Enchantment doesn't describe it - Re-Write W/O
Written: Apr 07 '03 (Updated Apr 09 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful, Peaceful, not just a hotel, it is a destination
Cons: Expensive, I can't live there
The Bottom Line: If I could afford to live there, I would move tomorrow.
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| twunschl's Full Review: Enchantment Resort And Mii Amo Spa |
When I heard that sleeper54 was hosting a Re-Write W/O, I decided to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time now - Re-Write my very first review here at epinions. It was in desperate need of organization and update. So here you go Tom!
Enchantment Resort is my favorite place on earth. I have been to the resort four times in as many years and I am already booked for my fifth stay. I never imagined that I would want to return to a hotel so many times. I figure that if I am going to go on vacation, I should go as many different places as possible. But Enchantment and the Mii Amo Spa
have drawn me back time and time again.
Getting There
There are a few options for getting to the resort. You can either fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Flagstaff or the Sedona Airport (this is available for small private airplanes only). I have always flown into Phoenix because there are no direct flights into Flagstaff, but if that is a possibility for you, Flagstaff is a little closer to Sedona. But since most people will arrive into Phoenix, here are some things that I have learned over the years.
Sky Harbor is a medium sized airport and is easy to find your way around. Once you arrive, you will follow the signs to baggage and take the escalator down. All of the rental car companies are located next to the baggage carousels. Something that always annoys me is the high pressure sales to upgrade your car. The agents will try to tell you that you need a car with a large engine to make it up the mountains into Sedona. Don’t fall for it! The mountain drive is fairly easy and a regular economy or midsize car is perfectly fine. Get your car and your baggage and make your way outside. Cross over the lanes of airport traffic to the island for shuttles and catch your ride to your car. Once you are ready to go, make your way to I-17 North and you are on your way.
The drive is relatively easy. For about the first 20 minutes you will drive through Phoenix and it’s suburbs. But all of a sudden, the city ends and the desert begins. From here on out, there aren’t that many places to stop. If you are hungry by now, (and I always am) stop at the city of Anthem. You will see signs along the highway for the outlet mall and there is a food court that offers Pizza, Burger King, salads, hot pretzels, chinese (I think) and cinnamon buns. When you come off the expressway, turn left. Anthem is also the place to get groceries. When you get off the expressway turn right and then follow the road until you come to a large shopping plaza. There is a grocery store there and we always stock up on water. You are going to need a lot of water in the desert and at the high altitude so grab a case. Now head back out and get yourself to Sedona.
Along the way, you will see signs like Dead Man Wash, Big Bug Creek, and Skunk Creek. The drive through the mountains is almost a straight shot up but you will see signs occasionally to turn off you air conditioners to avoid over heating. There will be quite a few semi trucks with there flashers going driving slower in the right lane as the mountains road goes up and down through the mountains. For this girl from the Midwest, the drive is always amazing to me. As you get closer to Sedona, you will start to see the famous red rocks of Sedona. After about 2 hours (100 miles north of Phoenix), take Exit 298 and follow Route 179 into Sedona.
Continue along 179 for 15 miles. You will marvel at the sights along the way. I have given a detailed review of all the sights in my review of Sedona, but make sure that you that look at Bell Rock and take a look up Cathedral Road at the church built into the rocks. When 179 ends, turn left at 89-A. Along this road, you will find tons of great restaurants and shops. You will also notice the inevitable touristy shops that always seem to appear in beautiful places. Sedona has become an area for New Agers so there are crystal shops and fortunetellers along the way. But you will quickly leave all of this behind. Turn right at Dry Creek Road. After about two minutes, you are transport into scenery like most have never seen before. Twisted junipers, prickly pear cactus and the towering walls of red rocks will surround you. With each turn, the view is more serene and beautiful. Follow the signs to Enchantment Resort. Just as you think there possibly can’t be anything out in the wilderness, you will enter Boynton Canyon and the gates of Enchantment.
Checking In
Enchantment Resort is a gated Resort and only guests of the hotel and guests of the restaurant are allowed. Pull up to the gate and you will be warmly greeted. You will be given a guest pass to put in your car window during your stay. It is bright yellow and from now on, when you pull up to the gate, you will be let in immediately and don’t have to stop.
Drive through the resort and follow the signs to the lobby. Turn left and pull up to the lobby where you will be again warmly greeted, but this time, by name. I love details like this! If this is your first time to the resort, you will be escorted inside. If you have been to the resort before, you won’t even have to get out of your car. You will be taken directly to your room.
Lobby
If you haven’t already figured out that you are in a magical place, the lobby will convince you. Outside, you will pass under an archway covered in ivy. To each side, there are flowers lining the walkway. As you turn into the lobby, take notice of the large stained glass doors that look like the canyon that surrounds you.
The front desk is on your left and I have always been greeted warmly and efficiently. Behind the desk is a large painting of Boynton Canyon. For check in, you will simply initial your room rate, your departure date and leave a credit card number. It is that easy. You will be escorted back outside to your car, where you will follow a bellman in a golf cart to your room. The resort is quite large and each casita has it’s own parking area.
Your Room
There are basically three types of rooms at Enchantment; Guest rooms, Junior suites and Casitas that are more like houses. Each type of room looks the same from the outside. They are individual rooms or casitas (little houses) that blend in effortlessly into the environment. Each casitas contains about four rooms, but I have never seen or heard a neighbor on any stay.
Junior Suites
This is my favorite type of room and I have stayed in one, three out of my four times here. It is well worth the upgrade. You can choose from either two queen beds or one king. The beds are beautiful with a woven leather head board, tan colored down comforter and different shaped and sized dark green pillows. The fabric on the pillows is carried to the valences in the room also. The beds are always triple sheeted (a treat) and on our last stay, there were five bed pillows of three different types – foam core, down and feather. This is great because bed pillows never seem to be the kind that you like. Don’t like the one you’ve got, switch with another. On each side of the bed, there are end tables that are molded into the wall, all part of the casita theme. There is a two-alarm alarm clock/radio/cd/tape deck player. Across from the bed is a gorgeous armoire entertainment center. There are four drawers for clothing. The TV has basic cable (including TLC, Discovery and the Food Network) and two cable stations – HBO and Showtime. There are also pay per view channels and even a Nintendo game system. Next to the bed, there is a flashlight for use at night. The resort has tried to blend into the environment and it is very dark at night.
The suite part of the room contains a dark green conversation couch with oversized pillows, a chest that doubles as a coffee table, an end table and lamp, floor lamp and a large, comfortable arm chair. There is another television set here. The mini bar has a wet sink, minibar (you can remove items and put in your own if you like), coffee maker with coffee and tea and pretty glasses for your use. Over the mini bar, there are pretty pieces of artwork and pottery, reminding you again that you are not in a typical hotel room. But the main focus of the suite is the large gas burning fireplace in the corner of the room. In the cold nights of Sedona, the fireplace is always on in our room, just flick the switch and it will ignite. There is also a granite table with two chairs, perfect for dining in your room.
The other amazing thing about the Junior Suite is the bathroom. The floor is laid in large stone tiles, designed to look like a rug with simple turns and shapes of the tiles which is highlighted by a sun roof overhead. There is a large granite counter top with double sinks. There are four drawers underneath the countertop and an on-the-wall hair dryer. No tub/shower combination here! There is an amazing four person shower (just kidding, but it is that big) with a glass swivel door and rain-shower shower head. Next to the shower is a deep soaking tub, with a pretty shelf that contains towels rolled and folded artfully. The toilet is in its own private room with exhaust fan and even a picture of Oak Creek Canyon. In the large closet, there are robes for use during your stay, safe, luggage rack, iron and ironing board, umbrella, blanket and extra pillows. There are tons of hangers for all of your hanging clothes and plenty of space to store your luggage.
There are great little touches that make Enchantment a luxury resort. The tissues are formed into a flower each day, the toilet paper is folded into a point and I have even seen it embossed with the Enchantment symbol. The towels aren’t simply folded and laid out, they are rolled and stacked at angles. The bed is turned down at angles and the robes are placed artfully on the bed each night.
All rooms have a balcony for viewing the amazing scenery of the red rock walls. There is a stone top table and two semi-comfortable chairs. I have spent hours on the balconies soaking it all in. All of the balconies have a semi-obstructed view due to the trees on the property. This is a little annoyance to endure for the privacy that they offer. You can sit on your balcony and imagine that you are all alone. Stargazing from your deck is also amazing and on every stay, the milky way has been in clear sight.
Guest Rooms
The guest rooms are very similar to the junior suites in lay out, but they lack the sitting area and the huge bathrooms. There is a table and chairs for eating and only one TV across from the bed. The bathroom still has the granite counter top and large closet. In a separate room, there is a toilet and tub/shower combination. But the views and atmosphere are still amazing. My one stay in this type of room was set deep into the canyon and it was so dark back there, you could see the milky way from horizon to horizon.
Casitas
I have never stayed in the large two bedroom suites and casitas, but they are available. Some of them even offer kitchens and living rooms and two of them even have private pools. These book up fast, so make your reservations far in advance.
Room Amenities in all of the rooms
No matter which room you choose to stay in, you will get great service and amenities. Each morning, orange juice on ice and USA Today are delivered to your room. Each night, there is turn down service. Your towels will be replaced and you will get two bottles of water. In the bathroom, there are daily supplies of Enchantment’s private line of beauty products High Desert. These are great products that I always make sure I take home for a pick me up. When I smell the yucca and sage shampoo, I am always transported back to Enchantment. You also receive jojoba oil and aloe vera lotion, geranium and elder flower conditioner, oatmeal and aloe body soap and body wash. Next to the tub, there is a lofa sponge. You also receive a shower cap and sewing kit and there are q-tips and cotton balls.
Each time that I have stayed, there has been a complimentary gift. For repeat guests there has been a complimentary pass to the spa for each day of our stay. My second time there was a leather key chain, the third time – a bottle Chardonnay and the last time, there was a plate of fruit, garlic spread and bread. I can’t wait to see what the gift is next time!
The Spa
The other fantastic reason to go Enchantment is for the spa. I have written a detailed review of Mii Amo Spa so I won’t go into the details here. Do yourself a favor and get at least one treatment at the spa. It is world class and constantly rated among the best in the world. My favorite way to spend the day is to have treatment, enjoy the facilities, have a light lunch and then finish with another treatment. If you have a treatment at the spa, you can enjoy the facilities for the entire day. You can also enjoy the facilities for $18 a day if you do not want a treatment. Don’t wait until you get there to book your treatment though. They book up weeks in advance so contact them before your stay.
The Restaurants
You will not lack from eating well during your stay. Some of the best meals I have ever had have been at the resort. There are three restaurants to choose from.
Mii Amo Café This restaurant is located in the spa. As you would guess, the spa offers healthy food. Tofu is definitely on the menu. But the menu offers these healthy foods in a gourmet presentation. Salmon, chicken, beef and yes, tofu is all available. The restaurant also serves breakfast and lunch. Dinner prices ranged from $15 to $25.
Tii Gavo This is the casual restaurant at the resort. They are open from lunch until evening. Some of the menu items are hamburgers, artichoke pesto pizza, nachos, Angus steak sandwich and chicken alfredo pasta. The prices are a little high for “casual” ranging from $9 to $17. The views are spectacular and none of the dishes are ordinary. Our favorite place to eat is on the balcony, which has a great view of the canyon and Indian cave in the cliff wall.
Yavapai This is the formal restaurant at the resort. It is open for breakfast and serves fantastic dishes. My absolute favorite is the Almond Encrusted French toast. Other menu items include, Southwest Eggs Benedict, Lox, cream cheese and bagels, Oak Creek Breakfast (Eggs, meat and hash browns) and Angus New York Steak and Eggs. Prices range from $8 to $19. Outdoor dining is great for breakfast, but can get a bit bright as the sun rises over the canyon wall. Inside the restaurant, the views are 180 degrees of the canyon and they have special screens that block out the sun, but not the views.
Yavapai is also my choice for dinner. Again, everything is presented beautifully and there is a wide range of items. Appetizers include seasonal soups, halibut tartar, and shrimp cocktail. There are a variety of salads that change from year to year but I have enjoyed warm mushroom salad and wild greens with blue cheese and pine nuts. Entrees also tend to change but there is always filet mignon, veal chops and great fish. The last time I was there I had sea bass with saffron cream sauce. Dishes are expensive and range from $19 to $35. Desserts are extraordinary and also change often. My favorite though is the warm pecan pie with jack daniels sauce. Other desserts I have enjoyed are the chocolate soufflé with cappuccino ice cream and key lime cheesecake with raspberry sauce.
The attire is dressy in this restaurant. Appropriate attire for ladies and tie and slacks for men. Another option that you might choose from though is to eat Tii Gavo, but order off of the Yavapai menu. This is a great option for those that like to keep it casual on vacation, but eat great food. (That would be me!)
Room service is fantastic at the resort. You can order almost all of the meals from either restaurant as room service. The food was always hot and brought within twenty minutes. They brought a tablecloth and a nice tray. All of the drinks were covered in saran wrap and little things like lemon wedges were plated and covered as well. There is a small ledge outside of each room and when you are finished with your meal, they discretely take it away.
You can also barbecue on your balcony if you wish. Some rooms have barbecues, but they will bring one to your room with all of the meat, bread and trimmings. It seemed extremely expensive to me and if I am paying that amount of money, someone is cooking it for me!
Concierge Desk
The concierge desk has always been fabulous at all of our stays. They have gone out of their way to make our stays great. Besides the hiking maps, driving tours and other help with things nearby, they can also help to make your stay extra special. Two years ago, while there with friends, they ordered flowers for me from my husband. When I was there and wanted to take a hiking tour, they called guide after guide trying to find someone who was available. The desk is conveniently located in the main building between the two restaurants and just past the front desk.
Gift Shop
I love the gift shop at the resort. They always offer different items from local artisans. They also offer Enchantment sweatshirts, shirts and other clothing. There are books and postcards and hiking supplies. They have a small section with medicines and candy bars. They also offer some beauty products, including their own Desert High products. You can charge your purchases to your room and they will ship to your home.
There is also a gift shop at the Tennis courts and spa. The tennis shop is small and has mostly clothing. The spa shop offers high-end beauty products, jewelry, clothing and books.
Activities
On the property, there are a number of activities available. There are tennis courts and an onsite tennis pro that offers lesson. There are crochet greens and a pitch and putt golf area. Fitness areas are available at the spa and just behind the lobby. The spa offers classes all day long and they are included in you day pass to the spa. There is even a ping pong table. For those that like to hike, the Boynton canyon Trail is one of the best in Sedona and runs along the back of the resort. It is an extremely easy hike with great views and is tree covered for most of the trail. Each night, you will receive a list of activities for the day. There is a ranger on staff and there are morning walks. One of my favorite things is on Saturday night, when a local stargazer/photographer brings his high powered telescope to the resort. I have seen things like exploding stars, two suns revolving each other and distant galaxies. If you like stargazing, don’t miss this great opportunity.
One of the complaints that I have read online regards the resorts pools. There are a number of very small pools scattered through out the property. They are extremely small and I don’t really see how you could swim in them. Two of these small pools are children free. There is one large lap pool just below the lobby. It is nothing special, but is there for your use. If you really want to swim in a great pool, go to the spa. There are two there, one outdoors and one indoors that is heated with underwater speakers and music.
Camp Coyote
Enchantment was recently ranked among the top ten resorts for children in the United States. I can’t comment as I don’t have children but there are activities offered all day long. They also have babysitting services if you require that.
Contacting the hotel and rates
The hotel can be reached at
Enchantment Resort
525 Boynton Canyon Road
Sedona, Arizona 86336
www.enchantmentresort.com
www.miiamo.com
Phone: 928-282-2900
Reservations: 800-826-4180
Fax: 928-282-9249
E-mail: info@enchantmentresort.com
The rates vary according to the season. You can get some really great rates in February when it is very cold and might snow and in August when it is very hot. Normally a Guest room is $350 and a suite is $450. If you are a AAA member, you can get 10% off the rack rate. They also offer breakfast for two, lunch for one and late check out if you have American Express Platinum. There are also a number of packages that include meals and spa treatments.
Leaving
Check out is simple, you don’t even have to stop at the front desk if you choose to do express check out. Leaving is always tough. The drive out of the canyon is depressing, but I know that I will be there again. It is a special place that draws me there year after year.
My Original Review from Jun 15, 2001
We absolutely loved this resort. We spent 3 nights in a casita at the end of May. This seemed to be a perfect time to go because it was hot during the day and cool at night. During the summer months, it can get unbearably hot. We flew into Phoenix airport, rented a car and then drove the almost 3 hour drive to Sedona. By the time that we were approaching Sedona, we were hungry and tired from our long drive and flight. We couldn't wait to check in and relax. We were amazed at the beautiful scenery. I had read all about the red rocks and canyons, but nothing could have prepared me for the unbelievable colors and landscape.
The moment that we drove onto the Enchantment Resorts grounds, we knew that we were in a magical place. We were immediately greeted by staff who welcomed us and showed us where to check in. Once we were ready to go to our room, we were escorted by golf cart. The room - a junior suite - was beyond anything that I could have imagined. The bathroom was bigger than our bedroom at home, with beautiful tiled floors, a large walk-in shower, deep soaking tub, double sinks, large closet and safe. The king size bed was already turned down and the fireplace was set to a nice glow. We stepped out onto our private patio to view the unbelievable scenery of the canyon and two deer walked by! (We had visions of Chevy Chase saying "Cue the deer" from "Funny Farm"!)
We had opted for the Spa package which include 2 nights stay and 2 spa treatments for each of us. At the time, the new spa was not built. (I believe that it was scheduled to open 2001, but I may be wrong) If there is one con about Enchantment, it would be that the spa's atmosphere was not as relaxing as I had hoped. I was told that the new spa will be geared toward total relaxation. There was a wide variety of treatments to choose from including facials, massages and wraps. I definitely recommend the hydrating wrap.
The concierge desk was extremely helpful. We do not like to do very much on vacation but relax. We do not like to take tours or to be tied up all day. So the concierge desk recommended a drive tour. They gave us a map and recommend the places that were a "must see". We drove up to the church built into the canyon and saw a fantastic view. The next day, we took the two hour drive to see the Meteor Crater. For anyone interested in space and the like, I totally recommend this. We had a wonderful drive and the Crater is larger than we had thought. You could see it for miles away on the expressway. The gift shop is a blast, with all of the alien gift items!
There are two restaurants at the resort. One is casual dining and the other formal. I had wanted to eat at the formal restaurant, due to the views of the canyon and the menu, but there are no shorts or jeans allowed. This seemed highly unreasonable to my husband to wear slacks in 102 degree heat and I had to agree. The food was excellent, but we felt that we had a better time at the casual restaurant, that had the same view. For our last night, we decided to eat outside at the casual restaurant again. We then found out that you can order off of the menu from the formal dining room. I would highly recommend this to everyone. We liked the casual, laid back feel, with the excellent meals. There is a star gazing deck above the casual restaurant and our waiter served us cappuccino's while gazing at the stars. This was one of our highlights of the trip.
Update - September 2001
I have once again stayed at Enchantment, this time with two friends. Our stay was just as relaxing and wonderful this time. We were greeted with just as much friendliness as the first stay, but had the added bonus of "express check-in" since I was a returning guest. This meant that we did not even have to get out of the car, we just drove right to our room.
The other added bonus on this trip is that the new spa, Mii Amo, is now open. I have written a review under Enchantment Resort http://www.epinions.com/content_41383923332.
We spent three nights at the resort and our package included three nights stay in a casita - one 90 minute treatment, one 60 minute treatment and one hour lesson with a tennis pro per person. The package was called "Great Escape" for $569.99 per night for three people.
So there it is! Hope you enjoyed my Re-Write. Here are a list of the other participants.
dustygold || leveleth || deenaf || msmarques || rianleeann
jilpie || kamel622 || ed_grover || thegeniusx || lyagushka || sleeper54
DoubleCoog || Moppysl || holli105 || Arthur.Rubin || popsrocks || patricknjacob
drdevience || AliventiAsylum || stockholder || LoisLane05 || dramastef
lorendiac || jankp || sweetypeach || twunschl || lisaffire
visit sleeper54's page for a list of the reviews
http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/sleeper54/rewrite/writers.html
Recommended:
Yes
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twunschl
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Location: Wishing I was back in Tahiti
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Our Tahiti pictures and video are on-line. Go to www.tahiti.wunschl.com
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