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L'Auberge de Sedona Gets a $25 Million Makeover for Turning 25
The grounds at L'Auberge de Sedona
Time, energy, and millions of dollars are often fed into resort overhauls to prove that they are bigger, better, and more luxe than their swanky competitors. The $25 million dollars that L'Auberge de Sedona invested into Phase One of their expansion project was a symbolic expense, meant to coincide with the property's 25th anniversary. And here, we thought that a sterling silver plaque would suffice.
Previously honored by Wine Spectator and Condé Nast Traveler, the message L'Auberge de Sedona seems to be sending with the renovation is, "The more frills, the better." Many of the lodgings are meant to be private mini-retreats, with 64 brand new cottages recently added to the grounds. At 1,200 square feet, with indoor and outdoor spaces, outdoor showers, and gas fireplaces, the phrase that comes to mind is "rental property," not weekend getaway.
With prices ranging in the $400-500 range for cottage accommodations, you're definitely paying a premium for all of those extras. However, there are rooms and Gardenside Cottages available at a comparatively more reasonable $200-300.
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JW Marriott Starr Pass Gets a New Sports Bar (Just in Time for Football Season)
If you're ready for some football, spend the season opener at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa's new Catalina Sports Bar and Grill in Tuscon, Arizona.
Formerly dubbed Catalina Steakhouse, Catalina Sports Bar and Grill was reopened on Sept. 4 with a new casual tavern-style look, menu and focus on sports fans. Watch the kickoff from one of seven HDTVs and guzzle some beer from local breweries like Barrio and Thunder Canyon. If you visit during happy hour, daily from 4 to 6 p.m., all pints of draft beer cost $2.50, glasses of selected wines are $3 and all cocktails are $5. There are also daily specials available.
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Honeymooners Beware: T+L Lists The World's Best Hotels for Families
The list-makers at Travel + Leisure don't strictly cater to single jetsetting types. There's an active sect of family travelers out there, and those that don't consider Disneyland the Alpha-Omega of getaways. Sorry, Mickey.
Their survey of the "World's Best Hotels and Cruises for Families" in the U.S. and Canada is topped by the Enchantment Resort of Sedona, Arizona (which, coincidentally, sounds Disney-esque). It's no rough-it campsite or—shudder—Comfort Suites, but a luxury resort where adults are known to enjoy playtime as much as their young counterparts.
The hotel's site explicitly tells prospective travelers not to "worry about the kids," citing activities like Camp Coyote exploration as a selling-point. The Camp is an educational program designed for kids aged 4-12, where they can partake in "scavenger hunts, outdoor games and Southwestern-inspired cooking classes," with a full day of Camp priced at $70.
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Inside The La Vista Motel: Decor Needs A Facelift, But Lovely Staff
Getting your aura cleansed can be expensive, as we found out in Sedona this weekend. We arrived on Thursday, looking for a motel on spec – except everywhere seemed to be full up or over $100 for a room.
Finally, a guy in the tourist office suggested we try the La Vista Motel on the edge of town in North Sedona (actually it’s pretty much in the centre of town, just a few minutes walk from the shops). Our room cost $65. Was it half as good as the ones that cost twice as much? Well the lady at check-in (Kate) was positively angelic and made us feel completely at home. So that was a good start.
Room Reaction:
There are two levels to the motel – rooms on the top are level with the road and have views out over the famous Sedona red rocks. Those on the lower level don’t get the views because of some trees in the way, but they do get their own little seating areas, and a bit more privacy, because they’re tucked away under the main road.
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Inside the Grand Canyon Hotel: 'The Oldest Hotel in Arizona'
After our trip to Vegas this week, we decided to go see the Grand Canyon, and stopped off at Williams on Route 66. Lucky for Williams that it is – as its two streets would definitely not be crawling with tourists if it wasn’t. Not that it’s not cute – we like Route 66 t-shirts and peanut brittle as much as the next person - but boy it was small. Still, it’s the nearest town to the South Rim of the Canyon, and it’s cuter than Flagstaff, so it’s a good place to spend the night,
We shacked up for the night at the Grand Canyon Hotel, which reckons it’s the oldest hotel in Arizona (built in 1891) and describes itself as a “European style boutique hotel”. The present owners revamped it after buying it four years ago.
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Kick It With SpongeBob and Dora at Tucson's Starr Pass
Hollywood can have its celebrities-gone-wild antics. In Tucson, Arizona, family-friendly Nickelodeon celebrities rule the scene, with A-listers SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer hanging out with guests at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa.
In the footsteps of other Marriott-Nickelodeon partnerships, Starr Pass is now offering a Nick Getaway program, which starts May 29 and will run every weekend this summer.
Kid-friendly perks include Dive-In Movies at the pool; Nickelodeon’s Character Breakfasts (with SpongeBob and Dora photo ops); poolside entertainment (Nick-produced skits, games, contests with slime); and arts and crafts (decorating flip-flops, t-shirt making, and sand art).
Weekend rates start around $269 per night.
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Monument Valley's View Hotel Should Live Up to Its Name
Cue a little honky-tonk music and light up a cig: The default backdrop to John Wayne western flicks and old-school Marlboro ads--Arizona's Monument Valley--is getting its first hotel inside the Navajo Tribal Park.
Scheduled to open Dec. 6, the new View Hotel has reportedly amazing, uh, views of the Valley's iconic East and West Mitten Buttes. The park that it's located in also is the only point in the U.S. that borders Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. So you can knock out four states with one trip.
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The New Cocktail Bar at Sanctuary is a Yogi's Perfect Place to Let Loose
Okay, we've found it, a cocktail bar that fits our wildest dreams: a place where the cocktail is the main course and everything else fits around it. The clever place with this idea is a new bar called edge (no capitals, thumbs down) at the luxury Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Arizona.
If you didn't know, Sanctuary is billed as more of a retreat than a hotel and it aims to offer amenities that cater to the "mind, body, spirit and senses" of its guests. But we guess the retreat must understand that even yogis need to let loose once in a while too.
Tags: Desert Retreats / Arizona Hotels / → All Tags
A Place Where You Can Be Totally Carefree
You may not have heard of the hamlet of Carefree, Arizona. Just think of her as Scottsdale's free-spirited little sister. Founded with the motto, "Home of cowboys and caviar, where the Old West meets the new," and with street names such as Tranquil Trail, Primrose Path, and Ho and Hum Roads, you know the tone here is decidedly laid-back with a touch of whimsy.
The Carefree Desert Resort & Villas takes the relaxed Carefree spirit to the extreme. Sitting on an expansive 54 acres of Sonora high desert, it offers an indulgent way to "get away from it all."
For some, this is not necessarily a good thing, as the resort is far (far) away from the mania of Scottsdale or Downtown Phoenix. This isn't the place you're likely to bump into Paris Hilton or Matt Leinart at a party. In fact, we'd say you are actually more likely to see a jack rabbit or coyote roaming the grounds than a celebrity.
Tags: Arizona Hotels / Hotel Spas / Sedona Hotels / Desert Retreats / → All Tags
Take Your Pick: Guided Hikes or Golf Cart Rides at the Enchantment Resort's Mii Amo Spa
The majestic red rocks and canyons of Sedona, Arizona lure millions of visitors every year seeking desert solitude and inspiration. And late winter is the perfect time to visit Sedona -- temperatures are still cool but the crush of holiday visitors are starting to thin out. And if your one who craves luxury and a little culture with your desert solitude, Mii Amo Spa at the Enchantment Resort is for you.
The setting is in a word, spectacular. Don't be surprised if you find yourself muttering "awesome" even if you're not the kind who says "awesome."
Tags: VIP Hotel Reviewer Series / Jennifer Birn / Mondrian Hotels / Hotel Spas / Arizona Hotels / Celebrity Scoop / → All Tags
Celebrity Magazine Editor Shacks Up at The Mondrian in Scottsdale
We now present you with our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series in which we hand-pick experts in the travel and media worlds and beyond to tell us what are their favorite hotels and why. Once a week, we'll feature a hotel review from said VIPs about their favorite leisure or business hotels. Pay attention: These VIPs are experts at what they do and they don't mess around when it comes to their hotels.
The next VIP in the series is Jennifer Birn, the society editor of OK! Magazine, who keeps daily updates about her life at her OK! blog Simply Jen. Enjoy.
As Society Editor of OK! Magazine I travel...a lot. Whether it be Cancun for their film festival, Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, Miami for Art Basel, Las Vegas for New Year's, Tahiti to write a travel story or Peru to hike Macchu Picchu, I'm often living out of a suitcase at a hotel.
My next trip is for the Super Bowl, and since this year the big game is back in Arizona, I'm excited that I get to go back to one of my favorite hotels, the Mondrian Hotel Scottsdale.
I lived in Scottsdale during college, and while working at The Arizona Republic afterwards, so I still have a lot of friends there and go back often. Rather than stay at a friend's house, I always insist on having them meet me at the Mondrian- my home away from home in my often frantic world.
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Bad Rate :: Corporate Romance and Hefty Cancellation Fees
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This rate was valid on February 6, 2007 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]
We're not big fans of huge chain hotels when it comes to a place to get away to on Valentine's Day. The romance factor isn't all that high when the room looks like the one where you spent your last convention. We're especially skeptical when we see one of them throwing out a "Romance Package" that looks like an afterthought. Here's one from the J.W. Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson, Arizona.
For the price above you get the oh-so-exciting amenities listed, though another page has the audacity to list "romantic starlit walks with spectacular views of the city lights of Tucson." (Um, can you throw in "romantic breaths of desert air" as well?) For a two-night getaway, you'd pay $778 and you're still on your own for breakfast the second day.
More on this Romantic "deal" after the jump.
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