The Sky Ranch Lodge is the hotel that time may have forgot. Whilst construction and development continues unabated in the valley below, the Sky Ranch is a modest two-storey motel-like resort that could easily pass as a retirement community. Accommodations are spread out over six acres and while the website boasts of their pool, spa, gardens and proximity to the airport, Sky Ranch’s real coup is that it sits 500 feet above the town and offers panoramic views up to 75 miles away.We arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon and after checking in, drove around the corner to our room. We unloaded and walked up the exterior stairs as our room was on the second level. The lodge offers three genres of rooms: Red Rock views, Partial Red Rock Views and Garden Views. Ours was technically a Partial Red Rock View room out the back from our balcony but if you opened the front door it was pretty much a full Red Rock view all the way.
Our room was large and comfortable as was the bathroom, but the interior was noticeably dated by muted 1980s era wallpaper. Outside the buildings looked overdue for a paint job.
As we only stayed at the lodge for one night it was unfortunate that we didn’t have time to check out facilities such as the outdoor swimming pool and the pretty gardens. In the time we did have we were preoccupied with hiking down the hill to a vortex spot and making it back to the lookout in time for the sunset.
About a ten minute walk down the road is a hill that not only affords great views across the valley but it also touted as an energy vortex. When we arrived a couple of people were sat cross-legged in meditation and we somewhat tactlessly proceeded to step around them, snapping photos in every direction. We sat for a while but couldn’t honestly say that we felt any kind of different "energy" flowing through us. After ten minutes of energy searching, we sped back up the hill to join the multitudes watch the sunset. If you’re looking for a romantic spot, I’d advise staying in the spot down the hill where you have 10, as opposed to 100 people for company. There was also an old gentleman at the larger lookout accepting "donations" from people that went towards the upkeep of the viewpoint area. It seemed a bit of a swindle to try and charge for the upkeep of a view but it’s not mandatory and it’s easy enough to enter the area from the side as opposed to the centre where the collection box is.
Back in our room we got ready to head back into Sedona for dinner, which is about a five-minute drive from the hotel. I slept well that night in the expansive king bed and the next morning I was relieved to discover that activity at the neighbouring airport didn’t start until around 8am.