Stay
We stayed at Ambiente ("A Landscape Hotel"), which had been open about a year as of March 2024. It's a collection of "atriums" which are separate little buildings for each room/bathroom/bar with its own rooftop deck. I recommend 16 if you can get it. We stayed in 15, which was amazing too. Location really matters here. Some atriums line up near the highway. The forest atriums are on the other side of the little pool/restaurant so better location but pretty close to each other. The row where 16-14 or so are have a view of the landscape without other atriums obstructing the view. They are also close to the other atriums but feel much more private.
Kids under 18 are not allowed, which was really nice for a weekend getaway with husband. The pool is tiny but heated with an adjacent hot tub and is open 24 hours per day. They give you a $40 per person breakfast credit for use at the restaurant or via room service. If it had been warmer, we would have had breakfast on our rooftop. Other than the stunning views and stargazing with the little fire pit on your rooftop, the best thing about the hotel was the free shuttle service. It was like having a driver that you can text when ready to return at any time within a 2-mile radius (which is most everything).
The lighting at night was a little cheesy for my taste, but the atriums are very well-done. The spa was very small and ok. It's hard to make reservations there, so plan ahead if you want treatments during your stay.
We rented an electric SUV to drive from Phoenix and the complimentary valet charged it up whenever it was parked at the hotel - so that was easy. Bring cash to tip bc of all the complimentary services like the bellman golf cart, valet, drivers.
Hike
There are "energy vortexes" in Sedona, and the easiest ones to visit are Airport Mesa and Chapel of the Holy Cross. We got dropped off at the bottom of Airport Mesa (short easy hike) then picked up at the parking lot near the top. Afterwards, we got dropped at the trailhead to Soldier Pass. This was a beautiful and easy hike to the 7 Scared Pools. For the most popular hike, Broken Arrow, we brooked a Pink Jeep Tour. Glenn was our driver, and we absolutely loved him. He would be worth trying to get! The jeep fits 8 with one passenger sitting in the front near the driver. The two seats in the back (facing forward) are the bumpiest, then there are two seats on the right side and three seats on the left. We got great pics and it was a fun and informative ride.
Shop
We got our car out and drove a few minutes over to Chapel of the Holy Cross. I recommend going in the morning when they open at 9am to miss the crowds. On the way back, we parked at Center for the New Age to get crystals for the kids. My energy healer bff told me to go there, so I wasn't going to miss it. Directly across the street is an arts and crafts shopping village called Tlaquepaque, where we found lots of vintage records for my dad. They have an amazing bead store and carved candle shop too.
There are lots of apothecaries, which I love. Husband was laughing at my potions. I was on the hunt for some black seed oil and local roller oil fragrances and found wonderful ones at the best coffee shop, ChocolaTree, as well as Apotheca Imports.
Eat
We had dinner off property two nights - first at Dahl & Diluca Ristorante Italiano. It was amazing! The decor is a bit cheesy, but the food is delicious. This is owned by Lisa Dahl, who seems to be the best chef/restauranteur in the area. We also tried Mariposa by her for lunch. The view from the dining room at lunchtime is amazing, and the salad was wonderful.
The second dinner reservation we made was Cress on Oak Creek at the L'Auberge. It was way overpriced. I would not recommend going there unless the tables on the creek are open so you can sit at the waterside. Maybe go for lunch instead of dinner too. Our apps were $40 each and entrees were $80 - pretty ridiculous.
We wanted to go to Elote Cafe, but couldn't get a reservation. If you have time to plan, try them a month in advance.
Weather
We spent three nights and felt like it was the perfect amount of time. The weather was beautiful in March, but still cold at night. I definitely needed sweaters, jeans and a coat at night. I wouldn't want to go in the severe summer heat but wouldn't want to go in winter either. We tried to book a hot air balloon, but it got canceled due to wind conditions. If you want to try that, go to Red Rock Balloons. They are the best.