Diamond Resorts Los Abrigados Resort Spa

Diamond Resorts Los Abrigados Resort Spa is in Sedona, Arizona, not far from my last two Diamond Resorts. This is the 3^rd and final resort on this one great long trip to the area. This one is exciting because I have been walking and touring the area a good deal, and a massage of several sounds very good right now.

This location is about 15 minutes North of the Bell Rock Inn resort, just one town up from the Village of Oak Creek.
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Video by Through My Lens

Day One Travel & Arrival at Diamond Resorts Los Abrigados Resort Spa

Wow, it does not get better than a 15-minute trip from one resort to the next. The manager I dealt with found out what I was doing writing about the resorts and called this sister resort to see if I could get in early. They are doing the switchover from prior guests, but they did offer to hold my bags for me if I did not want to lug them around. That was a nice offer and had I not had them stowed in the back of the rental car, I would have taken them up on it.

These resorts likely stay busy because the location here is amazing in Sedona and the surrounding cities, or towns. I love beach views the most in life, but boy, the colors of the rocks here on the hills and mountainsides at sunset and sunrise might make a grown man cry.

As my grandfather might have said, “God’s country” in his way meaning that this was a view of mother nature at her finest. Driving in the area can be distracting because of its beauty. That was something I really liked about my guided tour was that I could look from the car as we drove and pay full attention to the surrounding beauty. I did not have to worry about keeping my eyes on the road for safety.

Before checking in, I went to eat at the Creekside American Bistro. The menu options looked great and tasted better. The location was neat as well. There are actually 3 restaurants on site here and the layout is interesting because the buildings are on two levels. It seems to be a thing here. When the ground is at different heights, they work with what is natural versus leveling or building up one side. It makes the buildings and places you visit seem unique. They also fit into the amazing landscape better.

After overeating, and even having a couple of drinks, I headed to the resort to check in and get sorted. Here I had again booked a 1 bedroom villa, but this was their deluxe version. Not sure what the difference was between the deluxe versus the regular 1 bedroom. At some resorts it is apparent here it was not so clear. Maybe it was the view from the balcony?

I can say this resort looks larger than the other two this week, and it has a nice restaurant and bars onsite, which is nice when you do not feel like leaving. There are also a number of pools here. Those are wonderful when it is 90+ outside.

My room was 550 sq ft. which was large enough for the small kitchenette, a nice sized bath, bedroom, and living room. The attached balcony would find me out there at night time or in the mornings for sure.

Villa Amenities

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

My room had those built-in stovetop deals that are super convenient and easy to clean. A nice full-sized fridge, toaster oven, and coffee pot. Then you had your microwave. You certainly have the means to cook what you like here.

Recent Reviews

Nice hotel with stunning surroundings. Really good, located with just a short walk to town. Amazing Hotel staff who make you feel very welcome. Easy to park next to your room. Lots of activities such as tennis, mini golf, and more. Restaurants, and cafes in the area if you want to “stay in”. Nice pools on the property. I the back of the hotel there’s a small park with a creek that is so nice to visit (also mini golf). Overall, a great hotel for families and couples. We would stay here again.

I had a suite to myself for a juice cleanse/yoga retreat. The bedroom was big, the kitchen was big enough, the kitchen table was sufficient, and the couch had a pull-out bed for kids or anyone who doesn’t mind. There’s only one bathroom,, but it’s bug enough to accommodate a family of four. It’s an older place but has a big TV in the bedroom and living room. You never have to leave the room! Enjoy!

The staff is excellent and Phillip the concierge outlined a four-day itinerary for us that was next to perfect. The room, a one-bedroom king has a balcony, full bath, refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, coffee pot, all utensils, and plates. All items are in perfect condition. There are new bbq stations with easy access to our room by the main pool. The hot tub is large and inviting. The pool bar area closes at 6 pm and could use some hanging lights to brighten it up, as it is dark and not appealing. The grounds are well maintained but best of all is the location which allowed us to walk out of our unit each day to wander the shops at Tlaquepaque, but be aware that nothing is open before 10 am except the Secret Garden cafe which, at that time of the day is fully shaded, and one restaurant across the street. The saddest news to share is that over the 21 years of ownership at Los Abrigatos, the city has lost its residents who have been forced out due to corporations purchasing homes at high costs to use as Airbnb. It is entirely a tourist city and if not for the untouchable red rocks, it would be a one-and-done location. Covid regulations aside, there are few people who can live within 20 miles of this city and work here.

My family and I really enjoy this place, really quiet place, so many activities to do, rooms were perfect for a 4 people family, you have everything in the room for cooking. Everything is close to you, you cross the bridge and you have Tlaquepaque arts and crafting, and more shopping stores. We definitely want to come back here next time.

Our stay was wonderful. The suite was nice and had everything we needed for a party of three. There was a heated pool and a 24/7 accessible hot tub. Also a gym, sauna, and spa where I got a great massage. The resort is right in the middle of the Tlaquepaque shopping area and minutes away from uptown. Also walking distance from the Snoopy mountain trail. There were TVs in both rooms, and a kitchen and dining area. Interestingly, there was a gaming room in the resort where you could play console games on a huge TV. All in all, our experience was excellent.

One of my favorites, practically the center of Sedona, was down the hill from the tourist strip and a short drive from the main downtown area. Great property with numerous activities right there, including a pickle ball, tennis, miniature golf, basketball, and an activity center. Definitely one of the best extended-stay properties around.

Those are some great reviews. When you are staying in a rustic location, expect a little rustic. The only people who would not be happy here are those folks who want everything to be fully updated to the newest standards and appliances. There are resorts in areas that do that, but they charge for that level of updating every 2-3 years. Here you have nice, clean, and safe surroundings in this amazing area. You should expect great, but not everything to be up to a big city upgrade level. That is my two cents on a great resort like this one.

Day Two Sedona

This area is very appealing. Mostly for its connection to nature and the scenery. If you love desert and mountain scenes, this is the spot for you for sure. As my last resort, I went and did a tour of the area with a guide. That is a great option. They have bus tours, private guided tours and more, all available.

I am used to areas promoting themselves online. Some communities do better than others. Sedona seems to do a great job. Before I traveled, I looked at their website. VisitSedona.com

On the site, instead of the normal 15-20 things to do, they share 100 things to do in the area.

Today I am going to try number 30, which is to ride in a hot-air balloon. Now I have booked ahead and explained I am a big dude (just needs to be a part of the conversation for all things that go up against gravity these days).

Red Rock Balloons is the provider I chose. They have a minimum height requirement of 48 inches. Which likely is so someone can see over the basket, in addition to some safety concerns.

This is not a cheap 1 to 1.5 hour experience,, but it is unique. They only offer sunrise flights here. Which you find out is genius because the sunrise on the rocks, hills, and mountains here is breathtaking.

If you do not know breathtaking as a term guys go watch Bo Dereck run on the beach in 10, ladies look at photos of this area, or the best fireman calendar ever made, I guess.

But just like an attractive person, mother nature will take your breath away here. You could tell the pilot loved the expression of everyone on board. I know that feeling when you get to see someone experience something for the first time. What a fun thing to do for a living. Sure, he works hard to insuring everyone’s safety, but to see that look and provide that experience for people almost every day, must be amazing. It is like experiencing something again for the first time yourself.

As we landed after a little over an hour (since winds were picking up) we toasted our flight with a little bubbly and waited for the chaise vehicle to take us back to the launch site.

After that amazing start to the day, I was hungry and wanted to go somewhere for breakfast. I mean heck it was still in the AM, why not?

I went to Berry Devine Acai Bowls which is likely the most healthy meal I have eaten in 2 years. Not that it tasted like twigs, it tasted good, but their entire menu was healthy. I just felt like trying something good for myself out of respect for myself after seeing that beauty this morning.

I have their VORTEX BOWL.

Topped With: granola, blueberry, banana, chia, flax seed, toasted coconut, and honey. It was good and I could even say tasty. I love most of the items listed. But I felt like I had done something responsible for eating so well. I am sure I will balance that out later.

I felt like I should take a hike afterward, but then I also thought that no, my body has not seen that much healthy in a meal. I should head back to the resort for a bit. Just in case mother nature chose some other way to communicate today.

After a few hours in the pool, and in the pool. I was ready to shower, change, and find some more trouble.

I chose to see about booking a UFO tour for the night. I also wanted to go out and find more information on the Sedona lights ahead of time. There are a few providers in the area, but I chose Best Tours of Sedona LLC because I have a similar name for my SEO business and I am a sucker for any business names like mine, or for one name after my first name. So I eat at every Harry’s I find, and I choose business provides often in my travels that have BEST in the title. I am such a simple man. I chuckle at myself all the time folks.

This tour is at night and they provide you with night vision gear. These seem like they are light magnifiers, not top end gear, but they work. I only saw a few things that I questioned, but I did see a few. That caught me off-guard because I expected campfire stories. Maybe some preplanned fake, hokier kind of trick or effect.

In reality, they take you to a location in a wide open field where you drive to follow a lead car, and you just get out in this low-light pollution area. Then they talk for a bit, hand out the gear, and everyone just kind of looks and shares notes. The small group shares when they see something with everyone else. It was well something that just made me more than wonder.

This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if someone in your group is interested, it was a fun night outing of about 1.5 hours.

Read this review from their website:

Fantastic Tour—Not To Miss!
This was such a fun tour! Sheila was a fantastic guide. She made sure we were all together as we drove our own cars to her special viewing site. She was thoroughly prepared with camp chairs, leg blankets, night vision goggles, and laser pointers. Not only that, Sheila is extremely knowledgeable about UFOs, understands the history, and has the personal experience to add even more “color” to the information she provided.
The night vision binoculars were amazing! I never saw so many stars in my life! She told us how to identify UFOs and distinguish them from airplanes. We saw probably 25 or more during our time together, as well as a number of shooting stars, which are much more dramatic with night vision.
I would definitely recommend this tour. Be prepared to hear some very compelling information and see some amazing things in the night sky!

I would agree with that information and review it. I did not see 25 things that I questioned, but I sure saw a few.

Fun fact: just the other day some college researcher pulled the data and said that more people believe in ghosts than belief in Congress now. I can tell you if everyone did that tour, the numbers for aliens versus Congress would be much more impressive.

Day Three Relaxation Day

 This should be a national Holiday once a month. But to truly unwind, you have to disconnect. You must turn off your devices, TV, and internet, and just unplug from everything.

After mother nature wowing me in the AM and who knows what wowing me at night, I was ready to unplug, relax and process.

Now was the time to use my booked massage this morning and take everything easy and slow. I started after a light in-room breakfast with a 60-minute massage. I think it was deep tissue but I forget. I can confirm that it worked. It took all the stress and worry about alien encounters from my mind. I just literally relaxed and enjoyed life right at that moment.

Afterward, I hit the pool for a float. One thing about being a heavier guy now is that I float like a champ. In case of an emergency, I could be the floatation device for my family if something happened in our little boat. It is funny. I can lay back and my body floats as if I am in one of those floats taken with all the salt. I mean, my head and most of my chest are above the water without thinking about it.

I just have to make sure not to fall asleep because then I get woken up quickly by a mouth full of water if I roll or move my position. Yes, it has happened, just not on this trip.

Today I wanted to walk around the town since the resort was in the middle of it all. I just was not in any hurry to leave. This may be my last day in the area and at the resort, but I was enjoying the break from everything. I can honestly say I was not even thinking about what to write and share with you. I was just centered and without a care in the world. Man, what a nice place to be for a few moments.

I later walked around town some and then made it back to rest in my room for the night.

If you want a vacation to remember in Sedona, consider this resort and book it through Tzort.