Hot Summer Deals at Arizona Resorts
July 2, 2008 – 3:23 am
Scottsdale AZ Day Spas / Phoenix AZ Day Spas / Arizona Spas
It’s a dry heat: Arizona in summer
Visiting Arizona in the off-season makes more sense than you might think — once you get past the 37 C t
Sure, it’s too hot to hike in the desert at noon. But it’s a good chance to take a spa or shopping vacation without the crowds, and stay in a luxury resort at dramatically reduced room rates.
When it’s hot, you can still go for spa treatments, try sunrise or sunset golfing, and make reservations for fine dining. You can take an air-conditioned rental car to an air-conditioned shopping area. You can take a Hummer tour of the desert at night — with night vision goggles. And of course, nightlife happens when the sun goes down.
If you stay in a resort like the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, you can spend the heat of the day poolside, enjoying Evian spritzes and chilled towels in the shade of a cabana.
“June is possibly the best month to visit,” says Kim Cole, director of public relations at the Four Seasons. “Rates drop so significantly.”
A luxury, one-bedroom casita with private plunge pool that rents for $1,800 a night in high season drops to $900 in the summer (June 1 to Sept. 6). If that’s a bit jaw-dropping, how about a standard casita, $595 in high season, dropping to $225 in summer.
Families on a tight budget might want to go a little more basic. The Comfort Inn Scottsdale, for example, offers a family fun package that starts at $79 per night and includes in-room pizza, complimentary breakfasts and shuttle service to nearby attractions such as theatres, shopping, bowling and the CrackerJax family fun park.
The all-pervasive air conditioning in Scottsdale means you can enjoy any indoor activity in comfort. Shopping centres, stores in shaded outdoor shopping areas, luxury spas, restaurants, the Su Vino Winery, museums (check out the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Phoenix Art Museum or the Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeological Park) — just get to them in your air-conditioned car.
Take an early morning walk through the Desert Botanical Garden at night, when the Garden offers after-dark Flashlight Tours.
You can even rock climb — indoor, at AZ on the Rocks.
As for those daytime hikes? No reason you can’t still fit them in.
“You just have to be willing to get up at the crack of dawn,” says Laura McMurchie, vice-president of communications at the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “You can do jeep tours, (hot air) balloon tours, golfing, all of it. You just have to be willing to adjust your schedule a bit.”
If you go
Where to Stay: For summer packages at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North (including desert romance, unlimited golf, summer spa and shopping packages)
Special Offer from Starwood Hotels & Resorts:
$239 & up — Family Package at Arizona Resorts w/$100 Credit*
Arizona
Travel dates: Through Dec. 30
We found a resort package from Starwood that’s perfect for family vacations to Arizona. Book the Family Fun Package for stays through Dec. 30, and receive a $100 daily resort credit, FREE meals for kids under 5, half off meals for kids 6-12 and a ton of other incentives! The rates vary throughout the travel period, but all of the valuable extras are what makes this a great deal.
The Phoenician: $279-$499 per night (Best rates available July & Aug.)
Special Offer from Starwood Hotels & Resorts:
$239 & up — Family Package at Arizona Resorts w/$100 Credit*
Arizona
Travel dates: Through Dec. 30
We found a resort package from Starwood that’s perfect for family vacations to Arizona. Book the Family Fun Package for stays through Dec. 30, and receive a $100 daily resort credit, FREE meals for kids under 5, half off meals for kids 6-12 and a ton of other incentives! The rates vary throughout the travel period, but all of the valuable extras are what makes this a great deal.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa: $254-$349 per night (Best rates available July & Aug.)
Special Offer from Starwood Hotels & Resorts:
$239 & up — Family Package at Arizona Resorts w/$100 Credit*
Arizona
Travel dates: Through Dec. 30
We found a resort package from Starwood that’s perfect for family vacations to Arizona. Book the Family Fun Package for stays through Dec. 30, and receive a $100 daily resort credit, FREE meals for kids under 5, half off meals for kids 6-12 and a ton of other incentives! The rates vary throughout the travel period, but all of the valuable extras are what makes this a great deal.
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass $269-$499 per night (Best rates available July & Aug.)
Special Offer from Starwood Hotels & Resorts:
$239 & up — Family Package at Arizona Resorts w/$100 Credit*
Arizona
Travel dates: Through Dec. 30
We found a resort package from Starwood that’s perfect for family vacations to Arizona. Book the Family Fun Package for stays through Dec. 30, and receive a $100 daily resort credit, FREE meals for kids under 5, half off meals for kids 6-12 and a ton of other incentives! The rates vary throughout the travel period, but all of the valuable extras are what makes this a great deal.
The Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa: $239-$349 per night (Best rates available July & Aug.)
A Traveler’s Dozen: 12 Sizzling Summer Deals
Everything the Frugal Traveler Needs — Steals and Deals on Hotels, Spas, Meals & More
Location! Location! Location! It just makes sense that some of this year’s hottest summer specials are in destinations where prices drop dramatically when the temperatures climb. So, if you’re searching for some red hot deals at first-class resorts, check out this list of summer sizzlers where you can vacation like a rock star on a school teacher’s salary.
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE
The Valley of the Sun is the perfect summer destination if you want a five-star experience for a fraction of the usual price. The Phoenix/Scottsdale area is known for some of the top resorts in the country, and the summer months bring some sensational specials.
OK, sure it’s hot here in the summer, it’s the desert, but remember, it’s a “dry” heat and 100 degrees in Arizona with very little humidity can feel better than 80 degrees in Florida where there’s so much moisture in the air, you’re soaking wet as soon as you walk out the door.
Traditionally a winter hotspot, the Phoenix/Scottsdale area goes all out to attract summer visitors, offering everything from dining deals to resort prices that, in some cases, are slashed by more than 75 percent.
Some other award-wining resorts to check out that are also offering summer savings include:
•Royal Palms Hotel
•The Phoenician
•Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Gainey Ranch
•JW Marriot Desert Ridge
•The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
•The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
•Camelback Inn
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