A week-long getaway with the wonderful Wendy! After a quick flight to Phoenix, we picked up our car rental and hit the road to Sedona. This was my first time to Arizona and I fell head over heels in love with Sedona! It is absolutely beautiful. We packed a whole bunch of activities into a week, ate amazing food, and enjoyed some down time. I did work a bit in the mornings. The Sedona Half Marathon is going to be a yearly event for us. I’m looking forward to next year already.
Highlights
I highly recommend Sedona for a vacation destination! Hope you enjoy our adventures.
Taking It Easy on Route 66
Sedona Hiking
Mesa Grill
The Mesa Grill is a Southwest Style Grill and came highly recommended. Located out by Airport Sedona, you can watch the planes land and take off. We started with Tableside Guacamole (made by our waiter Ryland) and Crispy Calamari. Wendy had the Southwest Chicken & Pesto Pasta (rigatoni pasta, portobello mushroom, spinach & sweet red onion, roasted red pepper cream sauce) and I had the Keto Cuisine (shrimp, lobster tail, bacon, broccoli, goat cheese, avocado, grilled tomato, smoked almonds, strawberries, blueberries). It was all delicious!
We took an Uber to the restaurant so we could both enjoy a few glasses of wine. Trying to get back was a different story. Elizabeth from Uber cancelled us at the last minute (we were already outside waiting) and we couldn’t get another Uber driver. A taxi wasn’t available. We were stuck. Wendy asked someone for a ride who indicated they were flying right back to Vegas. We lucked out with the next couple who drove us all the way home.
A fascinating couple who were in the area for the Super Bowl. They are both former Navy helicopter pilots and she is part of the Super Bowl Halftime show. We didn’t get their names, but after googling we believe they are Captain Joellen Drag Oslund, USNR (Ret) and Captain Dwayne Oslund, USNR (Ret). She is the U.S. Navy’s Fourth Woman Naval Aviator and First Woman Helicopter Pilot.
Thank you for your assistance and the wonderful conversation.
Mariposa
This Latin inspired grill was fabulous and made us cringe when we saw the USD to CAD conversion on the credit card after. Worth every penny though! The views were to die for.
We started with Ceviche de Camarones which are Ecuadorian style gulf shrimp ceviche with tostada chips. I usually love ceviche, but there was an aftertaste that I didn’t like. I had a Filet Mignon (with a mushroom gorgonzola chipotle sauce) and Wendy had a Ribeye. It was the BEST steak I’ve ever had. We had two sides: roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash as well as steamed kale with caramelized onions and beeler’s bacon. Delicous! We wrapped it up with Prickly Pear Cheesecake (on cookie crust and with pomegranate sauce).
McDonald’s
There is a McDonald’s in this world with a BLUE sign!
The Vault
I enjoyed this lunch we had at the vault. We started with Fried Mushroom Ravioli (spring mix, truffle oil, creamy pesto & truffle sauce) and Dynamite Shrimp (jumbo tempura shrimp, chipotle aioli, sweet thai chili sauce, balsamic reduction, asian vegetables, spring mix). Our entree was Blackened Salmon (white rice, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, dill cream sauce). Jared was our waiter and I’d like to come back here next trip.
Clear Creek Trading Company
What a cool place! One of the last fully functioning trading posts, it features items from over 30 Tribes. The gentlemen were very gracious and allowed us to take photos inside knowing we couldn’t take a lot of the items home across the border. If I thought I’d get away with it though …
Sedona Main Street
Check out the official Sedona Tourism Bureau for more on Sedona!
Hilton Vacation Club Sedona Summit
We had the 2 bedroom Sunset Suite all to ourselves ~ over 1,100 sq.ft. to relax in! Each room had a King sized bed and an ensuite and a massive balcony. The great thing with having our own kitchen is we picked up groceries and didn’t need to eat out all the time. We were well stocked with wine too.
Burgers
The drive back and forth to Phoenix was scenic. We hit In-N-Out Burger when we landed and it was divine. On the way back we saw that Sonic was a drive in burger place so we stopped there. Growing up in Fort McMurray we used to have an A&W drive in where the tray was placed on your window. Not at Sonic! No tray, just given a take out bag. They also did NOT have a bathroom which was a problem for us after a 2 hour drive. I’ll stick with only In-N-Out Burgers next time!
Jackie is “Mom” to one amazing son, an IT professional and an obsessed traveller. She spends her time reading, golfing at Ladies League and implementing software projects. Jackie has travelled to all 7 continents and 90 countries and is always planning the next destination and adventure!
It all sounds and look spectacular ❣️❣️So happy you girls enjoyed your little getaway 🥰
Yes we did! Going to do the run again next year.