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Hancis Do Sedona AZ


Hello My Lovelies! I am back with another awesome travel blog. The good people of GMC and M Booth brought us to beautiful Sedona, AZ on assignment and gave us a gorgeous 2018 Acadia All Terrain to enjoy on the wonderful roads of Arizona. We flew to Phoenix from Burbank. This was the first time I flew from this tiny airport and it was just a fantastic experience! ​

Flying from Burbank Airport is such a breeze!

My excited daughter boarding the plane at the Burbank Airport.

We were greeted at the airport by the team who is responsible for this fun and adventurous trip and also were immediately placed in our gorgeous Black Cherry Metallic Acadia with a leather custom interior designed by the talented Michael Stapleton.

Father & Daughter smiling in a brand new 2018 GMC Acadia

All smiles in the 2018 GMC Acadia (phone picture from Jennifer Fontaine)

The moment I sat on the driver's seat, a familiar and fashionable console welcomed me in. As you might remember, we also had the pleasure to test the GMC Sierra last summer on our epic trip to see the Full Solar Eclipse, and Michael and his team did work on Sierra as well.

2018 GMC Acadia Steering Wheel and Gauges
Perforated Leather Interior of 2018 GMC Acadia

This gorgeous beast handles the road graciously and with ease thanks to its 3.6L V-6 VVT DI engine with 310 horsepower and available All Wheel Drive. It also provides comfort for up to three rows allowing seating for up to 7 passengers, with a first and second row sunroof blessing the cabin with an abundance of light.

Custom Design Head Rest 2018 GMC Acadia All Terrain
The double sunroof provides an abundance of light in the brand new 2018 GMC Acadia

We had a delicious welcome dinner at the famous Mariposa Grill, on the way to which the beautiful Sedona Sunset Colors made us feel welcome.

2018 GMC Acadia in front of the gorgeous colors of Sedona sunset

After dinner, we retired to our rooms at the Kimpton Amara Resort and Spa. A venue with an absolutely gorgeous view, that fell a bit short for a place that has "resort" in its name.

Kimpton Amara Resort and Spa's View From Our Room on a Cloudy Morning

In the morning we woke up early, grabbed our packed breakfast and actually devour it at the lobby while mingling with the other press members and headed out to Oak Creek for a wonderful hike up to Buddha Beach.

Smooth Ride to Oak Creek on our 2018 GMC All Acadia All Terrain
Vivienne insisting to be the "backpacker" in the beginning of our hike
A serene hike by The Oak Creek on a gorgeous sunny morning

It was absolutely gorgeous up there. The weather was incredibly nice for a hike. And inevitably, I had to take the cliche, yet always beautiful slow shutter capture of the running water.

Understandably, we needed to play with the rocks and pebbles of Buddha Beach...

The "entrance" to the Buddha Beach by the Oak Creek in Sedona, AZ
A simple rock balancing by Jennifer & Vivienne

A Simple Rock Balancing by the Hancis

Rock Balancing and Sharpie Messaging

I knew I should have brought my sharpie!

As you could possibly imagine, we immediately connected with the only other press members who have kids and the kids had a blast together during the hike...

And so did we!

A rare picture of three of us taken by our new friends.

Photograph courtesy M Booth - Yes, all three of us are in this one as well.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to grab a few shots of the Acadia with the beautiful Sedona backdrop.

2018 All Terrain GMC Acadia
2018 All Terrain GMC Acadia adding color to the Sedona Landscape
2018 All Terrain GMC Acadia

My lovely daughter and her love of climbing trees.

After lunch, we packed up to head to the South By Southwest Adventures to get our kayaks and meet with our guides. Craig was our main guide and he made the it extremely easy, safe and fun for all of us our kayak trip on the Verde River, which starts as a Class I and ends at Class II. This was my daughter's first white water experience, and she did extremely well.

Photograph courtesy of M Booth

Photograph courtesy of M Booth

Photograph courtesy of South by Southwest Adventures - The faces say it all

After the fun packed day, my daughter was so tired, while Jen attended the dinner with the rest of the media, we stayed in and ordered room service and watched a movie.

The Sunday morning, we had a little demonstration about the gorgeous SUVs we have been driving. Megan Soule and Michael Stapleton of GMC, and Laura DeLaurentis and Sarah Bilbrey of M Booth were with us to answer all questions and show us the versatile interior design of the cars making it easier to pack our gears for travelers and outdoor lovers like us.

Then we hit the road for a three-hour drive for a lunch at the Thunderbird Lounge in Grand Canyon, which was another first for my daughter who is posing with her mom and "Battie" she just got from the gift store...

Following our visit to Grand Canyon, we leisurely got back to phoenix for our late flight back to Los Angeles. Along the way, we soaked in the gorgeous landscape Arizona has to offer.

One thing that comes in really handy in these vehicles is the OnStar system and the on-board wifi, especially when you have deadlines and you work on-the-go!

And let's finish with a couple of great photographs Jennifer took of us on the same location. See you on the next entry!

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