Evaluate: Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort (Arizona, USA)

Wednesday newsletters all the time characteristic a lodge or flight evaluate.

Right this moment: Evaluate of Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort (Arizona, USA)

A primary of its variety in North America, Ambiente, a Panorama Resort is uniquely designed to mix in with the paranormal pink rocks of Sedona, Arizona, providing visitors the chance to expertise and embrace the pure magnificence that surrounds them in one of many world’s most beautiful areas. Opened in spring 2023, the brand new Ambiente Resort is comprised of 40 cubed-shaped visitor rooms (referred to as atriums) which are elevated above the bottom by metal piers and constructed utilizing floor-to-ceiling, bronze-tinted glass and matte-charcoal and rusted metallic. At nightfall, the tinted glass replicate the character round it creating beautiful, mirrored silhouettes. The atriums’ glossy and up to date design embodies elegant minimalism and the utmost in luxurious lodging. Onsite amenities embrace a pool, spa and tremendous eating restaurant. Ambiente is a member of the Main Motels of the World.

Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort, options in my high 10 listing of the finest luxurious motels within the American Southwest.

Have you ever ever stayed at Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort? If that’s the case, what was your expertise? Go away a remark.

On this evaluate (extra information and photographs under my YouTube video):

PROS & THINGS I LIKE

• Opened in spring 2023, Ambiente, a Panorama Resort has already earned a fame as probably the greatest motels in Sedona. Situated in Arizona’s excessive desert below the towering southwestern rim of the huge Colorado Plateau, the small metropolis of Sedona is a well-known throughout the globe for is spectacular pink sandstone formations, which type a preferred backdrop for a lot of actions, starting from religious pursuits to dozens of mountain climbing and mountain biking trails. Traditionally, Sedona was a rural ranching neighborhood situated far off the overwhelmed path, however its unsurpassed pure magnificence turned nationally identified via the movement image trade. Right this moment, commercials and tv exhibits nonetheless are filmed within the unsettled areas surrounding this metropolis, which yearly attracts greater than three million vacationers from around the globe.

• Overlooking the protected protect of Coconino Nationwide Forest, Ambiente Sedona sits on a 3 acres of plot, surrounded by town’s most iconic pink rock monoliths, together with the Steamboat, Chimney, Espresso Pot and Snoopy Rock formations. Upon arrival, visitors are ushered via a monolithic picket door right into a fashionable foyer the place a flooring–to-ceiling glass wall and adjoining commentary deck put the sweeping pink rock views on full show. The 2-story glass and metallic foyer constructing serves because the check-in space, full with a visitor lounge and commentary deck, boutique reward store, assembly rooms and workplaces, and a spa. As soon as check-in is full, an elevator delivers visitors to the bottom flooring the place they tour the property by way of an electrical automobile earlier than arriving at their personal Atrium.

• On the middle of Ambiente Sedona is an out of doors lagoon-shaped pool (with a built-in Jacuzzi) which is situated proper subsequent to a pavilion housing the lodge’s signature restaurant, Forty1. Forty1 contains a full-service kitchen serving à la carte breakfast and dinner each day, in addition to an indoor/out of doors bar full with a number of TVs and ample seating. The restaurant presents a seasonal a la carte menu which is impressed by pure natural elements from the native Verde Valley. Instantly adjoining to the restaurant, an elevated deck options fireplace pits, cozy lounge seating and programming like nightly stargazing. Additionally poolside, visitors will discover a customized Airstream that has been remodeled and reimagined into The Drifter, a separate culinary vacation spot serving lunch and poolside fare each day.

• Ambiente Sedona has a robust concentrate on wellbeing. Housed inside the primary foyer constructing is Velvet, an intimate, three-room spa providing remedies that completely combine locally-sourced elements embodying the therapeutic properties of Sedona. Genuine parts of conventional spa, earthy textures, clear elements, and fashionable improvements are artistically intertwined to create distinctive spa experiences. Every spa remedy begins with a number of a novel ZENTS scent mix that might be used for the therapeutic massage. All visitors additionally obtain a vial of the mix as a present on the finish of the remedy. The Velvet Spa additionally has two experiential areas that intention to offer highly effective well-being for each physique and thoughts. One in all them is the Darkish Sky Lounge, an interactive sound lounge surrounded by the celestial evening sky, and the opposite one the O2 Soaking Tub Lounge, which options lovely Japanese-style heat baths. There’s additionally a cute little sauna room, which is situated proper exterior the spa space.

• Designed by a group of award-winning architects together with Stephen Thompson of Architect Studio and ASUL Architects, Ambiente Sedona was constructed with a deep respect for the surroundings. Utilizing sustainable strategies and and an natural deisgn, the resort’s fashionable structure enhances the neighboring surroundings and minimizes the impression on the land because it was constructed across the pure vegetation and topography, requiring much less lower and fill. At preliminary look, all the particular person buildings, from the Atriums to the foyer and poolside lounge, look like floating amidst the panorama because the constructions replicate the environment with using bronzed glass. Ambiente goals to be Sedona’s main instance of sustainable tourism and progressive lodge design that promotes long-term vibrancy inside the neighborhood.

• Ambiente Sedona is owned and operated by a native household, Michael Stevenson and his two daughters, Jennifer Might and Colleen TeBrake. After serving within the US Military, Mike, at age 26, and his spouse Kathleen moved to Sedona to work at his father’s restaurant. In 1973, Mike launched into his calling to fulfil his dream of operating his personal enterprise by investing in The Purple Rock Motel situated on the fringe of Oak Creek Canyon. Sadly, only one quick 12 months later, that dream ended as he was compelled to declare chapter. In 2016, in a unprecedented flip of occasions, Michael was capable of buy a wonderful piece of property. After strolling the pure panorama of pinion pines, pure washes, and pink rock formations along with his daughter Jennifer Might a number of occasions, they knew immediately that the surroundings inside deserved one thing very particular. That day, the imaginative and prescient for Ambiente was born, reigniting Mike’s dream from over 40 years in the past.

• Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort is a member of the Main Motels of the World (LHW). The latter is an unique assortment of greater than 400 luxurious motels and resorts in over 80 nations. LHW doesn’t personal motels; it moderately presents a reservation service for unbiased motels and helps gross sales and advertising and marketing, promoting and public relations, monetary companies, high quality management, and lodge inspections for its member properties. LHW has many iconic properties in its portfolio, resembling such because the 12 Apostles Resort in Cape City, The Datai Langkawi in Malaysia, Resort Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, Le Sirenuse in Positano (Italy), Il Sereno Lake Como (Italy), and the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland. LHW additionally has its personal loyalty program, which permits visitors to gather factors at LHW properties and spend them at no cost nights at LHW motels & resorts.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

• Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort is situated proper subsequent to a main freeway, which tends to get busy through the day (the site visitors slows down at evening). The resort’s designers have finished their utmost finest to distract the visitors from the presence of the close by freeway and to masks the noise with vegetation, babbling creeks and background music. However regardless of all these efforts, you may nonetheless hear the highway in some components of the resort, even inside some atriums (particularly these atriums that again the freeway and people on the higher a part of the hilly panorama). The freeway noise considerably spoils the resort’s peacefulness and tranquility, particularly while you’re on the rooftop deck of your atrium.

• Ambiente Sedona contains a considerably unusual format, because the atriums are constructed very shut along with their home windows dealing with both the walkways or the opposite atriums. Consequently, most atriums don’t get pleasure from nice views, apart from the few, so referred to as ‘panorama atriums’ on the property’s northern edge (which get pleasure from views of the forest and the encircling grandiose surroundings). For instance, I stayed in a ‘forest atrium’ throughout my vacation however as you may see on my photographs, it didn’t provide any forest view in any respect (moderately a view of the close by atriums and a few mountains within the distance). Additionally, whereas privateness isn’t a difficulty through the day due to the atrium’s bronze-tinted one-way-vision glass, you’ll want to shut your curtains at evening as soon as you turn your lights on (to keep away from others having a direct view into your bed room).

• Ambiente, a Panorama Resort doesn’t have its personal health club. However with direct entry to greater than 300 km (200 miles) of mountain climbing and biking trails in Sedona in addition to premier mountaineering, out of doors journey and leisure actions, there isn’t a want for an onsite health middle, and as an alternative Ambiente encourages visitors to discover the outside by providing mountain bike leases and mountain climbing excursions. The lodge additionally boasts unique entry to the Adobe Jack Path system, a reasonable 2.7 km ( 1.7-mile) hike that connects to an extra seven miles of trails famend for the picturesque surroundings displayed alongside the way in which. For individuals who want to discover inside lodge grounds, extra wellness trails weave all through the location with designated spots to cease and observe instructed workouts that promote general wellness.

• Ambiente Sedona doesn’t come low cost and ranks among the many most costly motels within the Sedona space. The room fee begins round $1100 USD per evening for a star atrium (lowest room class) and rises to greater than $2000 USD per evening for a panorama atrium (the most costly room class and the one room kind coming with a view). It’s fairly insane while you assume that these charges come near what you’d pay for a 5-star lodge within the Maldives however I suppose that’s the brand new commonplace within the Sedona space. On a optimistic word, room charges embrace mini-bar (snacks & non-alcoholic drinks), Sedona health middle entry (offsite), valet parking, Audi RS e-tron GT concierge automobile transfers (accessible for airport and native attraction pick-up & drop-off) and free WiFi.

MY VERDICT

• Location: 6/10
• Design: 8/10
• Pool: 7/10
• Rooms: 8/10
• Meals: 8/10
• Breakfast: 8/10
• Spa: 7/10
• Service: 9/10
• Wow issue: 9/10
• Worth for cash: 6/10
• General expertise: good 7.6/10

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

• Get monetary savings: get complimentary VIP perks at Ambiente Sedona when reserving by way of Virtuoso (e.g. each day breakfast, room improve, early check-in, late check-out and $100 USD resort credit score

• Get monetary savings: Ambiente Sedona is a member of  The Main Motels of the World (LHW) and participates in LHW’s loyalty program Leaders Membership, which permits visitors to gather factors at LHW properties and spend them at no cost nights at LHW motels & resorts (together with Ambiente).

• Get monetary savings: learn right here my suggestions for getting the most effective deal at a luxurious lodge like Ambiente Sedona (and/or obtain many free perks).

• Learn my suggestions for getting ready your journey in time.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Sedona is a four-season out of doors playground. Many individuals plan on visiting within the spring (March & Might) and fall (September to November) to get pleasure from good climate for out of doors exploration; nevertheless, you may actually beat the crowds and actually expertise the serenity of Sedona within the winter.  Sedona’s excessive elevation retains it principally insulated from the scorching warmth Arizona is legendary for in summer season.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest airport to Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort is Sedona Airport (KSEZ) which is 2 miles (3 km) away. Flagstaff Airport is the closest small industrial airport to Sedona which is 25 miles (40 km) or a scenic 40 minute drive. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is the closest main worldwide airport (roughly 2 hours away by automobile).

PHOTOS

Right here’s a number of my photographs of Ambiente Sedona, a Panorama Resort. To view extra lodge photographs (together with breakfast, lunch and dinner), click on right here.

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