My mother and I visited the Sky Ranch Lodge from May 25th to May 30th . She had never been to Arizona before, and wanted us to go as a mother-daughter trip since my dad passed last year. We had originally been meant to go last year but we're washed out by the monsoon season storms so we rebooked for may and we are so glad that we did. The weather was ideal. About 78° as to high for most of the time that we were there. At night it was very cold up there in the airport Mesa, so we were both very glad that we had packed a lot of layers. If you go in late May or earlier on possibly even later I definitely recommend wearing layers. Very Breezy up there but it's beautiful. I will break this down into as many possible categories as I can. Overall the experience was 10 out of 10. I had a few little niggles , but nothing that ruined the trip. However it's always good to mention things that could be improved upon.
Rooms/views/grounds : (the AWESOME)
when we booked this, we had originally booked kind of what was available which was one of the rooms facing like the garden areas. But when we rebooked so far in advance, one of the girls (I think her name was Maggie), told me that we really should try for one of the rim rooms. My mom was able to use her senior status for a discount and because we booked so far in advance, the price difference from what we were paying for high season versus this time of May, was so reasonable. And it was such a good decision. I am so glad that she talked me into it by telling me what it would look like. She told me to look on the website because that was what we were going to see. And it was amazing. Seeing the red Rocks just outside our window the moment that we opened the shades was just phenomenal, and so calming. I would just sit out there in the morning and drink my coffee. At night, I would sit out there with my Sketchbook and just be , or sit and chat with my mom quietly. The view definitely made the stay A++++. The grounds are also really pretty they had like all these plants all around so it's like little mini Gardens and it's very pretty. And the air smell like juniper trees. Phenomenal.
As far as the room itself went, I really liked it and so did my mom. I know that there had been some reviews that I had seen that said the rooms were outdated, but ours was very nice. It wasn't anything fancy like you might get in the name brand Hotel come up, but that's not what we wanted. I have last been in Sedona 15 years ago and it wasn't built up like it is now, so I'm glad that we didn't stay in the hotel my husband and I had stayed in back then. That area is just so crowded. It was lovely to leave the chaos when we came back from town or a tour and just chill out. The bathroom was nice - a stall shower with the sort of tile. I will say that the toilet paper situation was not great. Without being gross about it, we'll just say that it was the equivalent of using paper towels on sensitive regions and it didn't turn out well. So I would recommend something softer that is still septic safe if that's why they're using what they're using . We have to use septic safe TP here in PA so I understand , but it's not all that rough. The flooring of the room was that laminate flooring that looks like wood and cleans off pretty quickly and easily, but looks nice. The beds were the softest I have ever laid on! I wanted to take the mattress with me lol . The first night I called my husband and said I was I was tempted to see if in some alternate reality we could by the bed and have it shipped to our house because it was so comfortable Lol it was so comfortable. As far as the grounds themselves, it was very quiet, and there was a Viewpoint right on the airport Mesa that was a minute from our room. People actually pay to park up there and see the sunset and the sunrise etc. We were able to just walk to it. But even better than that, was when we were directed by the staff (who were all so helpful) to go to the back area by where the little building that they use for weddings is. They said that it's literally the best views and they were right. We weren't fighting with anyone else for space , just enjoying the view with other patrons and it was fantastic. Makes sense. They do weddings there so of course they're going to have great views. They did have a pool. I think it was supposed to be heated, but it was so cold by the time that we came back because of the wind that we never got into the pool. So I can't talk about that but there is a pool. They also have this little Airstream trailer on the property where you can grab quick food and it was great for the morning. The quality of the food was meh, because I suspect the eggs were some kind of egg beaters or something because the texture was off , but it was good for grabbing something quick . They also had free coffee and water in the office where you checked in and checked out. And they would provide K cup pods for the coffee makers in the room, which is nice. We didn't use it, but it was a nice option. They also have a refill station for water bottles which is very convenient because I drink a lot of water daily having multiple sclerosis and just needing to stay hydrated. They did have a menu that I guess was like for room service. Looked at it but didn't order from it we liked going out. They did have what looked like a happy hour outside the Airstream. Again, we didn't sit for it because neither of us drinks, but it was just a nice easy vibe.
Rooms/views/grounds : (the NOT SO AWESOME)
When we booked, I told young lady who helped me that I am a disabled person. That I can get around but it would be good if I was near handicapped accessible parking and just easy to get in and out. She said okay. And when they sent us a follow-up to confirm our reservation, there was a box to write in any special requests, so again, I wrote that I'm disabled, have multiple sclerosis and I had hip surgery this past February, so I am still healing for the next year. I was able to get around ( thank God for the dry heat and temperate climate of Arizona because my body did so much better than it does in humid climates with a lot of trees and allergens) but I was very disappointed that there was no handicap access at all. We were in room 243 and there are a couple of stairs that you had to move down in order to get to your room. I would have been able to deal with the stairs, though it was difficult being that we had to carry our own luggage. My mom is 73 with a bad ankle, so she's limited and so am I, and now we had stairs. That alone was a problem. However worse than that was that people would just sort of park wherever they wanted. There was no real designated parking. So sometimes people would block the entrance to the stairwell and we had to kind of sneak around the cars in order to get to the stairs to get to our room. There was a wedding one night, and that was the worst because we literally could not get in and out easily. And I almost tripped once, and it was not great. I was fine. But again I made a request to be in a better position for disabled person. I have all my legal documents Etc, and the request wasn't given consideration. So that was a bit of a disappointment. Especially because the handicap parking spots were available almost the entire time which was great, but it was a walk from there to the room, especially with luggage and then the problem like I said with the stairs. There were rooms closer to the handicap spots. I don't know if they were already booked with people or if people were coming in later and there would have been no way to put us in those rooms, but considering that I booked way back when we had first cancel which was sometimes September or October or something like that, I'm just surprised that they weren't able to accommodate it.
Another issue with the room, was that although it was literally a corner unit come out which meant there really was nothing on the side of us just because of the way that the rooms were set up , twice, we had people basically in front of our "private" balcony. Now, normally wouldn't be a big deal but we're literally paying for this beautiful tranquil view, so we want to have the curtains open. And yes, if you're changing, you can obviously close the shades, but why bother when you're literally the corner unit and there's not supposed to be anybody way up there? However the first day that we were there we saw this guy in a white T-shirt just strolling across the front of the ground in front of our balcony. We thought maybe he worked there but that was our first thing we didn't realize that all staff was black shirts. So it's a little weird and totally random and we're pretty high up so it was like????? But okay, whatever. Then the night of that wedding that I had mentioned earlier, my mom is changing and then she kind of shrieks and I look over and I see this young couple standing literally like right to the far corner of our balcony. And they looked at me as I looked at them like what the heck? I finished changing then went outside to say, hey what's going on but they have left. And I'm going okay, this is the second time. I did mention it to the staff and it wasn't really handle the way that I thought it should have been but they said, "oh, well there's a path down there and people can walk on the path." And I said, "okay, but the path ends in front of my balcony?" I even tried for some levity so that they wouldn't feel like I was coming in hot, by saying like "hey my mom and I are not exactly prime viewing pleasure, so nothing to see here folks, but it's just the idea that somebody standing right outside where they're not supposed to be." Everyone sort of chuckled but there was and an uncomfortable lag, like they didn't know how to answer the question. And everyone turned to another staff member. I don't remember his name (he might have been part of the security staff) but he said that the would keep an eye on it. It did not happen again. Which was good. Things happen, but again you're paying for a private room, and the privacy that comes with it.
The last thing that really did irritate me, was the room service cleaning situation. We only used it one time. We're easy going, but when we left the one day that we did put the room cleaning sign up, it was probably a little after 9:00 and the woman who was cleaning the rooms was literally cleaning the room right next door to us. So we figured okay , great, our room will be cleaned when we get back. The winds had kicked up brush all over our deck the day before and leaves and twigs were getting tracked into the room and ending up on the beds, which was one reason we wanted the room cleaned. Anyway, we leave and came back around 3:00, maybe 3:30. ( I can't remember the exact time because this was literally last month) and our room wasn't clean. She had JUST started working on the room. So that was a little surprising. HOWEVER, what was even more surprising, was the fact that there was a Spanish gentleman , and she was Spanish (so are my mom and I) who was in one of those little like golf cart type things. And I had seen him around before and his only job seemed to be riding in the cart and talking to her. Little weird. I went to the office, got my water bottle filled and sat up front for a while with my mom, enjoying the view, before wewalked back. Our room was finally done. And literally as I glance over, the maid and the golf court dude were walking off together. Obviously I don't know their status in terms of friendship or relationship, but the point is that it seems he was hanging around and potentially distracting her which is why it took so long for the rooms to get clean. This suspicion I feel is confirmed by the fact that while she had of course made the beds with fresh sheets and provided new towels, they were still leaves on the floor in the room because I felt them when I took my shoes off and was barefoot. And thethe deck was still a mess. So she didn't even really do anything as far as vacuuming or sweeping it seems. And I get that we're out side and trees and leaves happen. But the deck next to us on our left , was always pristine and they changed over guest a couple of times while we were there. And their deck was always perfectly clean I feel she got distracted and rushed it because she was running out of time. I went to the front desk and I mentioned it. I didn't make a big deal about it, but I asked for a broom. The broom was given to me so that I could sweep out the balcony myself. And honestly, it was fine. I know how to sweep. But I do feel, having worked in customer service for many years before I became a teacher, that one of them should have said, "hey we'll find somebody to do it for you, or one of us can help you." Especially because there were so many of them up front. It was pretty empty up there at the time and the guest was sweeping out their own room because of poor cleaning service... Not the best choice as customer service staff. That was a ball drop. It was a very uncomfortable feeling of 'we don't know what to do with this, so we'll just hand her the broom and let her do her thing.' I swept the room and then walked the broom back. Again, not the biggest deal, but considering that I had mentioned my disabilities previously, and had some limitations, that should have been handled differently. Rawllins was up there and he was extremely apologetic when I came back with the broom (he wasn't in there when I got it. And I'll talk about him in a little bit because he was lovely). So overall that particular experience I think should be learned from , because it wasn't handled correctly. However they were very professional and very attentive and kind otherwise.
Staff: (ONLY GOOD!)
Despite the broom issue, the staff was phenomenal. They were all very nice. Very chill. Very helpful. Every time I had to call before we got there like just to finalize details, they were all helpful. Rawlins, is a doll baby - such a nice guy. I actually dealt with him a lot when I was making the initial reservations (we discussed me wanting to live in Arizona and him being content to move to Pennsylvania where he could ride a TVs and I said I would be happy to trade places with him lol) when we were supposed to visit in September 2025, and he just has a very easy manner. I had explained my disability traveling with my mom she's a little nervous etc etc and he just kept saying, "Don't worry Ms. Jennifer, it's going to be fine." And it was. He was great. Very helpful. And he quickly learned our names. Cannot say anything bad about him at all. A+++ all across the board. I already mentioned Maggie (I think that was her name) and how she helped us with the reservations. So again , great customer service. Great at upselling to the nicer room. A+++. Matt was the other person that I dealt with the most and he was very funny period talked about the coyotes that our local to the area. I had seen three and they were very skittish - sort of ran away looking at me they thought I was going to chase them (I was flying in the other direction because I wanted to see the sunrise not things with teeth ) He teased me about it saying, "Well there is one bigger one that's a lone guy and he just may want food from you." To which I said. "I have no food, nor am I food, so it's not going to happen." We laughed about it. Again, A+++. They also give you coupons to some of the local restaurants, including the Mesa Grill come out which is very good. Unfortunately we forgot about the coupon LOL but when Rawlins asked me on one of the days when we went in. if we were enjoying our stay and had we gone to any of the restaurants, I said that we had gone there but we actually forgot the coupon. He just gave me another one. Again, nice guy. We didn't end up going again but it was still kind of him to give us a new coupon. Great customer service. So overall the staff was fantastic. And the little hiccups are just learning bumps.
All of this long-windedness is to say that I would recommend the Sky Ranch Lodge to anyone. If I can ever go back , it would be with my husband and we would book in advance and I would just try to make sure that we were guaranteed a room in front of the handicap spots , because they weren't used pretty much the entire time we were there , at least not as far as we could see. They were always open and available. We were the only car that was ever parked there . And with him with me would be easier to get luggage up and down but they really should invest in having some sort of handicap ramp put in or, having someone from the staff when they check you in and it's noted that you have a handicap request, help you to your room with your luggage.
Thank you everybody at Sky Ranch Lodge. We had a great time.
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