Resorts for Foodies
Casa de San Pedro Bed and Breakfast
8933 S. Yell Lane, Hereford
520-366-1300, bedandbirds.com

Many guests flock to this 10-acre oasis for the lush setting: Owners Karl Schmitt and Patrick Dome offer 10 rooms reminiscent of the old inns of Spain and Mexico, with lavish territorial furniture, hand-painted tile and carved wood. But this hideaway has another appealing secret: cooking classes.

Generally they’re held on the last Saturday of the month, and from October to mid-May they’re hosted by French/Swiss Chef Gratien Torione and his wife, France (during the summer Gratien retreats to Switzerland, so ask about guest chefs, such as July’s class with Rod Kass of Bisbee’s acclaimed Cafe Roka). Relaxed, hands-on tutorials are followed by “eat your work” dinners that include dishes such as chicken pâté with red onion marmalade and pickles, pork tenderloin in mushroom sauce, and pineapple tarte tatin.

Save room for breakfast, featuring savory and sweet temptations such as eggs Benedict atop lavosh, oatmeal buttermilk pancakes, and croissant French toast drizzled with prickly pear syrup.

Rates: Through the end of July, guests can stay three nights for the price of two nights; rooms cost $169 per night, including gourmet breakfast plus afternoon pies. Cost of cooking classes is determined by each guest chef and by the menu; as an example, an April class cost $50. For the July 17 class with Chef Kass, sign up for a two-night special including accommodations plus dinner at Cafe Roka Saturday night and the Sunday evening cooking class for $350, double occupancy.



Enchantment Resort
525 Boynton Canyon Road, Sedona
928-282-2900, enchantmentresort.com

Everything at this magnificent property, nestled in Sedona’s secluded and mythical Boynton Canyon, is a feast for the senses. There’s even an organic parsley and cucumber facial, milk and honey bath, or blue corn body polish at the American Indian-inspired Mii Amo spa. But it’s the new executive chef, Ted Cizma, who has recently put the property on the must-visit list for foodies seeking statement cuisine.

At Yavapai, the property’s flagship restaurant, the nationally-acclaimed Charlie Trotter disciple offers an Italian-inspired menu with Southwestern and Asian accents through three meals a day, plus an exquisite Sunday buffet brunch.

While dinner guests gaze through wraparound windows as the setting sun bathes Boynton Canyon in golden-amber hues, they can tuck into melt-in-the-mouth tacos made of butter-poached Maine lobster, smoked chiles, avocado and ponzu in warm sprouted-corn tortillas. Or how about tooth-tender beef short ribs braised in robust coffee and ancho chile, set atop celery root purée and finished with gorgonzola cheese and dainty Thumbelina carrots?

Ongoing updates to the 113 casitas and haciendas means even more luxury, with completely redone interiors and bathrooms big enough to live in (all work should be complete by October).

At the end of this year, the Yavapai space also will be revamped with a brand new signature-Cizma concept. And the latest offering at Mii Amo shouldn’t be missed: an aromatherapy treatment based on your choice of colorful cards representing different “intentions” your body needs (i.e., clarity). They correspond to different essential oils, which are then mixed based on your preference, wafted into the air and worked into your over-worked body. The different choices commemorate the spa’s 10th anniversary ($220/90 minutes or $150/60 minutes).

Rates: Through August 31, “Summer Sedona Savers” offers 15 percent off the resort’s best available rate, with rooms starting from $235 per night.


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