My wife & I just returned from our first holiday without our children since our first child was born nineteen years ago. We stayed @ "Boots & Saddles" Sante Fe room from April 12th-18 2008. Sedona is a great destination for avid ourdoor persons and art lovers alike. I can't think of a better place to start each day's excursions than from "Boots & Saddles".

I was asked about diet restrictions at the time of our reservation, which was appreciated with my wife being a vegetarian along with our preference for decaf coffee. Sam, Irith & Candyce are the consumate hosts, paying attention to the smallest details. Sam's culinary expertise each morning was a paradise to the palate and gave plenty of energy for the day's planned adventures. During our stay he alternated between one day sweet and one day savory breakfasts. The two days we had to leave earlier than the 0830 breakfast time (for rock climbing & Glen Canyon river raft tour) the B&B fairies left a basket of goodies in our room the evening prior to ensure a tasty and energetic start to our day. Teresa discovered a cache of chocolates in the room and felt it'd be rude not to eat them all. The hiking water bottles Candyce showed us in the room fridge came in handy on our hikes.

Sam & Irith would give the most connected concierge a run for his money. After our first breakfast Sam gave us a map of the area and a briefing of the area's premier hikes, sights, restaurants, local merchants and art galleries. We were able to take advantage of the lions share of Sam's recommendations during our week long stay and even purchased a painting from a local artist @ the Sedona Art Center. Thunder Mountain, right in Boots & Saddles' back yard, makes a wonderful prebreakfast hike for morning people. The views of Sedona and surrounding area from the peak are wonderful and we would watch the hot air balloonists glide through the valley. Keep an eye on your watch as you don't want to miss Sam's two course breakfast!! The area hikes are a must, but save one sunset hike for nearby Red Rock crossing & Buddha Beach. It's a photographer's mecca. When the breezes are low you'll get a wonderful reflection of Cathedral Rock in the river. (Wear sandles to get the best shots from the island in the middle of the river.) We took the "Day In The West" tour, both Jeep & Horseback. "Rusty" was our Jeep driver and we learned more about the local flora, fauna, formations, and unexplained events than in an hour long PBS documentary. If you just want a bumpy ride around Sedona go with the Wal-Mart of Jeep Tours "Pink Jeep" will do, If you want some education with a slice of humor book a Jeep tour with "A Day In The West" and ask for "Rusty". For folks into Rock Climbing, from curious to experienced, we highly recommend Glenn from Terra Trax. His safe, no pressure guiding attitude puts one at ease for a great day of climbing and instruction. Sam booked our Glen Canyon/Colorado river raft tour through "Colorado River Discovery". We were picked up at "Boots & Saddles" by Kelvin Mockingbird, a local Navajo. Kelvin kept us entertained on the journey to/from the Glen Canyon with his knowledge of Native American culture and the area. Our river boat Captain, Mikaela Blake, did a fine job in balancing history, humor & geology with the visual treats along the Colorado River banks. We had hoped to book a Bi-plane trip through Sedona Air Tours, but the wind gusts closed our window of opportunity.

The rooms are each unique in decor, blending in perfectly with the Feng Shui that is Sedona - a reflection of Irith's love of decorating and planning the layout of the rooms & grounds no doubt. The rooms were immaculate as they were attended daily by housekeeping staff. My wife & I stayed in the Santa Fe room on the first floor. On a couple of occasions we returned in the evening to find fellow guests conversing on the patio and were invited join in sharing beer, wine, cheese, crackers & conversation on the patio. It's wonderful to expand one's awareness from different parts of the country/world, a nuance of B&B's and certainly not lacking at Boots & Saddles. We did run into three couple from our own state of Connecticut here as well. Small world it is.

Though many of my comments echo that of others I think what really makes "Boots & Saddles" a success is that Irith & Sam really seem to enjoy having family visit. Over and over again. I say family as that's how it felt while we were there. I would have liked to have spent more time conversing with our "Boots & Saddles" hosts, as their own history, with their travels and experiences, seem as colorful as the Sedona cliffs that surround them. I'm not sure if they read these reviews, but how about an autobiography for the common room table and gift list?!?!?

A real pleasure indeed!

Michael & Teresa Morrison
Coventry, CT, USA