Special Edition Weekender
This is actually our Christmas trip. Instead of exchanging Christmas gifts we
decided to go away for a weekend. Paul
did the research and picked the resort.
We checked into Sunset Château Friday afternoon. It’s a charming place. He picked the Bella Vista Suite which has a
kitchenette, Jacuzzi tub and fireplace (pictures at the end of this entry).
It also has a private patio, some others are shared. Our view from the patio overlooks the pool
and garden area below and the famous red rocks of Sedona straight out.
Relaxing at one of the many adorable spots on the property |
We went Uptown to nosey around the shops a little
before dinner. We stopped at a visitor
center along the way to get a map and see if there was anything to do that we
might not know about. Unbeknownst to us,
it was a timeshare, tour tickets place.
The guy offered us a deal on a gentle jeep tour (as opposed to the bootie
bouncers). We declined. He offered us a
$100 meal voucher to a specific restaurant if we first went to the timeshare
schpeal. We declined. Paul asked if there was anything historical
to visit and he again suggested the jeep tour because it points out places
where westerns were filmed back in the day.
Then he got rude and said “that’s how I make my money, I don’t make
money giving out free information”. I
said “okay well than we won’t waste anymore of your time”. Paul asked if Uptown was out the parking lot to the right. He said “yes, but there are 15 timeshare
kiosk, I don’t recommend you go there”. WOW! He should probably change his monument sign from “Visitor Information, Free Maps” to say something like visitors
buying things welcome, no free info to others.
We went to Uptown, where, by the way, we didn’t see one
timeshare kiosk! We did see a few places
for jeep tours and a couple of other place offering tickets to multiple adventures. We also saw the REAL Visitor's Center. We wandered around a
little then stopped into 89 Agave Cantina for a Happy Hour Margarita. M-M-Good.
Back to the room to change for dinner.
We went to Dahl & DeLuca Restaurante Italiano. The restaurant offers a free shuttle service
so we decided to use that instead of driving.
It’s not far, but that way we could both enjoy adult beverages. The
food and service were both great, but… isn’t there always a but? Half way through our meal the piano man and
bass player duo started up and they were extremely loud. Unfortunately they
were set-up right behind Paul’s seat. That was the end of any possibility of conversation. :sigh: Back to the food.
I started off with a Cherry Vodka Lemonade |
I had decided on the seafood pasta but we were both wooed by the specials.
He had the Veal Chop |
I had Seabass topped with Lump Crab Meat |
Both entrees were served with roasted fingerling
potatoes and grilled asparagus.
We split a Lemon Lavender Cheesecake with Fresh Berries for dessert |
If not for the super loud music it would have
been perfect. We waited about three
minutes for the shuttle to pick us up and back to the resort.
Saturday morning I enjoyed the in-room Jacuzzi before I
showed, fluffed and puffed. We went down
to the lobby for breakfast which is included in the room rate.
Little garden areas all around the property. Here I am on my ass... The photo is kind of dark so you can barely see the metal art donkey |
The breakfast area is right off the lobby. They had coffee, tea, juice, milk, hot and
cold cereal. The server came over
and gave us each a bowl of fresh fruit and said breakfast was an omelet and
showed us a list of things to choose from.
Onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, bacon, ham, cheese. It was served with a super fresh and flaky
croissant. I’m not much of an omelet fan
so I only ate a little of it. I had a
little bit of oatmeal to hold me over because I knew we wouldn’t be having
lunch.
We left the resort and stopped at a little art fair. Paul
bought me a silver bracelet with etching and inlayed turquoise. It’s handmade (as opposed to pressed off an assembly
line) and the nice Native American lady said the feather means it carries
prayers to the great Spirit, etching are the keepers of thoughts and dreams as
well as offering healing and protection.
He bought it for me because I liked it but WOW, if it does all that! :wink: Then we ventured Uptown and bought tickets for
the Sedona Trolley. We walked around for
about 30 minutes until trolley time. The
trolley was fun. The tour guide was
great and very informative. It was a 55
minute jaunt with two stops for photo ops.
Yes as a matter of fact that DOES say Deadmans Pass Trail... Inviting aye? |
Boynton Canyon is one of the four Vortex spots in Sedona. You can read all about Vortex Energy here.
We went into Canyon Breeze and had Prickly Pear Margaritas.
We went into Canyon Breeze and had Prickly Pear Margaritas.
Then we went to the heritage museum that the
trolley guide pointed out. That was
interesting. They have a lot of memorabilia
of the early settlers. Back to the main
drag for ice cream at the House Made Ice Cream place. It was good but not as
good as I wanted it to be.
We left Uptown and went to the Tlaquepaque shopping area and
mowsied around.
This store sold specialty olive oils, vinegar, and whisky! |
I found a little piece of Italy at the Tlaquepaque! |
We scoped out a
restaurant for dinner.
Back to the resort. I
went into the office got grab a coffee and talked to the owner for a
while. She bought this place 16 years
ago. She’s still renovating parts of
it. She plans on putting a rooftop patio
over the lobby area someday where they will serve alcohol and appetizers. That would be cool.
Back to the patio relaxing to enjoy the beautiful weather
and the beautiful view.
We decided on Rene at Tlaquepaque for dinner. We got a nice quiet booth. Yay.
We split the escargot appetizer |
They were prepared traditionally with parsley garlic butter. They were nice and tender but truth be told I thought they needed a little pinch of salt. Paul also had wild mushroom soup.
I had Seared Scallops |
He had Duck with Sun-Dried Cherries |
Both entrees were severed with wild rice and baby carrots.
We split the Chocolate Mousse Cake for dessert. |
The food was good, the service was great, the
ambiance was excellent.
Sunday morning and time to head back to home-sweet-home.
Morning coffee on the patio... emmm, maybe not. My weather app
said 42. Not bad. I put on my jacket and
pashmina and headed out with my coffee.
Brrrrr. I “opened” the weather
app and it said 32, feels like 21. Hmmm 21? Back
inside, turned on the fireplace and enjoyed my morning coffee without numb
fingers and nose!
We went down to see what they are offering for breakfast because
I didn't want eggs again. We decided if it was something eggy we’d skip the
breakfast there, which is included in the stay, and go to the Coffee Pot. I had breakfast there when I was in Sedona in
August and it was good. The resort's special de jour was a breakfast burrito.
When I said we were going to just check out the owner offered to make me
French Toast. That was nice but we
checked out and went to the Coffee Pot.
I probably should have taken her up on her offer! The Coffee Pot was busy but not too bad. I think we only waited about 10-15 minutes. While we were waiting I got a photo op with
my twin!
FlashBackPhoto ~ This one from when I was there in August |
The food was okay.
Paul had Eggs Benedict which is said was nothing special. I had a short stack of Blueberry Pancakes and
they were nothing special either.
After breakfast I wanted to swing by the museum again. I saw some jewelry in the gift shop that I liked
but didn’t get when we were there. I’m having whatever the opposite is of buyer’s remorse. It was handmade by local natives and
reasonably priced. The museum doesn’t
open until 11. We had about an hour so
we decided to do the Sedona’s Walk Through Time. It’s a pathway overlooking the canyon with 29
historical markers. Yes I counted them!
It starts with the original settlers, then the western movie making
years, through becoming the City it is today. After we
meandered our way down and back up the road, we zipped through the museum. I bought earrings and a ring and then we hit
the road for home.
2 comments:
That sounds like a great trip, except for the aggressive and pouty time-share guy. The food photos made me hungry, especially the seared scallops, and the jewelry purchases are making me have the opposite of buyer's remorse too!
Hmmmm, the jewelry - I should photograph the pieces and add them in.
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