On Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 my husband and I arrived for a one night stay at the Amara Hotel, Restaurant and Spa in Sedona, AZ. Upon check-in we asked the Receptionist if there were any rooms with a view of the creek. She told us that those rooms were located in the area of heavy construction and that she would put us on the opposite side of the hotel in a "QUIET" room away from the construction and without a view. We were put in Room #232. We quickly put our bags in the room at around 2:45 and immediately left the hotel for lunch. When we returned to our room we heard a LOUD RUMBLING NOISE and looked out of our second story window. Directly outside our room there was a large construction dumpster. There were 3 workers and one of the workers was driving a front loader filled with heavy rocks. He would dump his load in the dumpster and then continue getting more loads until he filled the dumpster to it's maximum load of "10 TONS"! Imagine what that sounds like! Then an Industrial dump truck arrived and loaded the dumpster onto his truck and carried it away. It was 5:00 p.m. by this time and we thought they were done working for the day. But the industrial dump truck returned after dumping it's load and the front loader once again began loading heavy rocks into the dumpster. By this time we were very upset with the noise and called down to the front desk. The receptionist didn't even answer the phone until after calling the front desk 2 times and letting the phone ring for approximately 10 rings each time. Her response to this was that the workers "should" be done soon as it was getting dark! At no time did she offer an apology or offer to move us into a new room. By 6:00 p.m. it was pitch black out and they were still working. We could no longer tolerate the noise so we left the hotel. We went to the L'Auberge de Sedona Hotel which is directly next door. It is a BEAUTIFUL hotel and sits on a large piece of property which overlooks a gorgeous creek. They have chairs and fire pits outdoors which makes for a lovely setting. It is a little more expensive at L'Auberge de Sedona but it is completely worth it. My advice is to stay as far away from the THE AMARA HOTEL until the construction is finished which could be months away. Even then the L'Auberge de Sedona is a much much nicer place to stay. We had booked through Expedia and called them upon our arrival home. They said they did not know the hotel was under construction and would call the hotel. Expedia called the hotel and spoke with "Erika" who informed them that yes construction was going on but that they had put us on the opposite side of the hotel where no construction was going on. They had indeed put us on the other side but they failed to tell Expedia that all of the heavy rocks were being loaded into a large construction dumpster right outside our window and then were hauled off by an industrial dump truck. Expedia would not refund our hotel stay as we did not call them until we returned home. A lesson learned......if you book with Expedia and are not happy with your hotel and were not told that HEAVY CONSTRUCTION was going on then call Expedia immediately and maybe they will do something about it. There was a gentleman who was also staying at the Amara. The road to get down to the Amara is very steep, narrow and winding. He was driving his car up the road towards town and the Industrial Dump Truck was coming down the hill and the gentleman was so terrified by the noise of the Dump Truck which he could not see around the corner that he immediately put his car into reverse for fear of being hit and backed his car into a wall which in turn damaged his car significantly. One again if you want a lovely, quiet stay in the beautiful town of Sedona, DO NOT STAY AT THE AMARA.

I just returned from a stay at the Amara Hotel & Spa in Sedona Arizona. The resort staff was incredible from the moment we pulled onto the hotel property. We were met and welcomed personally and given complimentary valet parking. Check-in was simple and recommendations were made for activities. We dined in the award winning restaurant where we received outstanding service, unbelievable great food and the entertainment was the best surprise of all. A local guitarist played and I would consider him Carnegie Hall quality talent. The views from the property are wonderful as it sits along the edge of Oak Creek. They were building a new pool which was to be completed in time for spring and summer visitors. I would recommend this place for families or business travelers, but especially for couples.

The Amara Resort and Spa is a perfect place to spend a few nights, while touring Sedona, Arizona. It is only steps away from the main shopping street, right down a hill, but it is set among the woods and the red rocks. The restaurant in the hotel, HUNDRED ROX, is great for breakfast, and has a lovely, upscale dinner menu, and a friendly bar. TIP: Hundred Rox is on the Restaurant.com list, so get a discount certificate before you go! The spa is very nice, too.

We stayed at the Amara Resort for two nights. The staff was incredible and was always ready to help us. The hotel was definitely clean, but not super fancy. I recommend asking for the newly refurbished rooms. While booking your vacation there, keep in mind that you will have to pay a resort fee.