Tag: Arizona Hotels View All Tags
Hotel Openings
Monument Valley's View Hotel Should Live Up to Its Name
October 9, 2008 at 12:20 PM | 2 Comments
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.
Hotel Retreats
The New Cocktail Bar at Sanctuary is a Yogi's Perfect Place to Let Loose
July 8, 2008 at 9:40 AM | 0 Comments
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.
Desert Retreats
A Place Where You Can Be Totally Carefree
January 31, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments
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.
Arizona Hotels
Take Your Pick: Guided Hikes or Golf Cart Rides at the Enchantment Resort's Mii Amo Spa
January 17, 2008 at 3:44 PM | 0 Comments
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."
VIP Hotel Reviewer Series
Celebrity Magazine Editor Shacks Up at The Mondrian in Scottsdale
January 16, 2008 at 2:02 PM | 0 Comments
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.
Bad Rate
Bad Rate :: Corporate Romance and Hefty Cancellation Fees
February 6, 2007 at 12:20 PM | 0 Comments
[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.
Good Rate
Good Rate :: Valentine's Package at Casa de Angeles
February 6, 2007 at 12:10 PM | 0 Comments
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The rates listed below were valid on February 6 and are subject to change.]
Most well-known chain hotels are better and taking care of business than setting the mood for a few days of romance. An intimate B&B can be a lot more, well, intimate.
We nosed around at a bed and breakfast site and found some nice Valentine's Day specials at Casa de Angeles in Tucson. Two nights in the Rojo Room (pictured here) is $490 with tax and breakfast, plus you get a lot of goodies: a $100 area restaurant dining certificate, a bouquet of fresh flowers, chilled sparkling wine, chocolates, and a special treat basket. Throw in free wi-fi, a pool, and heated whirlpool and this is one romance package that delivers.
The Azul room package is $520 for the same deal. If they get filled up for Valentine's Day, come back later and take advantage of the Romance Getaway Package offered all year. It's a similar deal, but for less money because it trims back the restaurant certificate value and the basket.
Each room has satellite TV with DVD player, refrigerator, and what's billed as "the most comfortable bed in the world." Sitting on three acres in the desert, with cacti all around, you can probably cue up a killer view sunset as well. Now, isnt't that romantic?
Bad Rate
Bad Rate: Comfort Inn Sedona for $140 a night
October 31, 2006 at 11:41 AM | 0 Comments
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This rate was valid on October 31, 2006 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]
Let's see, a suite in a resort on a golf course for under $100, or a roadside motel for $140 at the Comfort Inn Sedona.
We freely admit to bunking down at a Comfort Inn now and then. If you just want a bed and a shower before you get back on the road, they do the job--and give you free wireless Internet access and ice. When you're on vacation in a beautiful place like Sedona, however--and paying $140 a night for a basic motel room--let's just say it will take more than tai-chi and crystals to make the universe feel aligned.
Supposedly there's a canyon trailhead right next to the motel. But we advise skipping on over to this week's Good Rate instead: The Ridge on Sedona. There you can stretch out with a full suite and a kitchen and have a different walk--onto a golf course. After three nights of staying in better digs, you'll have $120 more dollars left than you would if staying at the Comfort Inn Sedona.
Related Stories:
· Comfort Inn Sedona [TripAdvisor]
Good Rate
Good Rate: Three Nights for $275 at The Ridge on Sedona
October 31, 2006 at 11:26 AM | 0 Comments
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The rate here was valid on October 31, 2006 and is subject to change.]
This is a prime time of year to visit Arizona, weather-wise, but since it's also a rather dead time for U.S. vacation travel, there are generally some good deals on offer. We especially like this "can't lose" suite rate at The Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort: only $275 plus taxes for three nights. Yes, this is for two people in a suite for three nights--there's no "per person" fine print at the bottom. It's good until 12/23, with the only blackout dates being around Thanksgiving.
This is one of those Sunterra combo hotel/timeshare places, so don't expect loads of personal service. On the plus side though, you get a spacious suite with fireplace, DVD player, a whirlpool tub, and a kitchen with a blender! (Try whipping up a round of in-room mai-tais at your typical resort.)
There are swimming pools and whirlpools scattered around the grounds and it adjoins a golf course. (Greens fees are extra, of course.) At under $100 a night, you can afford to spring for a nice convertible rental car to zoom around Sedona's canyons. You won't find this rate listed on the resort's own site. Go to this page at Travelzoo or use the code "ZTZ".
Related Stories:
· Ridge on Sedona reviews [TripAdvisor]
