Condé Nast’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards Survey Sweepstakes is now on. You can rate your favorite cities, islands, hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, airlines, spas, and cruise ships. By voting you could win a trip to Las Vegas worth $10,00.00! Every year Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards showcase the world’s best travel experiences— thanks to the readers’ votes – and are published in the November issue.
We invite all our wonderful guests to vote for El Portal on Condé Nast Traveler! Share your stories and opinions of all your travels. Click on the link below to take the survey. Last year El Portal was honored to be voted as one of the Top 50 Small Hotels in the USA.
GRAND PRIZE: This year’s grand prize winner and guest will spend three over-the-top nights in Vegas’s LEED Gold–certified Aria, home to Sage, one of the city’s best new restaurants—a trip worth $10,000.
SECOND PRIZE: The second-prize winner and guest will travel through the majestic Canadian Rockies aboard a Rocky Mountaineer train – a plush two story coach, spending each of four nights at a different Fairmont Hotel along the way, and a summit helicopter ride—a journey valued at $8,500.
THIRD PRIZE: The third-prize winner and guest will choose a top city or island getaway worth up to $7,500.
El Portal Sedona Hotel is opening its garden to local “farmers.” Owner Steve Segner wants the community to come together, grow fruits and veggies, make gardening a social event!
El Portal offers Sedona accommodations unlike any other, providing a unique lodging experience. The luxury inn is located in the Arts and Crafts District; close to superb dining, shopping and hiking trails. This pet friendly bed and breakfast has pet patios for our canine guests!
Illeana Hoffman of TravelSquire.com stayed with us at El Portal and loved it! Read what she had to say about her trip to Sedona and stay at the luxury boutique hotel.
Here is an excerpt from her article…
“One of El Portal’s best features is the staff. They act as concierges as well as guides, customizing an itinerary to one’s personal choices. There are many activities available – hiking, rafting, and horseback riding — that can end in a cowboy cook-out at sunset or a delicious picnic hosted by your guide on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
From the moment we arrived, we knew we would return for another stay!”
To reserve your room call 1-800-313-0017, or you can book your room at this pet friendly Sedona hotel online!
“Be Surprised.”If you want a predictable resort with obsequious service and homogenous opulence, don’t come here. You can find that anywhere in the world. If you’d prefer a unique, personally tailored experience with a different kind of luxury delivered with casual integrity and a genuine “we can do that” attitude, try El Portal. It is no coincidence that it is listed among the top 50 small hotels in the world by Conde Nast, 2011. Give up your preconceptions of luxury and immerse yourself in an experience that will make you challenge your future vacations to measure up.
Room Tip: Unique rooms may make you want to choose a different room for every night! (DocAnn, Olathe, Kansas. Reviewed March 28, 2012 )
Take a Sedona Arizona vacation and stay with us at El Portal, apet friendly Sedona hotel. It is has received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Hotel rating. We are located in the heart of Sedona, and each guest suite includes a private entrance, patio, fireplace, whirlpool bath, entertainment center and DVD, WiFi, telephone, and more. Experience the dramatic views, relax in our romantic courtyard, shop the gift shops and galleries of the renowned Tlaquepaque arts and crafts village, or hike the red rocks. Guests at El Portal have access to uniquely personalized concierge services for Sedona and area throughout their stay. We can help you plan your Sedona Arizona vacation!
Go to Petapalooza on Saturday and find your pet mate! El Portal Sedona Hotel invites you to Petapalooza – the largest pet adoption event in the Valley! Many Central and Northern Arizona Humane Shelters and organizations will bring dogs, cats and maybe even a rabbit or two for adoptions. This incredible event takes place in Camp Verde at the Community Center in the gym, Saturday, March 31 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
This year’s theme is “Responsible Pet Ownership” with vendors and events focusing what you do once you take your new pet home. There will be presentations on animal health, pet-related products and services, with food and beverages available. There will also be exciting live demonstrations including dog performance and agility, pet therapy, little dog races, police dog demonstrations and flyball demonstrations by the Canine Musical Freestylers. It is more that just a pet adoption day, though that is the primary focus. There will be around 250 animals at this year’s Petapalooza, mostly cats and dogs but possibly a few rabbits,a guinea pig or two and, just maybe, a goat.
It is an all day event sponsored, every year, by Yavapai Broadcasting. It has become the largest pet adoption event in the valley.
Come by for the fun, find a new best friend – complete with a furry face and wagging tail, or cottonball tail and long ears. For more information or to help out call (928) 451-2795.
El Portal is a pet friendly bed and breakfast located in the heart of Sedona. We welcome your pet with a special treat basket, pet friendly rooms with pet yards. Call 1.800.313.0017 to reserve your pet friendly room now.
Please go to Petapalooza – there is a pet waiting just for your!
There is something special coming in April…Red Rock State Park’s most popular hike is back – the Moonlight Hike. These hikes are an unforgettable experience, an interpretive program led by a naturalist that allow you to enjoy the sunset and moonrise from an overlook and return by the light of the moon. Hikes begin Thursday, April 4 & Friday April 5.
The hike lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours, covering a distance of about 2 miles. Reservations must be made to receive a start time. It’s a good idea to get to the park about 30minutes prior to the hike – no late arrivals are allowed to join. You will need to bring water, a flashlight, wear suitable clothing (for the cool evenings) and good footwear.
It costs $5.00 per person and will be charged when you make your reservation (non-refundable unless the Park must cancel the hike after your arrival). There is also a $10.00 entrance fee to the Park for a car of four adults. Where: Red Rock State Park, 4050 Lower Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona. Phone: 928-282-6907.
Stay at El Portal Sedona Hotel and we can make your Moonlight Hike reservation for you. And we can help you with all your vacation planning. Our guests have access to incredible concierge services for Sedona and area. From our very ownjeep tour company to hot air balloon rides to whitewater rafting, the staff at this pet friendly Sedona hotel will help with maps, reservations, where to go, what to do, even set you up with a picnic lunch! Call 1-800-313-0017 for your Sedona Arizona vacation today!
Fresh, sustainable, local…that is what good food is all about. Whether you are a chef, diner, restaurant owner or home gardener this is what makes a meal special. El Portal Sedona Hotel, whenever possible, has grown its own vegetables and herbs for the freshest gourmet breakfast in Sedona. Simple yet delicious farm-to-table foods are the heart and soul of the pet friendly bed and breakfast.
Going hand in hand with owning a luxury inn is forming relationships with people who grow things, freshness leads to color, texture and flavor. In a way, what sustainable agriculture boils down to is implementing farming techniques and policies that are good for the land, good for the farmers and workers, good for the consumer, and good for future generations. Growing a variety of crops helps to lower economic risk, and using strategies like cover crops and crop rotation can help strengthen the farm by keeping weeds and pests controlled and maintaining soil and plant health.
El Portal, in making a commitment to sustainable agriculture in the community, is opening its garden land to local Sedona home gardeners. Owner Steve Segner decided to open the two acre farm to locals, as he says, “We were only using about 25% of the property. Good land is hard to come by in Sedona, and we thought ‘let’s have our neighbors farm with us!’”
The farm property is just off Schnebly Hill Road, on Bear Wallow Road. The land is fertile, close to home and planting season is just around the corner. For information on plots, please call Steve at El Portal 800.313.0017.
From skiing and snowshoeing to golfing and sightseeing, you can do it all in Northern Arizona! We had a huge snowfall this weekend and the skiing is prime!
We had some snow this past weekend, but it will be gone soon!!!
The Arizona Snowbowl is less than an hour from El Portal Sedona Hotel. The Arizona Snowbowl offers 40 trails serviced by 4 lifts for skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels and 2 surface conveyors for the very beginners. Just north of The Snowbowl is Wing Mountain – the perfect “snow place.” You can go sledding, tobogganing, snowshoeing, great fun for the whole family.
If you’re looking for something a little different, try checking out Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, just north of Flagstaff. National Geographic traveler, Rainer Jenss liked it! The crater was a result of a number of volcanic eruptions between 1040 and 1100. You can walk the Lava Flow Trail and explore the cinder fields; it’s a mile round trip and takes about 30 minutes.
At El Portal we can help you no matter what you want to do. We can book tee off times, send you off to the Grand Canyon and Sunset Crater Monument with maps and directions, we can even take you on a jeep tour! Innkeeper Steve Segner is an outdoor enthusiast, and will help you plan your excursions and journeys.
El Portal is a pet friendly bed and breakfast located in the heart of Sedona. We have received AAA’s four Diamond Rating, a distinction and honor we take seriously. We offer our guests a unique lodging experience, we are not a big resort, nor are we your typical bed and breakfast.
This Spring Break take a Sedona Arizona vacation and find out why Sedona is so special. There is lots to do and see in this part of the world! Here’s an idea for you…
Looking for something fun to do on Spring Break? Something the whole family will enjoy, and can do together? Why not go horseback riding? There are beautiful trails around Sedona, and it gets you outside in the fresh air away from the TV, video games, etc.
Horseback riding gives you a sense of freedom – the wind in your face, the thrill of the ride, and spectacular scenery. You learn about the land and ecosystem that makes Sedona so special from knowledgeable and experienced guides.
On your horseback ride you may even see some wildlife such as bighorn sheep, elk, deer, antelope, Gambel quail, javelina, red tail hawks, and in the spring – wildflowers galore! So don’t forget to bring your camera the trail ride is amazing!
The staff at El Portal Sedona Hotel can help you with all the arrangements, our guests have personalized concierge services for Sedona and area. We can help you plan your day from discussing the suitability of trails to booking your rides, we can even pack you a picnic lunch! And since we are a pet friendly Sedona hotel, we will take care of your four legged buddy when you hit the trail.
For your Spring Break Getaway call El Portal and reserve your rooms – 1-800-313-0017.
“Sedona” The Movie opens Friday, March 16th in Arizona. It’s an indie movie – produced, written and directed by Tommy Stovall, a Sedona resident since 2002. ”Sedona” has been reviewed and described as “a new charming, inspirational, quirky, feel good, magical and mystical adventure about finding miracles.” (CNN iReport).
The movie had screenings at the Sedona International Film Festival and enjoyed rave reviews! The film stars Frances Fisher, Seth Peterson, Barry Corbin, and many more; and is full of Valley residents. Many locals in Arizona have had a hand in the making of this movie including Sound Mixer Michael Koff and Make Up Artist Claudia Breckenridge.
It’s a beautifully shot movie, with smooth aerial views of the rich majestic landscape; Arizona locals will recognize the magnificent red rocks of the area as well as the references to a ‘different spiritual energy’ often associated with Sedona.
You can see the movie at the following locations in Arizona:
Harkins Sedona 6 in Sedona, located at 2081 W. Highway 89A. (Hwy 89A & Sunset Dr.)
Harkins Tucson Spectrum, located at 5455 S. Calle Santa Cruz, Tucson, (I-19 & Irvington)
Harkins Shea 14 in Scottsdale, located at 7354 E. Shea Blvd. (Scottsdale Rd. & Shea Blvd.)
Make a date night out of it! Reserve your room at El Portal Sedona Hotel, see the movie and return to the hotel for a romantic evening, and delicious gourmet breakfast in the morning! For more information on this or any other activity in the Sedona area, call El Portal at 1.800.313.0017, a pet friendly Sedona Hotel.
GRAND PRIZE: This year’s grand prize winner and guest will spend three over-the-top nights in Vegas’s LEED Gold–certified Aria, home to Sage, one of the city’s best new restaurants—a trip worth $10,000.
