who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

DH and i are planning our 1 yr anniv trip for August. we initially wanted to do Napa Valley and then drive down the coast of CA, but then i got this idea to go to Sedona (specifically a place called Enchantment Resort ... it looks SO beautiful!! and my mom and cousin have been there and rave about it).

I thought maybe we could do both in 1 trip, but it just isnt feasible, time wise and financially. i am leaning towards Sedona (with day trips to grand canyon, jeep tours, etc), DH is leaning towards Napa.

SO ... does anyone have any suggestions, feedback, opinions, personal expereinces, etc to share that can help our decision??

thanks!

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

We went to Scottsdale for our first anniversary and did a day trip to Sedona. We came back wishing that was where we spent our entire trip. The landscape was beautiful. The village was really cute and had several restaurants.

DH would live there if we could.

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

It can get unbearably hot in Sedona, so I voted for California. I am living in CA right now and wish I could take a vacation up and down the coast. August is one of the best beach months.

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

dh and I have been to Sedona about two or three times, always in the winter. We love it there. If you like to hike and be outdoors or off-roading (rent a SUV) its a great place.
The last time we were there we took a plane ride to the grand canyon west,( I even got to fly the plane for 5-10 minutes) which was really cool since we have been to the north rim of the grand canyon a year before.
I've never been to napa valley so I can't compare the two.
I think it depends on what the two of you are into!

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

I have been to Napa Valley 2x , second time was with fh. It is beautiful place to visit. The vineyards are beautiful( best one was the Francis Coppola vineyard). They have a lot of little stores and B and Breakfast places in Napa. Another option is staying in Monterey, Ca. John Steinbeck lived there. I liked it better then Napa. You could rent a car and drive the Pacific ocean. The scenery is awesome.

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

I've been to both places and I highly recommend both. But since your trip will be in August, I would say go to Napa 'cuz the weather will be nicer. It might be too hot in Sedona. If weather is not a factor, it depends on what kind of trip you want to make.

We are wine enthusiasts and had a fabulous time touring and tasting the wines in the Napa/Sonoma area - some of the wineries are just beautiful. There's also spa places in Calistoga - we did the famed 'mud baths' together which was quite an experience . We also did the drive along the CA coast which was great.

We went to Sedona this past January and it was quite pleasant as the temperature was in the 60's and we walked/hiked around the beautiful red rocks. This was low season so it wasn't packed at all. This is more outdoorsy - active experience than the Napa trip. The little towns around this area is very nice to visit.

Either place will be a great trip.

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

thanks so much for your replies!

i knew it could get hot in sedona, but i heard that because of the elevation it doesnt get as hot as the rest of AZ ... is that true??

we also plan on taking a vacation next feb (prime season since im a teacher) so we can do one of these trips then, also.

eta: i got this off the resort's site, but i can see it as an inaccurate lure!

'At an elevation of 4500 feet, Sedona enjoys moderate weather year round...'

Re: who has been to sedona, AZ and/or Napa Valley? help/advice needed, please!

I found Sedonna to be MUCH more comfortable temperature wise then Scottsdale.

It was about 105 in Scottsdale and probably in the hi-70's/low 80's in Sedonna and even cooler at the Grand Canyon (30 in the morning )

This was the third week of sept.


Check Fodors or weather.com for average temps of different areas.