Natural Stone or Brick Paver Walkway for Front Yard

We are renovating the front of our house and need a proper walkway laid from the driveway to the front door, cutting through the garden bed area. Right now there is just a worn dirt path that turns to mud every time it rains, and we would like it replaced with something that looks good and lasts for years. We are open to either natural stone (flagstone style) or brick pavers, whichever your experience suggests will hold up best given our soil and climate, but we do want a natural, textured look rather than plain poured concrete.

The path needs to run roughly forty feet, gently curving around two existing flower beds and a small tree, with a width comfortable for two people to walk side by side. We already have a rough sketch of the desired curve and can share reference photos of the style we like during the interview. Proper base preparation matters a lot to us since the last quick fix by a handyman sank and cracked within a year, so we are specifically looking for someone who does this professionally and follows correct excavation, gravel base, and sand-setting techniques rather than just laying stones on dirt.

We can supply access to water and electricity on site, and are flexible on start date within the next month. Please include examples of similar walkway projects you have completed, roughly how many days the job would take, and what materials you would recommend for our situation.

What we need done:
— Excavate and grade the path area to proper depth
— Install compacted gravel base and bedding sand
— Lay natural stone or brick pavers in a clean, even pattern
— Cut/fit stones around existing flower beds and the tree
— Apply edge restraints and joint filling/polymeric sand
— Clean up and haul away all excavation debris