the cave overlooking an expanse of red rocks and cacti certainly feels like a phenomenon of nature.
“There’s quite a difference between a robber and a shaman,” quipped a friendly fellow hiker, and we had to agree. Though the treacherous-looking cliff can be intimidating (you do scale a rock face on a very narrow, natural lip to circle around to the actual cave, after all), this hike is frequented by elderly walkers and young families alike. Easy peasy.
Following the speed limit of the ATV trails, hike et al, we emerged back onto the highway to Cottonwood four hours later, caked in a layer of red rock dust. More experienced ATV riders might find themselves closer to the two-hour mark, but we’d recommend bringing an extra stash of water just in case.
FOOD
Hotel restaurants are categorically sub-par but SaltRock Southwest Kitchen certainly broke the mold on this expectation. On our first evening at Kimpton we feasted on an assortment of shared plates: The Carne Asada tacos, the Diver Scallops (fresh and seared to perfection), the Romaine Hearts, the Seared Yellowtail (shockingly spicy but exquisite), and the Broccolini side (slightly charred). For drinks, we guzzled The Un-Burnt cocktail: an easy full-flavour sipper but dangerously strong, and in place of dessert, a boozy coffee.
Post ATV excursion we were delirious with starvation. Our plans were to visit the highly esteemed ChocolaTree, but our the Vortex Healing ATV hosts suggested grabbing tacos at Tortas De Fuego. As we walked in we were admittedly concerned: the vibe was more fast-food than we had hoped, but the quality of the food spoke for itself. For under $15, we both indulged in four savory tacos, with full sides of rice and beans and guac. The restaurant was packed with tourists and families, the service was fast and friendly, and we left happy and restored.
On our last evening, we ventured to Mariposa, revered as one of Sedona’s hottest restaurants. The exterior is lavish and impressive: water fountains, large palace-like doors, fire pits and intricate wood-work. The service and the food however, didn’t match up to Mariposa’s grandiose exterior. We ordered an assortment of sides and tapas to share–all were brought out at once and lacked any presentation or uniqueness. Though we loved Lisa Dahl’s lovely sentiment on the menu, and of course we were happy to support a woman-chef, Mariposa didn’t land on our “must-do” list.
AURA READING EXPERIENCE
The number of spiritual services available in Sedona are plenty. Crystal healing, psychic meetings, and aura readings abound. The city’s two most prolific crystal shops: Crystal Magic and Mystical Bazaar both offer them onsite, but we opted for a reading at Sacred Elements of Sedona off of Highway 179.
For $35, we each received personalized photos, a one-page report on our chakras and a reading that explained it all.
In essence, an aura is the electromagnetic energy field that surrounds the body. The colours and patterns in your personal energy field reflect the energies we radiate from our feelings, thoughts and physical being.
Unlike tarot or psychic readings, aura photos “read” the person infront of the camera through tangible means. The aura photo is taken using a multimedia biofeedback imaging technology, creating a pictoral representation of your bio-energetic state. Once you place your hand over a mouse-like device, emotional energy, personality type and overall health and wellness can be seen through the colours your aura vibrates out, which is explained in your one-page report.
Ideally, your chakras are all balanced, vibrating a rainbow of colour. Unsurprisingly, our aura reading practitioner read very little stress in both us. We were on vacation, after all.
If you’re in Sedona a day or a week, an aura reading is one experience not to be missed.
