L'Auberge
de
Sedona
As
Arizona
getaways
go,
Sedona’s
not hard
to love.
Far from
the heat
and
sprawl
and
traffic
of
Phoenix,
it’s a
hundred
miles
north,
and
three
thousand
feet
higher
up, in
an
entirely
different
landscape
— one of
stunning
red
rocks
and
dramatic
mountain
sunlight.
It’s a
bit of a
cult
destination,
in both
senses
of the
word —
new age
types
come to
be near
the high
desert
“spiritual
vortices,”
and more
traditional
holidaymakers
flock to
low-key,
upscale
retreats
like
L’Auberge
de
Sedona.
L’Auberge’s location on the edge of Oak Creek is a geographical asset used to great advantage, from trout fishing or duck feeding to creekside coffee-and-a-book nooks that feel like elegant outdoor living rooms. Private cottages on the creek’s banks are the resort’s crowning glory, outfitted with wood-burning fireplaces; lodge rooms are smaller, though still spacious, and come with private balconies or patios. The look is an eclectic blend, an American-southwest-meets-Provence-farmhouse hybrid, with some Adirondack influence thrown in for class.
In keeping with the resort’s name, the restaurant offers French-inspired cuisine crafted from garden-fresh produce, not to mention a champagne brunch on Sundays. If six-course meals, crackling fires, forest-shaded cottages, and packs of baby ducklings don’t have you sufficiently relaxed, massages and spa treatments are on offer at a creekside cabana. More exhilarating activities, like jeep tours and hot-air balloon rides, are booked on request, and Sedona’s restaurants, galleries and shops are a leisurely stroll away.
