During our Sedona trips, we tried many restaurants. Some with amazing views and others just for the food. Here are our favorites.

Cress Oak Creek (L'Auberge Sedona)

By far this restaurant was the most enjoyable dining experience. The food and service were above par, and the sounds of the creek next to us were soothing and relaxing.

This upscale restaurant is located in Uptown inside the L'Auberge Sedona hotel. They offer a Prix Fix menu at the Creekside or Ala Cart indoors and at the bar.

Tip: Valet parking is free with your dining receipt.

The Prix fix menu has many choices for starters, main dishes, and dessert. I picked Asparagus, Cornic Hen, and Black Velvet for my meal. My wife chose their Cress Salad, Seafood of the day, and Maze all day for hers. Each course was delicious and satisfying.

The Hudson

The Hudson is another excellent place for a meal with a view. It sits on top of a hill in downtown Sedona with a commanding view of the Red Rocks. They also have a large patio with heaters for cold weather.

We had lunch here and enjoyed a Pastrami Reuben and a Jucy Cheeseburger. Both were excellent. We also tried their draft beer.

After lunch, we walked down to the downtown markets and enjoyed a stroll before driving back to the hotel.

Airport Mesa Grill

Sedona airport is not a very busy place. It is mainly used by the occasional private plane and some helicopter tours. But it sits on top of a wide mesa with great views in every direction.

We decided to grab dinner during sunset at the Mesa Grill. The food was about average, but we were there for the view. We tried the fish & chips and the petite filet. The filet was cooked right and tasty, but the fish was very dry and chewy.

Thai Palace

Thai palace is a lucky accidental find. We were walking around in Uptown after a tour and looking for a good place for lunch. We came across a small strip mall with a small sign advertising the Thai Cuisine.

We both love Thai, so we followed the sign to a small maze that took us outside the mall to a parking lot and then to the restaurant. They had a patio, so we decided to sit in the fresh air and enjoy our lunch next to the zen garden.

We tried the Curry Rice with beef and Panang Curry. Both dishes were delicious. Thai food is known for being spicy. In this place, you can decide how spicy on a scale from 1 to 5. I chose 4 and my wife 2. Both came out just right.

For dessert, we shared a Banana Wrap. It looked like a Sushi Roll but with tasty banana and sweet sauce.

Café Jose

For breakfast, we walked to this corner café in a large shopping center. It was hard to find because it was hidden behind a McDonald’s.

We ordered their Huevos Rancheros and Build-Your-Own Breakfast Burrito. For the burrito, I had many choices of fillings like bacon, sausage, or veggies. We had our breakfast with plenty of coffee.

Coffee Pot

The café was a walking distance from our hotel – and opened very early, so we ended up having breakfast here many times.

The coffee and food were great, but we really enjoyed the ambiance and the friendly service.

They also offer half-plates so won’t have leftovers to carry around. My favorite dishes were the build your own omelet and the Waffles.

Wildflower bread company

Conveniently located in Uptown Sedona, this restaurant offers sandwiches, soups, and freshly baked goods made with locally sourced ingredients.

For breakfast, we tried the Roasted Tomato & Feta and the cinnamon brioche French toast, and for lunch, we tried the Roasted Sweet Potato and the Reuben sandwich. All were very tasty and satisfying.

Tii Gavin restaurant

This restaurant is tucked away between the red rocks at the Enchantment Resort and SPA. You will have to drive through a winding road to get to this place, but it worth the effort.

The resort is nestled between canyons and red rocks, and the restaurant offers a great view and delicious food. While we are enjoying this amazing view at sunset, we enjoyed a New York Steak and Street Shrimp Tacos.

Interesting Facts: John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Elvis Presley, Johnny Depp, and Robert Deniro have all starred in movies shot in the Sedona area.

Creekside American Bistro

Another restaurant with great views. Sitting on the balcony overlooking Oak Creek, we enjoyed our leisurely dinner with more red rocks to admire.

Our curried lamb adobo and wild Alaskan kings were cooked to perfection and very tasty.

Reds at Sedona Rouge Hotel and SPA

It is always a great convenience when you find a good restaurant and bar at your hotel. Just walk a few steps for dining or a few drinks.

The food here was excellent, but the drinks were just average. The official drinks menu was minimal, but when we asked, the bartender was willing to make anything we asked for.

I recommend the Eggs Benedict for breakfast and the Grilled Angus burger for lunch. During their happy hour, you get drinks and small plates for half price.

Phoenix Dining

If you flew in through Phoenix, then you should try one of those places for your dining pleasure. 

Compass Room at Hyatt Downtown

We arrived early in Phoenix and did not want to drive straight to Sedona, so we stopped at the Compass room for breakfast.

This restaurant is located on the top floor at the Hyatt hotel downtown and has a commanding 360-degree view of the Phoenix skyline. 

While we were admiring the views we ordered the Huevos Rancheros and the Breakfast Quesadilla. Both were excellent and filling. The service was exceptional and the coffee kept flowing. 

SanTan Brewing at Sky Harbor Airport

On the way back and once we passed the security check, we had some time to kill and were hungry, so we stopped at this sit-down restaurant in terminal three. 

We were pleasantly surprised. We ordered draft beers, Chandler Club, and Brewhouse Nachos. The beers were refreshing and tasty and the sandwiches very delicious. 

Last year we hiked in the dark to see the stars and visited places like Thunder Mountain and Sugarloaf Summit.

This year we decided to go with professionals on a Stargazing tour. Sedona Stargazing runs an excellent tour using their huge telescopes to allow us to gaze into distant planets and stars.

We met the tour guides at a high school field in the absolute darkness and were guided with flashlights to our parking spots. This location is about 20 minutes away from the center of Sedona on Highway 179.

Once everyone was assembled we walked a short distance on the school’s field to where the huge telescopes were set up.

Our guide was very knowledgable and seems to love talking about astronomy. He started by pointing out some constellations and then showed us a few heavenly objects with the telescope.

Desert nights can get very cold. Although we had our coats we were freezing. The tour operator provided us with additional parkas and blankets to stau warm. 

Unfortunately, the sky was hazy on that night. So objects were not very clear. We got o see Saturn with its rings, a binary star and the cratered face of the moon.

Sedona Stargazing has a policy of total refind if they can’t complete the full program 6 celestial objects. So at the end of this tour, they issued a refund without anyone asking for them.

Other ways to Stargaze

Low light and perfect weather make Sedona a great place for stargazing. Just step a few feet away from town and you can have a clear view of the heavens. For a better view try to go behind one of the famous red rock formations facing away from the city. You will be plunged into total darkness with only starlight to guide you.

Get some tips on Stargazing at the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.

Tip: When you go on one of those stargazing excursions, it is recommended that you take a red flashlight or headlight. The red light allows you to find your way on the trail but doesn’t create a lot of light pollution.

I inquired about the best stargazing sport from a ranger at the visitor’s center in uptown Sedona. She gave me some great ideas:

Thunder Mountain: It is in the Coconino National Forest, north of highway 89a. Take Dry Creek road to Thunder Mountain Road, go about .6 miles then turn into the trailhead to the left. Take a short hike that will take you behind the red rocks for total darkness.

Sugarloaf Summit: Also in the Coconino National Forest, north of highway 89a, but the road to the trailhead starts from Coffee Pot drive. The trailhead is actually on Buena Vista Drive. Another short hike takes you to one of the best star viewing spots.

Astronomy clubs: Another way to experience the Sedona starry night it to attend an event hosted by the area Astronomy clubs. Go to the Astronomers of the Verde Valley to get more information and to check their event calendar. You can also try Sirius Lookers.

What the heck? You want to take me to the desert? What kind of vacation is that?

That was my wife’s first reaction when I said let’s go to Sedona, Arizona. I quickly explained that yes, Sedona is in the middle of the desert, but it is much more than desolate landscapes and sand.

That was last year. This year my wife was very excited to revisit this wonderful desert oasis. 

Last year, we drove through familiar California towns, palm trees, and windmills. And in Arizona, we encountered stark rock formations, rare lonely bushes, and a ferocious sandstorm. This year we decided to fly into Phoenix and drive for one hour and a half to Sedona.

Read about our first journey to Sedona here. In this article, we will share our new experiences with Sedona’s Red Rocks, Stargazing, Ancient cliff dwellers site, and great dining.  

Where to stay

Sedona is well established as a tourist destination, so you can find accommodation for every taste and budget. You can find a hotel or motel room, live in luxury at a resort and spa or find seclusion at a retreat.

If you want to get very close to nature and enjoy a night under the star, you can camp for free at Sedona. If you did not bring any camping gear with you, rent a tent through Airbnb.

An excellent resource to help find your perfect stay in Sedona can be found here.  

This time we stayed at Green Tree Inn on the west side of Sedona. Our experience was mixed. The hotel suite is spacious with a living room, a kitchenette, and a King Size bed. The bed was comfortable and the staff was great. We just had a few problems with the equipment.

In general, if you like to stay in a quiet neighborhood, then pick a place in West Sedona or further out in the valleys. If you like to be in the middle of the action, then Uptown Sedona is the place for you.

What to do

During this visit, we went on a Stargazing tour, visited the Cliff Dwellers Heritage Site, went on a Vortex tour, watched the sunset from the Airport Mesa, and tried several restaurants with amazing views. Continue reading for more details on our adventures.

To learn about our earlier Jeep tour and Red Rock hikes visit the first article here.

Vortex Tour

Many residents and visitors swear they encountered UFOs, Aliens, and other strange events in Sedona. I myself did not experience any of the above, although I was more than willing.

The Sedona mystics claim there are magnetic vortices running through the area that give it an otherworldly significance.

Although I am a skeptic, I do have an open mind, so I decided to go with Safari Jeep Tours of Sedona on their Vortex Tour.

During the tour, we visited Rachel’s Knol, which is supposed to be an active Vortex and the Buddhist Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, and enjoyed dramatic views of green valleys and Red Rocks. Read more about this tour here. 

Stargazing Tour

Last year we hiked in the dark to see the stars and visited places like Thunder Mountain and Sugarloaf Summit.

This year we decided to go with professionals on a Stargazing tour. Stargazing Sedona run an excellent tour using their huge telescopes to allow us to gaze into distant planets and stars. Read more about our experience here.  

Palatki Heritage Site

Native Americans made this area their home thousands of years ago. Many different people lived here and left their mark on the sheer Red Rock walls.

Between 1100 and 1400 BC, the Sinagua people built their homes right into the walls of the canyons. They became known as the Cliff Dwellers.

The heritage site is about a 30-minute drive from Sedona. The distance is actually not that long, but most of the road is rough gravel. So unless you have an off-road vehicle, you will need to drive very carefully.

Tip: To protect the site from overuse, you will need to make a reservation and check-in at the visitor center.

Our drive to the site was very thrilling – passing hiking and biking trails, green valleys and amazing views as we approached the cliffs.

When we arrived at the site, we were greeted by a volunteer who checked us in and gave us instructions on our hikes.

The guide explained that we have to take two hiking trails going in opposite directions. We were expected to go with the group to reach the first site with Cliff Dwellings.

At the first site, another guide explained the history of the dwellings and the type of people who lived there. In this one structure, about 60 to 80 people made it their home. It is unknown if this was one big family or a ruler’s family with servents.

We then hiked back and into the second trail to visit the caves with the pictographs and petroglyphs. The archaeologists discovered that the drawings on the cave walls belong to several people over the ages going back 6000 years ago.

The sites are awe-inspiring and got me thinking about the kind of life those people lived. In some way, it was very simple and peaceful, but in others, it must have been filled with hardship.

Airport Mesa Overlook

Sedona has a small airport serving private aviation and tour operators. At the airport, there is an excellent restaurant with great views. We went there for an early dinner, but on the way, we noticed two overlook spots. We decided to visit on the way down.

Right next to the airport, there a large parking lot for the first overlook. We parked and walked to the edge of a cliff overlooking the city of Sedona and the rock formations in the background. The best part about this spot is when the sun approached the horizon and reflected on the red rocks.

A little lower towards highway 89A, we found another spot with a similar view, but the main attraction was a trail climbing a rock. The view from the top is stunning.

Be warned, though; both overlooks are very popular and crowded – especially around sunset.

Red Rock State Park

This park by Oak Creek is a respite from the bustle of town. It is a few miles outside of Sedona with many hiking trails and great views of the Red Rocks.

Our favorite trail is Kiva Trail which mostly runs along Oak Creek. It is an easy hike and runs for around 1.3-miles.  

Sedona Dining

During our Sedona trips, we tried many restaurants. Some with amazing views and others just for the food. Some are upscale and expensive like Cress Oak Creek at L'Auberge Sedona, while others were simple neighborhood eateries like Cafe Jose. Read more about are our favorites here.

Many residents and visitors swear they encountered UFOs, Aliens and other strange events in Sedona. I myself did not experience any of the above, although I was more than willing.

The Sedona mystics claim there are magnetic vortices running through the area that give it an otherworldly significance.

Although I am a skeptic, I do have an open mind, so I decided to go with Safari Jeep Tours of Sedona on their Vortex Tour.

The tour operator offer rides from your hotel, but we decided to drive to Uptown Sedona to enjoy a stroll after the tour.

After check-in, we jumped on one of the sturdy jeeps with our guide Bo. Bo had a wealth of information for us about Sedona’s famous vortices and their effect on well-being.

Our first stop was at Rachel’s Knoll, which is supposed to be an active and strong Vortex. Rachel bought the land in the 1970s and decided to share it with the community. Many ceremonies celebrating peace and harmony were held at the Knoll. Go here for more on Rachel Knoll’s history.

The knoll is a high rock formation overlooking 7 converging valleys with lush green views from the top and the sheer red rocks in the distance.

The view is truly stunning and relaxing, but I didn’t see any otherworldly phenomena. Our guide Bo believes that the confluence of the seven valleys, underground running water, and iron-quartz filled rocks create an electric current that affects people.

In an experiment, he asked us to hold out our hands close to the red rocks for a while. I did feel a tingle in my extremities, but I am not sure if this was proof of magnetism or electricity or a Vortex.

I remain skeptical of such claims, but I still enjoyed the experience.

On Rechel’s passing, she sold the land to a developer with the stipulation of keeping the Knoll accessible to the public. Today, anyone can visit the Knoll for a small fee of $3.

We continued our journey through Sedona’s Vortecies by driving to the   and Peace Park at the base of thunder mountain and under the shadow of Chimney Rock.  

The stupa is an imposing 36-foot building dedicated to meditation and enlightenment. It is said to be at the center of several alignments, giving it some significant spirituality.

A little closer to thunder mountain and above the Stupa, Budha sits in contemplation towards the city of Sedona.

A charming Buddhist tradition is to hang prayer flags for the wind to activate and prayer wheels for people to spin as they pass by. True believers also think that if you meditate in this Vortex spot you will be granted your deepest wishes – even if you don’t know what those wishes are.

The two Vortex spots we visited were fascinating with great views, but the drive in the jeep through all those valleys and cliffs is even more thrilling. Our guide kept us entertained and we shared our impressions of those locations with each other.

We had a self-proclaimed psychic in the group and it was interesting to hear her perspective on the whole Vortex claim. She seemed to be more in-tune with nature and more accepting of the phenomena.