SUITE LIFE ARIZONA
Suite Life Arizona - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Suite Life Arizona | |||||
| By: Ben Crawford, Issue 46 – Autumn 11 | |||||
| (Arizona) | |||||
| A SUITE IN ARIZONA OFTEN MEANS THE COMFORTS OF A DELUXE APARTMENT COUPLED WITH THE AMENITIES OF A FIVE-STAR HOTEL, ALL IN THE MIDST OF UNIQUE NATURAL BEAUTY. BEN CRAWFORD SAMPLED THE BEST. | |||||
| In the Valley of the Sun at the Northern edge of the Sonoran Desert lie the conjoined cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale, home to numerous luxury resorts catering for golfers and other enthusiasts of sunny dry climates (though beware: the thermometer dwells above 40 celsius during the summer low season from June to early September). For we travellers who require suites, there are many fabulous options available that offer an affluent lifestyle in an extraordinary landscape. | |||||
| SCOTTSDALE | |||||
| Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale At Troon North | |||||
| For guests preferring smaller, niche resorts, where one’s experience tends to be more of the amenities and less of the other guests, the stand-out is the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. Spread around the foothills of Pinnacle Peak, the guest accommodations and activities are integrated into an authentic high desert retreat, where you can walk among the giant Saguaro cactus plants, and see actual roadrunners and coyotes, and the enormous spherical boulders that seem inevitably to flatten the latter in cartoons. In fact two of the suites, 701 and 501/2, feature one of these massive boulders as a divider between their private pool areas. Most of the twenty suites (from about A$803 to A$5,921) have their own plunge pools and garden showers, as well as telescopes and celestial maps for stargazing. Kiva suites are also equipped with outdoor wood-burning fireplaces, and there is a dedicated fireplace butler to start it up for you (as well as a sunglass concierge to wipe the sunblock from your lenses if you choose to lounge around the main pool). Laundry rooms are scattered through the grounds for guests who want to do their own at no charge – particularly useful for keen golfers enjoying the priority use privileges at the spectacular local courses. There are also 23 villas designed for longer stays. The resort has a full-service salon and spa, where a massage using warmed golf balls is a specialty, and it organises a daily schedule of fitness programs, hiking and nature study for all ages. Culinary offerings include picnic hampers appropriate for “glamping” excursions, and tastings of wines, teas and chocolate, as well as cookery demonstrations and lessons. The day ends with drinks on the terrace, watching the sun set behind Pinnacle Peak, followed by dinner at the first rate locally-sourcing restaurant Talavera, with indoor and al fresco seating, accentuated by the panoramic view of the city lights at night. The resort is also within easy striking range of Binkley’s, Scottsdale’s most inventive and attentive fine dining experience where you lose count of the amuses bouches…. | |||||
| Sanctuary On Camelback Mountain | |||||
| On the other side of Scottsdale lies Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, a distinctly modern hotel successfully fused with its natural setting, right down to its in-house Hummingbird Sanctuary where specially-designed feeders attract as many as 400 species of hummingbirds. Suite types include Spa Casitas and Suites (about A$311-728), some of which surround the resort’s stunning infinity pool. They include chic sunken living areas, and use unexpectedly appropriate materials such as cement and frosted glass, with the suites also featuring lava rock fireplaces, and wet bars and private patios, some with outdoor soaking tubs. Elements restaurant delivers fine American cuisine with Asian accents, with views of a rugged landscape from throughout the dining room and terraces. | |||||
| Royal Palms Resort | |||||
| On the other side of Camelback Mountain, the Royal Palms Resort’s specialties are a surprising combination of high security and romance. “The secret service love us,” they tell me – as ex-Presidents and other dignitaries staying in the Villas (about A$591 to A$2,510) enjoy generous accommodations with complete privacy and discretion, and plenty of adjacent accommodation for bodyguards. Tryst-oriented guests have their stays overseen by the Director of Romance, as “romantically-challenged” gents who bring their partners here apparently need guidance on how to make the most of a converted 1930s Spanish-style mansion with 32 fountains, built in an orange grove where wild rabbits play freely on the immaculate lawns. Special touches include love notes sent in advance of the assignation, and coordinated uses of essential oils in in-room spa treatments, cocktails and intimate dinners. | |||||
| The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess | |||||
| In addition to these more intimate spots, Scottsdale also boasts some massive resorts offering an abundance of amenities and activities. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess offers two championship golf courses and access to six more nearby, the John Austin Center for Tennis, the National Geographic Explorers’ Club for kids, Willow Stream Spa and more. It offers nine varieties of suite types including Cholla Suites from about A$703 to the Presidential at up to about A$3,012. | |||||
| The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort And Spa | |||||
| The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch offers 27 acres of activities and accommodation, including a 27-hole golf course, a 2.5 acre water playground including ten pools and a beach, and a menu of activities such as hot air ballooning, hiking, biking and horseback riding. The many suite types include the Signature suites (about A$703-1,607), the lake-side Casita suites (about A$602-1,406) with barbeques and rooftop decks, and Hospitality suites (about A$502-1,105), designed for holding business functions and entertaining. Most suites can include a second bedroom for between about A$101 and A$402, and all include access to the private Regency Club, with its indoor-outdoor terrace, gazebo and lush gardens. | |||||
| The Phoenician, The Canyon Suites | |||||
| The Phoenician is another massive resort, but it includes an exclusive all-suite boutique within the hotel, The Canyon Suites. The two two-bedroom Presidential Suites (about A$4,319-5,726) look from their picture windows and four balconies onto dramatic vistas of the resort’s Championship Golf Course and the surrounding mountains and city beyond. As well as hosting your guests for meals prepared in your kitchen and dining room seating ten, you can entertain them with your Chopin études played on the Steinway baby grand piano in your living area. | |||||
| The Arizona Biltmore | |||||
| The Arizona Biltmore is a legend among hotels. It was for decades a favourite of Hollywood royalty: Irving Berlin wrote his classic song “White Christmas” there, and celebrity honeymooner guests included Ronald and Nancy Reagan and Clark Gable and Carol Lombard. Of the nine swimming pools, Marilyn Monroe’s favourite was Catalina. And though today the guests are not so glamorous, one can’t help but to revel in the beautifully preserved, extraordinary interiors designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, while sipping on a Tequila Sunrise – a cocktail actually invented at the hotel. The 86 suites range from 700 to 1,600 square feet and feature 10-to-15-foot ceilings, private terraces and balconies, marble baths and gas fireplaces. The newest are within Ocatilla, a recently-opened hotel-within-a-hotel, with its own dedicated executive lounge and concierge service. Rates for suites there start at about A$641 in high season. | |||||
| SEDONA | |||||
| A couple of hours from Scottsdale lies Sedona, the spectacular heart of Red Rock Country - home to screen stars from Lucille Ball to Al Pacino, and the location for classic Westerns like Johnny Guitar and Broken Arrow. Here, the native Apache and Yavapai inhabitants’ traditions continue in the blankets and basketware that can be acquired from local merchants, ranging in quality from souvenirs to museum pieces. Sedona is also the location of “energy vortex sites” that have made it a centre for alternative healing and spiritual awakening therapies, for those who like to include buying crystals and having their aura read among their vacation activities. | |||||
| Enchantment | |||||
| Sedona’s best-known resort, Enchantment, lies cradled in Boynton Canyon, with many of its accommodations featuring uninterrupted red rocks views. It has suite accommodation from about A$352 to A$1,532 per night, ranging in size from Junior Suites with a living room, viewing deck and sizeable bathroom, through to two bedroom Hacienda, Casita and Casa suites with multiple decks and bathrooms as well as kitchen and dining facilities. The Mii Amo Spa is highly rated, but families should note that under-16s are not admitted. So among all these fabulous suites, which resort had the best service in Arizona? The winner was the Four Seasons, where the front desk clerk noticed that a seam on my jacket had come unstitched. She had it repaired and returned within fifteen minutes. And the best dining? Although fine hotel restaurants abound in these resorts, the best eating takes place at a downtown Scottsdale restaurant and wine bar called Cowboy Ciao, where the Italian/Southwest fusion cuisine takes unexpected turns with ingredients like Israeli couscous and takeaway snacks like caramelised popcorn with bacon. | |||||
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