My daughter and I recently visited Sedona, AZ. It is an absolutely lovely place to vacation. We stayed at the Southwest Inn and it was a perfect choice. The management and staff treated us like family and made sure all of our needs were met from a comfortable room, on-site breakfast in the morning, restaurant choices and directions, tour scheduling and suggestions and where to find anything we needed day or night. They actually watched over us in the nicest possible way. It was like being at home - away from home - and we found the extra attention comforting. Our room couldn't have been nicer. It was spacious and beautiful with every comfort provided. We will definitely go back!

We spent 5 nights at the Southwest Inn to celebrate our anniversary. When we arrived a chilled bottle of cider was waiting in our room along with a card that the staff all signed. This was the beginning of a fantastic stay in Sedona. The staff were all friendly and helpful; the breakfast was good; the view from the balcony was awesome.

Sedona is one of those places where the magnificence of the landscape is more than enough to offset the clutter of cheap souvenir shops, awful traffic and long lines. “Uptown” Sedona is the traffic infested commercial center. Southwest Inn is located “Downtown” along US89A, a few miles to the west in a still busy but far less congested commercial area. This is a well run and classy little place that makes a nice base for enjoying the many things Sedona has to offer.

WHAT WAS GOOD: Despite being along a busy commercial strip, the grounds were very relaxing as a result of several bubbling fountains and other water features, nice plantings, and lots of cool southwestern style decorative touches....The second floor king suite was spacious and comfortable, with a very large bathroom, a good sized living room and bedroom and a nice balcony. Furnishings were simple but very nice, far more home style than your standard motel. The gas fireplace is a nice bonus....Though not unobstructed, views of the surrounding red rock landscape are very inspiring....An excellent full self-service breakfast is served upstairs above the main lobby in a spacious room that’s large enough to accommodate guests in a non chaotic manner even at peak times. Three PC’s are set up in a small office next to the breakfast area, providing free internet access....There’s a small pool and Jacuzzi on site. Staff members were consistently friendly and helpful.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: Too bad the Jacuzzi jets were broken throughout our two-day stay. A late day soak in the pleasantly cool spring temperatures would have been great....There was a considerable amount of renovation going on during our stay, resulting in lots of service vehicles, plenty of furniture and equipment movement, and just a minor degree of disorder.

THINGS TO KNOW: You could probably get away without a car in Uptown Sedona but not here. Reaching anything from the inn would require wheels....The property is roughly on a ninety degree angle from the road, the office being closest to highway and the units toward the back near the pool, the furthest. Units toward the back would tend to have the most privacy and be least likely to encounter road noise....Second floor balconies have decent views of the red rocks (beyond the parking lot and surrounding structures); first floor sitting areas do not....Strangely, the Jacuzzi is physically separated from the pool area, requiring a short walk. There’s an ample supply of towels at both locations....There are several good restaurants just a short distance from the inn along US89A....Uptown Sedona is a five to ten minute drive.

BOTTOM LINE: If you don’t mind a little separation from the center of town (a good thing, in my opinion), this is an excellent choice. Pick this place if you’re looking for clean, comfortable and relaxing accommodations with an elegant touch, without the amenities of a pricier full service resort.

We stayed here for 5 nights the end of April in the Mission King room. Quite a large bathroom, lots of closet space, big balcony, and the whole place is spotless. Groundskeepers and service staff were constantly sweeping and painting and tidying up -- clearly the owners take pride in their property. It is a very quiet location and the traffic noise dies right off at night -- we were able to leave our balcony door open while we slept. We found all the staff, from check-in to the concierge to maid service very helpful and friendly. We couldn't get the DVD player to work one morning, and called the front desk at 8:30 a.m, there was someone there in less than a minute to help us! The breakfast is quite good, although it doesn't vary a great deal, you won't go away hungry. The coffee is great, and the breakfast room attendant is a sweetheart who really does make you feel like a guest in her "home". There are 3 stations to access the internet FOR FREE, so people can check out tourist info or get their e-mail. Can't comment on the pool or hot tub as we never used them. I don't know why people keep complaining about the view -- you only see the parking lot if you look down! Look up and to the horizon, they are hills/mountains after all. Our only complaint is the bed was too soft, and I am sure that if we had mentioned it to the front desk, they would have switched it with another one, that is how accomodating we found them to be. I didn't think of it until our last night, though. There is cold iced tea and lemonade and coffee available all day in the breakfast room as well. Overall, maybe a bit overpriced but we were quite happy with our stay there.

The best and least expensive Mexican food we had was at Casa Bonita in the Basha's food shopping center. Barking Frog was good but over-priced, although the guacamole made fresh at tableside is outstanding! The Heartline Cafe has a lovely garden/patio and the food is very good there as well.