We spent 2 months driving from Seattle to Sedona at the end of 2021. Being out of peak season gave us a bit of breathing room to wing it and book hotels last minute, but we regretted that approach as we started looking at where we’d stay in Sedona. Hotel availability was surprisingly low and prices were surprisingly high. We later learned (at a Jeep rental place in town) that Sedona doesn’t really have a “low” season.
For us, the main goal was to stay close to Sedona’s major hikes, photo spots, and activities. We knew how important it would be to get an early start each morning before trailhead parking lots filled up. We also wanted easy access to low-key dining options, and we didn’t want our 8-night stay to break the bank – there wasn’t much left in the budget by then and we still needed to eat!
To be as close as possible to Sedona’s famous hikes, we discounted Cottonwood, the Village of Oak Creek and Oak Creek Canyon. That left Uptown Sedona and West Sedona as our only real options. Next, we looked at hotel prices and West Sedona was generally more affordable. Finally, we looked for a hotel in West Sedona offering a blend of decent value, quality and amenities – and we settled on Hilton Vacation Club Sedona Summit.
Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travelers take better trips. Read more about us.
Why trust us with your Sedona lodging? We spent 8 nights at a West Sedona hotel in December 2021, explored the area, and figured out where we’d stay next time. As always, every photo in this guide is ours.
The hotel was okay – our apartment-style room did the job, it was super cheap, and to be fair the outdoor hot tubs were great. But we kept being asked if we wanted to sign up for a timeshare, and that got old. We wouldn’t stay there again. That said, we thought West Sedona was ideal for our first visit. It was quiet, the roads were empty, a lot of popular hikes were nearby, and we could easily drive to restaurants. If it was our first time again, we’d happily book a hotel in West Sedona.
But now that we’ve ticked off a lot of Sedona’s top attractions, next time we’d book a hotel in Uptown for its walkability and atmosphere factors. It’s also got independent stores, art galleries, small museums, and a dense clustering of restaurants that other areas around Sedona are lacking. Cottonwood would be better if we were taking a wine-specific trip, Oak Creek Canyon would work if we wanted a more secluded crowd-free area, and the Village of Oak Creek would be our solid low-budget backup if we needed to keep costs down.
In this guide we cut right to the chase and show you the 5 areas we’d consider staying in Sedona, with pros and cons for each area based on our experiences, and a helpful map at the end. Let’s dive in!
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SEDONA Planning
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Our Favorite Hotels
If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to read this full guide, here are our top hotel recommendations for first time visitors to Sedona based on a perfect blend of location, quality, value for money, previous guest reviews and our own experiences. These are all hotels we’d happily book ourselves:
🏨 Matterhorn Inn: We think this is one of the best mid-range hotels in Sedona with a superb Uptown location, within walking distance to restaurants, stunning red rock views, and affordable rooms. It’s not ultra luxurious, but it’s got the right balance between cost, quality and location.
🏨 Arabella Hotel: This is one of the most popular and trendy hotels in Sedona that we think would work for couples, families, solo travelers or groups. It’s central in Uptown, well-reviewed, and priced on the upper end of mid-range without breaking the ceiling into luxury.
🏨 Sky Ranch Lodge: Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular in Sedona, so we’d love to stay at this top rated lodge perfectly located at the top of Airport Mesa in West Sedona to simply step out of our room at dawn or dusk and enjoy the show.
🏨 The Wilde Resort and Spa: A full service spa, great restaurant, rooftop terrace, pool, superb West Sedona location, and reasonable prices make this one of the most complete hotels in the area. If we timed it well for prices, it would be high on our list.
🏨 Adobe Grand Villas: Fair warning, this one is more expensive. But if we were planning a splurge in West Sedona, this is where we’d do it. The level of attention looks amazing and the themed rooms look awesome. This is where we’d stay for an experience, rather than just a place to crash.
Our favorite hotels in Sedona are all excellent options with sky-high guest ratings, but we hope you love to research and learn about a place before you visit like we do. Keep reading to see what makes each of Sedona’s popular neighborhoods a good or bad area to stay for your trip. Within each area we’ll show you the top rated cheap, mid-range and luxury hotels.
Here’s a summary of what we’re going to show you:
| Area | Price | Vibe | Why | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uptown | $$$ – $$$$$ | Touristy / lively | Walkability, central | Luxury, foodies |
| West Sedona | $$ – $$$$ | Local / laid-back | Trailhead access | Mid-range, hikers |
| Oak Creek Canyon | $ – $$$$ | Secluded / outdoorsy | Cabins, nature | Families with young kids |
| Village of Oak Creek | $ – $$ | Quiet / affordable | Best value | Low budgets, golfers |
| Cottonwood | $ – $$ | Unhurried / low-key | Wine country | Wine lovers, non-hikers |
Uptown Sedona (Walkability)
Okay, let’s start with the most popular place to stay in Sedona for first-timers – Uptown. This is Sedona’s lively downtown area with lots of places to eat and shop clustered together within walking distance. We spent a few lunch times and evenings in Uptown, and our overall take home was that it felt like a combination of luxurious, busy, expensive, fun, lively, and a bit tourist-trappy but not in a tacky way.
We enjoyed eating at Outlaw Grille, The Hudson, The Vault and Creekside. And we enjoyed a glass of wine at the only winery in Sedona proper, Winery 1912. Sedona’s most famous shopping area Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village is also very close by and we really liked it there. We took a December trip to Sedona, so the whole place was decked out with Christmas decorations. Finally, Uptown is closest to Cathedral Rock Trail, one of our favorites.
We’ll book our next Sedona hotel in Uptown to feel a bit more immersed into the atmosphere. Staying in West Sedona was perfect for hitting trails non-stop, but we barely had chance to see the “other side” of Sedona. And knowing hotels are more expensive in Uptown, we’d get organized and book a long way in advance to get better availability and rates.
Uptown’s downsides were what you’d expect in the most popular part of any touristy destination – crowds, traffic, expensive hotels, and busy restaurants. We think it’s the solid bet for most first timers, but we wouldn’t choose Uptown if we had a low budget, wanted to avoid crowds, or preferred a low-key stay.
💰 Cheap: If we wanted to stay in Uptown as cheaply as possible, we’d take a look at La Petite, Cedars Resort, Hyatt Vacation Club at Pinon Point, and our top pick Best Western Plus Arroyo Roble. Even for the more expensive Uptown area, we think these hotels can be affordable if booked far enough in advance.
💰💰 Mid-range: Uptown’s mid-range hotels are very strong. We’d love to book the Matterhorn Inn which we think is one of the best mid-range hotels in Sedona with excellent ratings and real red rock views. Sedona Uptown Suites would be a more affordable option, and both Whispering Creek and Inn Above Oak Creek look like fantastic bed and breakfasts. Any of these would be fantastic.
💰💰💰 Luxury: On the top end, we’d like to stay at one of Sedona’s most popular and trendy hotels called Arabella Hotel. Our backups would be the elegant but pricey L’Auberge de Sedona which regularly hosts events like weddings, and the unique El Portal which has themed rooms and a spa. They’re all totally different types of stay.
Our verdict: If money was no object, and we wanted to stay in the most central and lively neighborhood, Uptown would be the best place for us to stay in Sedona. It would be nice to walk to dinner and be able to have a few more drinks without worrying about driving home. It’s got the vibe, the location and the posh hotels for those who want overall experience more than just hiking red rock trails.
Pros
✅ Walkable to food
✅ Evenings out
✅ Central location
✅ Near Cathedral Rock
Cons
❌ Most congested area
❌ Expensive hotels
❌ Can be loud at night
❌ Parking is a nightmare
West Sedona (Balance)
We’d define West Sedona as basically anything west of the Y-shaped Uptown area, along highway 89a. It’s a much larger, more sprawling area where locals actually live and shops are more “normal” than touristy. It has strip malls with restaurants, fast food chains, grocery stores, jeep rentals, and a wide range of hotels.
We stayed at Hilton Vacation Club Sedona Summit on the western edges of West Sedona for 8 nights in December 2021. As we mentioned earlier, we wouldn’t stay there again, but we loved the quiet and secluded location. It was so easy to hop in the car and drive to trailhead parking lots before sunrise. Then it was just a few minutes drive east on 89a to reach low-key restaurants for dinner, which was all we wanted after long days on the trails.
We ate pizza at Pisa Lisa (next time we’d like to try Gerardo’s Pizzeria), delicious ramen at The Angel Kitchen, awesome hot dogs at Senor Bob’s, and breakfast at Coffee Pot Restaurant. And next time we’d like to try Layla’s Bakery Cafe for brunch. We also shopped at Safeway for snacks, drinks and packed lunches to pack for our hikes every day. Finally, we rented a jeep from Barlow Rentals to drive Sedona’s best jeep trails and it was the best decision we made on the trip.
Despite the slightly isolated feel and having to drive to reach anything at all, we really liked West Sedona for what we wanted – a quiet place to crash after jam-packed days exploring the red rocks. Honestly, we were so tired in the evenings it would have been a waste of money to spend more staying in Uptown when we wouldn’t have gone out in the evenings.
💰 Cheap: We stayed at the Hilton Vacation Club Sedona Summit and a few years on it still offers exceptional value. But if we wanted a cheap stay in West Sedona next time we’d book Arroyo Pinion Hotel which looks great. Our backups would be GreenTree Inn and Aiden by Best Western.
💰💰 Mid-range: Again, the mid-range category is very strong in West Sedona. Sky Ranch Lodge looks amazing and has stunning red rock views so it would be our top pick. But if we caught prices at a good time, The Wilde Resort and Spa also looks lovely and would be a solid alternative if we wanted a more complete hotel experience. Otherwise we’d happily book the upscale B&B Casa Sedona Inn, the highly rated Lantern Light Inn, or the great value Southwest Inn at Sedona.
💰💰💰 Luxury: If we had cash to splash in the quieter West Sedona area, we’d book the ultra-luxe and boutique Adobe Grand Villas. It looks idyllic and has near-perfect reviews. For something totally different we’d also consider the luxurious Enchantment Resort which is located inside Boynton Canyon, rare for one of the most popular hiking areas.
Our verdict: If we were going back to Sedona with a similar non-stop action itinerary, we’d definitely stay in West Sedona. It was easier, calmer, quieter and cheaper than Uptown. And we commented that it was definitely easier to access the majority of hikes, caves, jeep trails, and photo spots from West Sedona vs Uptown. So while Uptown was more central to everything, West Sedona was better for us getting into the red rocks early doors.
Pros
✅ Close to best hikes
✅ Local feel
✅ Quieter restaurants
✅ Value vs Uptown
Cons
❌ Need car for everything
❌ Lacks atmosphere
❌ Spread out
❌ Isolating for non-hikers
Oak Creek Canyon (Outdoorsy)
We drove through Oak Creek Canyon from the Grand Canyon to Sedona, stopping to hike West Fork Trail on the way in. It was a stunning drive on highway 89a, and it’s close to Slide Rock State Park which looks perfect for families with teenage kids or groups of friends. But we never thought about actually booking our hotel along the road entering Sedona from the northeast because it didn’t seem like it would be a proper part of the town and it would have been a lot more driving to access the major trailheads.
It was the right call for our first trip, but next time trailhead access wouldn’t be make or break, so if we fancied more of a nature or outdoorsy stay, we’d consider staying along Oak Creek Canyon. Now, there aren’t many hotel options – but the few that are available are in the trees near creeks filled with trout, they’re mostly secluded log cabin style lodgings, and they look great for families with younger kids who prefer a forest setting to an urban town.
From Uptown, it’s only 5 minutes to the southernmost and 15 minutes drive to the northernmost hotels along Oak Creek Canyon. So it really wouldn’t be too out of the way. And hotel prices are lower than Uptown. The downsides for us are a lack of places to eat (we didn’t eat there at all), being forced to drive on the fast highway 89a every morning and evening, and being sandwiched by tall walls inside a narrow canyon rather than being out in the open red rocks.
💰 Cheap: With a tight budget we’d book Oak Creek Terrace Resort, which has a vintage lodge feel and solid bang for your buck. Our backup would be the more rustic Don Hoel’s Cabins.
💰💰 Mid-range: For a detached log cabin stay we like the look of Canyon Wren Cabins, but the one we’d book is Junipine Resort which looks like it has cottage-style lodgings sleeping up to 6 people with incredible value for money. It could be perfect for families or multiple couples.
💰💰💰 Luxury: Our top pick in the luxury category would Briar Patch Inn which looks superb and is only 5 minutes drive from Uptown. Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek with detached cabins in the forest would be our backup.
Our verdict: We’d book a hotel somewhere along Oak Creek Canyon if we wanted to avoid the dense crowds in Uptown, stay in a forested log cabin, and still be super close to the main built up areas. That’s what it does well – it would give us peace and quiet, nature, and reasonable accessibility to food and hikes. But if we’re being honest we find it hard to see a scenario in which we’d choose Oak Creek Canyon over West Sedona.
Pros
✅ Dramatic setting
✅ Nature lovers
✅ Swimming holes
✅ True escapism
Cons
❌ Narrow canyon road
❌ Limited dining
❌ Patchy cell service
❌ Can flood in bad weather
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The Village Of Oak Creek (Budget)
On first look we said no way are we booking a hotel so far away from the action in Sedona. It turns out the Village of Oak Creek is only 13 minutes drive from Uptown. And in between? The awesome Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte hike, access to Cathedral Rock, the iconic Chapel of the Holy Cross, our favorite off-roading jeep route called Broken Arrow Trail, and a few high-end restaurants a bit closer to Uptown.
The village itself small, limited, and basically built around highway 179. But there are a few decent hotels at much cheaper rates, along with a surprising amount of well-regarded restaurants like Miley’s Cafe, Dellepiane, and Red Rock Cafe among plenty of others we’d love to try. It’s also home to four golf courses, so technically it could be the best place to stay near Sedona for anyone taking a golf trip.
Bell Rock is easily walkable and even Cathedral Rock can be accessed by walking a longer connecting trail straight from lodging in the Village of Oak Creek. That, along with the superior food options, makes it a much more likely place we’d book a hotel versus Oak Creek Canyon. And the fact that hotels in the village are significantly cheaper than Uptown or West Sedona, we think it’s a really solid option.
💰 Cheap: Low budget hotels are where the Village of Oak Creek excels. We’d compare prices and reviews at Bell Rock Inn, Hilton Vacation Club Ridge, Kokopelli Inn, Wildflower Inn at Bell Rock and Element by Marriott. A lot of solid options.
💰💰 Mid-range: With a bit more money available we’d look at A-frame chalets in Red Agave Resort, the high-end but affordable Cozy Cactus Inn, or the one we’d like to book call Las Posadas which has massive suites.
💰💰💰 Luxury: The more luxurious properties in Village of Oak Creek are more affordable than most mid-range hotels in Uptown. We’d love to stay at either The Penrose B&B or Canyon Villa B&B, both look excellent and are super close to Bell Rock Trail. Or for a more traditional luxury resort-style stay we’d book Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock.
Our verdict: If we wanted to Sedona on the cheap and none of the hotels in West Sedona or Uptown were in our price range, the next place we’d look is the Village of Oak Creek. No doubt. It’s not that from Uptown, and it’s actually closer to some of the most famous hikes on the south side of town. It has a good selection of quality restaurants and better value for money hotels.
Pros
✅ Great value
✅ Less traffic
✅ Quiet and relaxed
✅ Near Bell Rock
Cons
❌ 15 min drive to Uptown
❌ Further from best hikes
❌ Lacking soul
❌ No nightlife
Cottonwood (Wineries)
Okay, let’s finish with what we’d consider to be a bit of a wildcard option – Cottonwood. We know Cottonwood isn’t technically a neighborhood of Sedona, or even close enough to be considered an extension of the town. But we still think it’s a fantastic backup town for non-hikers visiting the region.
If being close to trailheads isn’t a priority, why not save a ton of money on hotels and be closer to other popular non-hiking attractions like the Verde Canyon Railroad, Tuzigoot, and tons of wineries on the Verde Valley wine trail? We spent a full day exploring Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood and Page Springs – and it was one of our favorite days from the trip.
Now, we know Cottonwood doesn’t have the same allure as Sedona. But it’s just a 20-minute drive away, so day trips into Sedona are totally doable. It’s quieter, more affordable, and way more low-key. Plus, there’s some great places to eat like Crema Craft Kitchen, Pepe’s Cafe, Eden, and the place we’d eat next time called Pizzeria Bocce. We enjoyed a quick wine tasting at Arizona Stronghold, but our favorites were over in Page Springs – Up the Creek for food and DA Ranch for wine.
💰 Cheap: On a low budget our top pick would be the Iron Horse Inn right in Cottonwood old town near the restaurants and wineries. Our backups would be Hampton Inn and Suites, SpringHill Suites, and Clarkdale Lodge.
💰💰 Mid-range: With a bit more money available we’d upgrade from Iron Horse Inn to Tavern Hotel right in Cottonwood old town for instant access to food and drinks. Or if we wanted to stay in the nearby “ghost town” of Jerome, we’d book Connor Hotel instead.
💰💰💰 Luxury: It’s slightly south of Cottonwood but the adobe-style retreat with views and personalized service called Origins B&B would be a fantastic place to stay on the upper end of budget. Similarly to mid-range, if we wanted to stay in nearby Jerome instead, the industrial-chic luxury The Clinkscale would be our top pick.
Our verdict: We think Cottonwood offers a fantastic alternate base for visiting the wider Sedona region. If we wanted to hike, we absolutely would not book a hotel in Cottonwood. But if our itinerary consisted of wine, relaxing, and ticking off attractions, there’s no reason we wouldn’t see what our money could get in Cottonwood or somewhere close by.
Pros
✅ Very affordable
✅ Charming area
✅ Restaurants, wineries
✅ Less crowded
Cons
❌ 25 min drive to Sedona
❌ Not “red rocks”
❌ Limited accommodation
❌ Not good for hikers
Sedona Neighborhoods Map
Map key:
- Green – Cheap hotels
- Red – Mid range hotels
- Blue – Luxury hotels
How to use this map: Click the map above to activate, then tap any hotel icon to see more information. See a list of all hotels and neighborhoods by clicking the arrow icon in the top left, or see a full version of the map by clicking the “view larger map” icon in the top right.
How to save this map: Click the small star next to the map title – this will add the map to your Google account. Open your Google Maps app, tap “saved”, then tap “maps” and open this map.
Where To Avoid Staying
Flagstaff: We wouldn’t book a hotel in Flagstaff with the intention of day tripping to Sedona several days in a row. One day trip in and out would be fine (typically along with another day trip to Grand Canyon South Rim). But Flagstaff to Sedona is a good 45-50 minutes drive on a narrow, winding road. And remember, that’s each way. Even if we only planned a 2 day Sedona trip, we’d still stay in Sedona for a night.
Camp Verde: Further south from Cottonwood near Montezuma Castle is a small area called Camp Verde that we’d avoid, no matter how cheap the hotels were. There’s nothing at all going on, and it’s even further from Sedona. We’d skip this area at all costs.
Anywhere else: Basically, anywhere else at all that we haven’t mentioned in our guide is a place we wouldn’t stay for visiting Sedona. That includes roadside hotels along I-17, anywhere else near Flagstaff, or anywhere south and west of Cottonwood.
Our Top Tips
View rooms: Sedona is one of few places we’ve been where the term “room with a view” would actually make a difference. Next time we go, we’ll try to book a room at a hotel that offers a genuine red rock view, and we won’t mind paying extra for it.
Check hotel location: A lot of hotels in surrounding areas like Village of Oak Creek or Oak Creek Canyon might list their address as Sedona. It’s crucial to actually check the exact location of the hotels on a map – start with ours above.
Independent hotels: Sedona is a place where smaller, boutique, and independent properties actually stand out above the typical hotel chains. This makes a nice change from always staying in a hotel ultimately owned by Hilton or Marriott.
Vortex marketing: Many hotels in Sedona lean heavily into the wellness, spirituality, vortex angle which may or may not be a draw. It’s worth checking spa menus, crystal bowls at breakfast and similar things within the theme. Here’s our guide on how to find Sedona’s vortex sites.
Weekday vs weekend: Some popular destinations have bigger midweek vs weekend price gaps at hotels than others. Unfortunately, Sedona is one of those with a huge polarizing difference. We’d definitely try to book a Monday-Friday trip rather than a Friday-Sunday trip.
Peak seasons: Hotels book up fast year-round in Sedona, but spring and fall are considered the peak seasons when they book up even faster. If we were planning a visit March-May or September-November, we’d be booking a long way in advance.
And finally, read our guide on how we book cheap hotels to see the easy steps you can follow to grab a cheaper room in Sedona.
Next Steps
We hope our neighborhoods guide helps you figure out where to stay in Sedona.
If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning video calls where we answer any questions you have, help you avoid tourist traps and plan out your entire Sedona itinerary step by step. See our packages and reviews.
Still researching for your trip?
- What to know about a first trip to Sedona
- Here are the top things to do in Sedona
- These are the unmissable hikes in Sedona
- Don’t miss these hidden Sedona caves
- Here’s our 1-5 days in Sedona itinerary
- This our ultimate 7-day Sedona itinerary
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Arizona travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.
Happy travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.