Sedona and the Adobe Grand Villas
A Sedona and Phoenix Trip on Miles and Points
- Southwest Airlines to Arizona
- Silvercar Phoenix Rental Experience
- Sedona and the Adobe Grand Villas
- Phoenix and the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch
Scrolling through the Sedona hotel listings on Trip Advisor, you’ll see there are plenty of accommodations from which to pick.
Whether your taste runs Day’s Inn or L’Auberge, you’ll be able to find a hotel that will fit your preferences and budget.
When planning our trips, we always look first at hotels with which we have points that can get us free stays.
As I mentioned in the first post, we’ve been eyeing Sedona as a destination for a while now and knew there was a Hyatt property we’d definitely consider when it came time to book.
That time now here, the Hyatt Pinon Pointe was the first hotel we checked.
The Hyatt Pinon Point is first and foremost a Hyatt Residence Club – or, for those unaware, a timeshare property. However, even though its primary focus is on Residence Club members, it does offer available “condos” to the general public when those rooms are not in use. Which means, as with any other Hyatt property, you check availability on Hyatt’s website and book at the going rate. And, for those with World of Hyatt points, these rooms/condos can be booked with points as well – award availability permitting.
The only downside to using points at a Hyatt Residence Club…you usually have to call to check award availability rather than having it show, and be bookable, online.
Which is what we did, but, alas, there was no award availability for the dates we were going to be in Sedona.
As an informational aside, earlier calls to check award pricing at the Pinon Point property had per night award rates of 15,000 World of Hyatt points. Not bad. However, that was a few years ago, so I can’t guarantee that’s Hyatt’s current award pricing for this property.
Oh well, with Hyatt no longer an option, the hotel search was back on.
While there’s a nice looking Hilton property at which we could have used Hilton Honors points to stay for free, we put that on the back burner and decided to check the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal for hotel options using our Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Sure enough, there were a number of properties listed on the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal – all of which could be booked (for free) using Ultimate Rewards points to pay.
It took a while to narrow the options, but we finally settled on the Adobe Grand Villas for our two-night Sedona stay.
What It Cost
While we always try to get the best bang for our buck (or points), sometimes it’s worth it to splurge a little.
And in this case, we did splurge – points-wise – by selecting the Adobe Grand Villas.
For a 2-night stay, the room we booked would have cost us $983. That’s a lot for a hotel room. Luckily that’s not what we paid.
By booking via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, and using Ultimate Rewards points (redeemed via the Chase Sapphire Preferred card at 1.25 cents/point) we actually “paid” 78,635 points for our 2-night stay.
Still a lot, but, as I said, it was a splurge – one that upon departing, we both agree was well worth the price in points.
Our only regret…that we hadn’t stayed three nights instead of just two.
The Adobe Grand Villas
The Adobe Grand Villas is a boutique bed and breakfast property with approximately 18 uniquely decorated villas from which to choose.
We were booked into the Sagebrush Villa and were blown away when we first stepped into the room.
This was no typical hotel room, that’s for sure.
The main room included a king bed, fireplace, sitting area, small dining table and kitchenette.
The kitchenette included a sink, microwave, mini-refrigerator, coffee maker, plates, glasses/cups and utensils as well as a bread maker. A variety of snacks and drinks were provided…all free of charge.
Upon arrival, a fresh-baked loaf of bread was waiting. You could have a new loaf baked each day if you wanted. The bread really hit the spot since we had traveled all day, and just finished a 2-hour drive from Phoenix getting us in around 7:00 p.m.
The bath/dressing part of the room was huge. It included a jacuzzi tub with fireplace, a table and chair, separate water closet, two-sink vanity, and my absolute favorite, a huge shower with a very unique “shower head.”
At first I wasn’t sure about the way water was dispensed, but it actually worked very well. It reminded me of the old west where the cowboy pulled a rope which overturned a bucket of water onto his head.
The vanity area included everything you’d need in a really impressive presentation.
And each morning, a complimentary breakfast was served in the reception/dining area. You could also have the food delivered to your room. While the menu was set each morning, if what was offered didn’t appeal to you, the chef was there to prepare just about anything you’d like.
The Adobe Grand Villas was a really impressive, unique property that added to the overall appeal of the Sedona area.
Sedona
I could go on and on about Sedona, but this post is more about the Adobe Grand Villas and how we were able to stay for free.
Bottom line, Sedona is a fantastic location, with unbelievable views framing a charming, upscale, town with just enough western feel to remind you where you are.
Sedona isn’t too big, so getting around is fairly easy.
Situated about a 5-minute drive from the main strip of Sedona, the Adobe Grand Villas property isn’t as centrally located as other properties, but we found that to be no problem at all.
There appeared to be plenty of parking in the central downtown area, both on the main street and in nearby lots. And, if you didn’t feel like driving, Uber was an option. In fact, we used Uber twice to go to and from our Pink Jeep tour, the main office of which is located in the middle of downtown.
Pink Jeep
If you make your way to Sedona, you really need to take a Pink Jeep tour. We took the Broken Arrow Tour, which, most people seemed to agree, is the best for first-timers. The scenery through which you drive is absolutely stunning.
And there’s a reason the tours are conducted using 4x4s.
You will get jostled during parts of the tour, and if you’re not already familiar with what a Jeep 4×4 can do, you’ll learn first hand via some eye-opening ascents and descents over the rough terrain.
While not inexpensive…I believe our 2-hour tour was around $240 for the two of us…it’s an experience you don’t want to miss while in the Sedona area.
There are other tour groups who are likely less expensive, but everyone we talked to said Pink Jeep was the best operator, with exclusive rights to specific national park trails. Check Groupon for savings deals on the Pink Jeep tours if price is keeping you from booking with them.
Wrap Up
Sedona was a fantastic experience. The red rocks are just magnificent to behold. And the beauty and charm of the area will leave you wanting more. Which is why we both agree another visit is in the offing.
And while the location is a stunner, the Adobe Grand Villas was the icing on an incredible cake. In fact, I would say the Villa was a destination in and of itself. Its unique character – a major step up from a traditional hotel room – made the trip that much more enjoyable.
And that is why I find the Miles and Points hobby so valuable. We would never have considered a property such as the Adobe Grand Villas if we’d not had points to pay the way.
And while we’d have likely made our way to Sedona someday, it was points covering our airfare and accommodations that made booking this trip sooner, rather than later, possible.
Whether your travel desires are aspirational or as simple as visiting far-flung friends and family, Miles and Points can help make them happen.
images were taken by, and are the property of, the author.
