To celebrate Arizona Spa Weeks, Scottsdale Spa & Holistic Massage therapy is offering 2 Great Offers to Relax and Indulge with.

$35 Choose either a Custom Facial or Custom Massage (50 Minutes each)

$69 Enjoy Both a Custom Facial and a Custom Massage (50 minutes each)

Our appointments are filling up fast, so call 480-522-1041 now or book online Arizona Spa Deals

Please mention this Ad When Booking to Receive the Special Pricing and print out the offer and bring the coupon when your services are performed.

7500 E Pinnacle Peak Suite A 207, Scottsdale AZ 85254 – 480-304-5633

Limited availability so book NOW!

Sweetheart Spa Gift Certificate Special $159.00

- BUY NOW

Treat that special someone to a three hour spa escape.

Package includes:

• Custom Massage 60 minutes
• Custom Facial 60 minutes
• Body Treatment 60 minutes
• A bouquet of flowers*

*Presented at time of service please specify Sweetheart Package when booking

7500 E Pinnacle Peak Road, #A207

Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Call Today! 480-304-5633

Easter Weekend At Montelucia Spa Resort in Scottsdale AZ

Escape to warm weather and sunny skies at the new InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, located in the warm, dry climate of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled in the foothills of picturesque Camelback Mountain and located just minutes from shopping, arts districts, restaurants and nightlife, the resort and 31,000 square-foot Joya spa is the newest and most luxurious way to soak in warmth and sun in the popular warm-weather destination.

In celebration of the most temperate of seasons, through June 14 stay 3 nights and receive a $300 resort credit to use in Joya Spa, Prado signature restaurant, Kasbah poolside restaurant and lounge or anywhere on the 23-acre resort property

Easter Brunch Menu & Resort Activities

Click here to view Prado’s Easter Brunch Menu!

Click here for Resort Activities for Easter Weekend

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Planet Trekkers First Annual Easter Egg Hunt

With over 300 eggs to find, this event will be one to remember! We will even have a special guest appearance from the Easter Bunny himself!

WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 8:00am – 10:00am
WHERE: Cortijo Plaza, Valencia Lawn, and Planet Trekkers

(Pick up your egg hunt bags in Cortijo Plaza!)

Planet Trekkers will will be open 7:30am – 3:30pm for this special event. Easter & Spring crafts, bouncy house, and group games are just a few of the fun things we have planned!

Make your reservations today! 480-627-3159

Exclusive Montelucia Easter Package!

Exclusive Montelucia Easter Package starts at $295!

This incredible offer includes overnight accommodations in a Montelucia Signature Suite, Easter Brunch for 2 on Sunday morning and tickets to the 1st Annual Montelucia Easter Egg Hunt starting at 8:00am Sunday morning! Kids 10 and under eat free!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK THE MONTELUCIA EASTER PACKAGE NOW!

Or please call our Experience Designers at 888 627 3010 and ask for the Montelucia Easter Weekend Package

This package is valued at $630, representing a savings of over 50%!

Sundays on Us Package

Simply put, we’re giving you an extra day to do with what you please. We want you to fully experience all that this wonderful destination has to offer, so start thinking about what you will do with your extra time…

BOOK THE “3 FOR 2″ OFFER NOW!

*Payment must be made in full at time of booking. Offer valid through April 30, 2009. Rate based on double occupancy.

$300 Resort Credit

Escape to warm weather and sunny skies at the new InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, located in the warm, dry climate of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled in the foothills of picturesque Camelback Mountain and located just minutes from shopping, arts districts, restaurants and nightlife, the resort and 31,000 square-foot Joya spa is the newest and most luxurious way to soak in warmth and sun in the popular warm-weather destination.

In celebration of the most temperate of seasons, through June 14 stay 3 nights and receive a $300 resort credit to use in Joya Spa, Prado signature restaurant, Kasbah poolside restaurant and lounge or anywhere on the 23-acre resort property.

BOOK THE “EXPERIENCE MORE” PACKAGE NOW – CLICK HERE

For more information or to reserve this package, call one of our Experience Designers at 888-627-3010

 Exclusive Scottsdale Spa Escape

Let the Wynd take you here to relax, dine, and spa in luxury. This one-night escape will feel like a week after invigorating spa treatments, gourmet breakfast overlooking the Four Peaks, and an afternoon on your private terrace overlooking serene desert vistas.

*Package Includes:

• One night in a luxurious mountain-view guestroom featuring gas fireplace and private balcony
• Two 60 minute spa treatment* from our comprehensive Spa menu
• Guest receives $50.00 Food and Beverage Credit per day.
• Unlimited use of our Private Club & Fitness Centre,including state-of-the-art facilities and workout programs
  such as Pilates, BodyFLOW® and Yoga
  

Exclusive Package Rate from $399.00*

Check here for Rate and Availability

Or, you can let us customize your spa vacation package today. Call our reservations department at 877-707-7760 or fill out our online request form.

CopperWynd Resort is one of the best spa resorts in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Spa will inspire the soul, swim in azure pools, golf at renowned courses, play tennis, work out at the Fitness Centre and complete your journey at Alchemy, CopperWynd’s award winning magical culinary adventure. Come Take the Journey at this one of a kind Arizona resort.

CopperWynd Resort and Club overlooks the breathtaking Sonoran Desert from its hilltop location on the border between Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. This AAA Four Diamond boutique resort property combines the luxurious services of an elegant private club with the spacious accommodations and amenities of a secluded vacation destination. Stunning desert vistas studded with saguaro cacti can be seen throughout the property, enabling guests to enjoy brilliant sunsets over a landscape possessing the stark, rugged beauty for which the American Southwest is famous. In keeping with this picturesque natural setting, the resort’s spa therapies and wellness services emphasize the importance of organic healing and rejuvenation.

In addition to an extensive menu of spa treatments incorporating elements of the surrounding landscape, visitors to CopperWynd can experience the myriad recreational offerings of Scottsdale, whose world-class golf, historic sites, and quaint storefronts are only 12 miles off property. The athletically inclined will delight in hiking and biking excursions through the five mountain ranges that surround the resort. Special packages including Pilates instruction are available for fitness enthusiasts, while couples can enhance romance with a package that involves in-room breakfast as well as spa treatments.

This Article is brought to you by Arizona Resort – Spa – Golf Getaways

Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ

Old West meets new urban chic

Scottsdale tourists once delighted in the rubber-tomahawk culture that prevailed in “the West’s Most Western Town.” These days, visitors are as likely to spring for a turquoise-clay wrap at one of the many spas in this oasis of Southwest sophistication.

Downtown, once epitomized by the hitching post, has forsaken kitsch for chic.

Buildings soar to the relatively skyscraping heights of 13 stories, with exclusive nightclubs, restaurants, and boutique hotels such as the W.

Young, hip tourists seem to like it, but how do the city’s voters feel about it?

Civic leaders – always conscious of their brand – like to describe Scottsdale as the place where “the Old West Meets the New West.” But this convenient marriage is far from harmonious.

Scottsdale’s downtown revitalization has given a great boost to the tourism industry but has left some residents heartbroken at the fast-paced urbanization. A vocal group hopes to halt the transformation with a slate of candidates running in the city’s election on Tuesday.

“This election is hugely important,” said City Councilman Bob Littlefield, who usually ends up on the minority end of controversial development votes. “This election will determine what Scottsdale will look like over the next five to 10 years.”

At the top of the low-growth ticket is activist Tom Giller, who has vowed to oppose nearly any new project that rises above 42 feet – about three stories in height. Close behind is Nan Nesvig. Although less virulent about height limits, Nesvig promises to “listen to residents,” many of whom resent losing their views of Camelback Mountain while fighting late-day traffic jams.

If Giller and Nesvig are elected, they would form a reliable council majority with Littlefield and Councilman Tony Nelssen, the mule-riding, cowboy-hat-wearing enforcer of Scottsdale’s Old West. He protested last year, for example, when city officials quietly removed the “West’s Most Western Town” motto from Scottsdale’s Web site.

The four could become a permanent pain to Mayor Mary Manross, who is expected to prevail over opponent Jim Lane, a city councilman giving up his seat to run against her. Further progress on the city’s glitzy downtown – which the New York Times recently described as “a desert version of Miami’s South Beach” – could be at risk.

“I think it would not bode well for our future if we had a majority of the council feeling that all change and all growth is bad,” Manross said. “What we need is a balance with the old and the new. There’s room in our city for both. People come here from all over the world for a lot of different things.”

Not everyone is thrilled with the “24/7, live-work” downtown that Manross and her council majority have promoted for half a decade.

At election forums, Lane has hammered Manross over the city’s $120 million investment in the high-tech joint venture with Arizona State University called SkySong. The mayor points to her legacy project as a long-term investment in stable, high-paying jobs, but south Scottsdale activists say that a hockey arena or retail stores at the old Los Arcos Mall site would have offered more to residents.

Nelssen said that some longtime tourists and residents find the nightclub scene intimidating.

“A couple (tourists) said they didn’t feel safe on the streets,” he said. “The city has lost its family atmosphere.”

Others say that is nonsense. Manross points to falling crime rates. Tourism leaders are pitching the city to a high-end market less interested in Western knockoffs than spectacular resorts and exotic cocktails.

“I think to some degree this is an election that deals with whether Scottsdale is going to be a progressive community going forward or whether we fall into the trap of nostalgia,” said Rick Kidder, president of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber’s political-action committee has endorsed Manross and incumbents Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh. The group likes businesswoman Suzanne Klapp for the third council seat, while others have supported attorney Lisa Borowsky. Joel BramOweth and Oren Davis round out the candidate list for the three council seats.

Candidates not aligned with Giller and Nesvig are less concerned with fighting the new urbanization than making sure it functions efficiently.

Drake wants a “pedestrian-oriented” downtown where visitors and residents can comfortably walk from one neighborhood to another. Candidates on this ticket want to pull ad-hoc projects, such as the Scottsdale Waterfront and Optima Camelview condominiums, into a coherent whole.

Nobody is willing to give way on the city’s Old Town and Fifth Avenue shopping districts, which they say should remain sacrosanct. But jobs are a high priority, as is the tourism that has kept Scottsdale coffers full while neighboring cities are slashing budgets.

According to Kidder, the tourist today is much more discerning.

“The demographics have changed,” he said. “They’re coming for the nightlife and the resorts. They’re also coming for the Sonoran Desert. There may have been a time when the vast majority of visitors were coming for the ‘West’s Most Western Town’ feel, but I think they are coming for vastly different reasons today. They are a different generation.”

Low-growth advocates have argued that the height and density are disturbing in part because of the “mediocre” quality of design and construction.

Nesvig criticizes the “cart before the horse mentality” that has thrown up buildings before streets, sewers and the city’s infrastructure are ready to handle them.

Nelssen wants “site-specific, climate-sensitive” design that could survive a broken air-conditioning system.

“It would drive a style of true desert architecture,” he said. “That was what brought us all here. It was the quality of life. It was charm. It was character.”

Scottsdale is becoming too much like Tempe, the low-growth ticket complains, and is losing its distinct edge.

“People come from an urban environment to visit a resort that’s unique and Western,” Giller said. “Once you’re in a bar you can be in a bar in Tempe or South Beach or anyplace. . . . We get a lot of people down here but is this really how you want to build your brand?”

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Scottsdale AZ Day Spas / Phoenix AZ Day Spas / Arizona Spas

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Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ

Arizona Resort & Day Spa Tops the World’s Best List

Since their inception in the 1980s, day spas have become wildly popular worldwide. In a culture filled with stress, hectic schedules and a mind-numbing pace, spas offer welcome and much-needed downtime if even for an hour or two. According to two prominent industry authorities, when offered a global selection of destinations, travelers placed southwest locations – such as Scottsdale, Arizona resorts and spas - at the top of their lists.

In fact, three of the top five spas that earned Travel and Leisure’s World’s Best Award for 2007 were located in Arizona. What makes this state such a prime destination? The climate.

Benefits of Arizona’s Dry Climate

Ask anyone with allergies and they will quickly tell you they can breathe easier in a dry climate as opposed to a humid one. That’s primarily because chronically high levels of humidity (as often found in southern states) bring with it higher levels of mold and other unwanted irritants. In addition, humidity can cause breathing problems for those with asthma because it can contribute to the swelling of airways.

The solution lies in the dry, desert climate of cities like Tucson or Scottsdale. Resort hotels and spas in this region of Arizona stood out in 2007 State of Spa Travel survey. Given global choices, respondents noted that spas on the West Coast and in the Southwest United States were their top choices. But that’s not the only opinion they voiced.

Travelers´ #1 Consideration

The survey revealed participants´ number-one consideration when making travel plans for a spa: the facilities. Over half of respondents reported that the accommodations and spa offerings were what they considered as most important in making their selections. One quarter named cuisine, activities, desirable region, proximity to sightseeing and attractions, among other factors, as most important.

One Scottsdale, Arizona resort keys in on these customer desires by offering specialty accommodations including patio guestrooms, garden courtyard guestrooms and lagoon guestrooms. The accompanying spa boasts the use of certified organic and biodynamic herbs from their own herb farms to enhance traditional massage, manicure, pedicure and facial treatments.

Most Important Element

Whether they chose to visit Palm Springs, Austin or Scottsdale, resort-goers expressed that pampering was the biggest draw for attending a spa, with a full 84% describing it as “very important.” That should come as no surprise since the primary purpose of day spas has always been to pamper and de-stress its clientele.

Restaurants

One further consideration should be the cuisine available at the resort or spa you choose. While it typically isn’t mandatory that guests dine at the on-site restaurant, oftentimes packages are available that include restaurant privileges. If you have a preference of food or adhere to a particular diet, you might benefit by asking for details regarding dining options.

You’ll certainly want to take part in both sides of the spa experience: soothing and rejuvenating the outside as well as cleansing and pampering the inside. Ask about steam spa treatments to flush the skin followed by juices, broths or herbal teas designed to rid your system of unwanted elements that accumulate over time.

Then indulge yourself with an invigorating massage in the morning and a virtuous yet elegant dinner at night. With highly acclaimed, five-star chefs on staff, spa restaurants are well known for meals that are both nutritious and delectable.

Whether you agree with what those in these surveys voiced or have your own set of criteria for choosing a resort and spa, one thing is certain: You’ll feel rejuvenated, more relaxed and likely have a better outlook after your visit.

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 Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ

Locals staying home ease Arizona’s tourism losses

The Arizona Grand Resort‘s sprawling water park attracts throngs of local residents.

Every year for the past few years, Ashley Cornils and her fiance have headed out of town over the Fourth of July, cooling off in San Diego, Colorado or Seattle.
They wanted to go back to San Diego again this year, to their favorite Marriott near Seaport Village, but instead will venture up Interstate 17 to Prescott or Flagstaff.
“When we were talking about this weekend this time around, we were figuring it was going to cost $1,000 for a three-day trip,” said Cornils, 32, a Scottsdale banker. “It’s expensive to drive out to California.”

Staying closer to home is the major item on many vacationers’ itineraries this summer. Record gas prices, higher airfares, the limp economy and sour stock market have sliced into travel budgets, disappointing some travelers — but delivering a welcome lift to the local tourism industry.

Scottsdale is the new San Diego for some, and travelers who used to make the White Mountains a pit stop on the way to Colorado or Utah are plunking down there and staying.
The increase in local visitors, fueled in part by heavy marketing efforts, helps hotels, restaurants and attractions offset the loss of business from penny-pinching travelers in California and elsewhere who are themselves staying close to home.

In metro Phoenix, the extra local business provides a lift in the always-challenging summer season, one made even more difficult this year by the weak economy.
“The economic downturn,” said Richard Behr, managing director of the Arizona Grand Resort, “in a strange way has been a little bit of a windfall for us.”

The 640-room resort always attracts throngs of local residents drawn to its sprawling water park. This year, the number of Arizona license plates in the parking lot has surged.
In June, nearly half the resort’s guests were from Arizona, a 72% increase from a year earlier, Behr said.

“More people, I think, are choosing not to go to SeaWorld and Disneyland because of gas and because of airfares,” he said.

The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, another family favorite for its water park, has also seen a surge in local guests snatching up two-room suites that start at $99 a night.

Most years, about half the Pointe’s summer guests are local. This year, the figure is up to about 70%, General Manager Teri Agosta said.
Even better for the resort: They are frequenting its restaurants and spa.

“If they don’t travel as far, they’re not spending that dollar on the airline, so they might spend half of it (the savings) in the resort,” Agosta said.

At the trendy Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, the percentage of local business has topped 70% already, up from the mid-60s the past two summers.
At the same time, business from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, usually big feeder markets given summer rates that start at $99 a night, is down.

“They don’t want to drive here anymore,” said Jesse Thompson, Valley Ho director of sales and marketing.

At the other end of the spectrum, some metro Phoenix resorts, luxurious as they may be, are seeing a lift from vacationers trading down from pricier, far-flung destinations.

Northern Californians Bruce and Rhonda Prothro are stayed with their two children at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Phoenix because airfare to Hawaii was too expensive. They used frequent-flier miles to get here and timeshare points for the room. They rented a small car to save on gas.
Bruce has been taking advantage of bargain-basement golf — three rounds for the price of one in peak season — and the family has been treating itself to nice dinners.

“It allows you to do more because you can stretch your buck,” Bruce Prothro said.

Overall, the Westin Kierland has seen many more Phoenix residents than out-of-towners hanging around its pools and roasting s’mores at the fire pit. Business-wise, it basically becomes a wash, Westin spokeswoman Stephanie Dowling said, because the resort is seeing fewer guests from San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

However, the boost in local business isn’t enough to offset the broader impact of the weak economy and other trouble spots the industry has been struggling with this year.

Overall hotel and resort occupancy in greater Phoenix was down nearly 12% from a year earlier in June, compared with a nationwide decline of about 4%, according to preliminary statistics from Smith Travel Research.
“I’m not going to say we’re seeing growth (from last year),” Arizona Grand’s Behr said. “I would say we’re fairly flat.”

Northern Arizona is also seeing an influx of locals who are looking to beat the heat but avoid high travel costs.

“We’re getting the people who normally go to Colorado or Utah,” said Beverly Stepp, executive director of the Pinetop-Lakeside Chamber of Commerce. “Our visitor counts have gone up, and people are staying longer.”

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Valley hotels lure locals with ‘Staycation’ deals

Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ

With gas prices sneaking up, airfares soaring sky high and the economy sinking so low, planning a vacation this year may be the last thing on your to-do list.

Your vacation days do not have to go to waste if you turn the holiday into a ‘staycation’.

‘Staycation’ is the latest buzzword to pick up steam in a chilly economic environment.

Stephanie Heckathorne with the Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau said it’s the best way for Valley residents to still do something for their vacation and put money back into the local economy.

Online reports also point out that the U.S. dollar isn’t the value it used to be compared to other markets around the world. So you’ll get more for your money by staying in this country.

Phoenix area hotels are raising the stakes on a yearly tradition during the hospitality industry’s sunny and scorching off-season.

Many hotels are not only offering discounted rates for Arizona residents, but also throwing in many xtras.

Discounts off spa treatments, $50 credit at hotel dining rooms, even gas cards to help you get there.

But if you want to stay home and sleep in your own bed, Heckthorne suggests going to one of the top attractions around the valley.

Some attractions like The Heard Museum, First Fridays in Downtown Phoenix, or ASU Gammage are even partnering with hotels to give Valley residents a deal they just can’t refuse.

Find out more on Arizona hotel and resort deals.

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Scottsdale AZ Day Spas / Phoenix AZ Day Spas / Arizona Spas

Life is getting tough all over. Car trips for running errands are particularly measured due to high fuel prices. As visits to the groomer dwindle, the dog announces his presence more forcefully as his distinctive eau de canine perfumes the air. The most painful — no warm-weather destination over spring break. Like a lot of families, we stayed home and kvetched about our persistent winter.

With some insightful planning, you’ll be enjoying a sunny summer vacation, despite an economic gloom casting a cloud over the country.

You know all those warm-weather places that families frequent during winter and spring? Sketch out a trip to those spots during the summer when prices plummet as the mercury climbs. With hotels and resorts offering discounts up to 60 percent off high-season rates, Scottsdale, Ariz., beckons with a variety of affordable vacation packages as well as an attractive list of family activities and ways to cool o

Resorts with water parks include the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. In addition to a water park, asks kids to don a toque and apron to bake up chocolate-chip cookies with the resort chef.

The FireSky Resort & Spa‘s Married With Children package includes patio accommodations, fireside s’mores and a welcome amenity (frosty beers with chips and salsa for adults and milk and cookies with pool toy and Kimpton Kids Pack for the youngsters). The resort offers two pools with cascading waterfalls and a sand beach. This package is available May 28 to Sept. 8 starting at $155 per night.

CopperWynd’s “Love You Mom” Package

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, CopperWynd has the perfect gift for Mom to share with that special someone in her life. “Give Mom Credit”, with a Mother’s Day getaway that you can both enjoy at CopperWynd Resort and Club.

CopperWynd features luxurious accommodations, indulgent services, award winning cuisine, boutique spa, unparalleled environmental beauty and a resort experience like no other. It’s a captivating hideaway just minutes from home…come hear the whispers in the wynd.

Package includes:

• Two nights in a luxurious mountain-view guestroom featuring gas

fireplace and private balcony.

• A one hundred dollar resort food and beverage credit.

• A two hundred dollar resort spa services credit.

Select any two nights – May 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th 2008

Package Price *$695.00

* Package does not include resort fee and occupancy tax

* Subject to availability

CopperWynd Resort & Club

The Spa
13225 North Eagle Ridge Drive
Fountain Hills, AZ
480-333-1835
1-877-707-7760

Spas Finder

Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ

Resorts and spas abound in sleepy Scottsdale, Arizona. Resort-spas where you can unwind in ‘West’s Most Western Town’

This article is brought to you by Spavelous.com.

http://www.spavelous.com

Arizona: Scottsdale resorts
Scottsdale, Ariz.

It’s been a long time since cowboys parked their ponies on Main Street in what was once proudly marketed as the West’s Most Western Town.

Today’s Scottsdale is two P.F. Chang’s, two California Pizza Kitchens and two Merrill Lynch offices.

It is art galleries and turquoise shops and boutiques and Beemer convertibles and monster shopping malls serving monster subdivisions hidden behind faux-adobe walls.

Fortunately, though you may have to look carefully, Scottsdale is still desert and the mountains — or at least a short drive from desert and mountains.

To those who pine and whine over “the old Scottsdale,” we offer this from Jennifer Franklin, an actual native Scottsdalean who represents the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess:

“My old Scottsdale is the view of the mountains and seeing them turn purple in the afternoon,” she says. “I grew up with these mountains. They still turn purple in the afternoon … “

But among the 71 is a collection of resort-spas, often with a golf component, that’s a concentration of the breed rivaled in this country only in and around Palm Springs, Calif. To provide just a real good hint of what Scottsdale has to offer, we bring you profiles of seven, some among America’s premier resort properties and all with Scottsdale mailing addresses — which knocked out The Boulders (Carefree) and Royal Palms (Phoenix) and a couple of other good ones. Sorry.

A couple more points before we begin: The listed room rates, though accurate as can be, turn to fiction as occupancy loosens or tightens — so do check with the resorts and call ahead; also, from mid-May (and sometimes earlier) until Labor Day (and sometimes later), when the weather here tends to get a little toasty, rates plummet, bringing luxury to within Best Western budgets. Packages (golf, spa, honeymoon, etc.), as well, can be attractive any season.

Finally, regarding our featured “favorite spa treatments“: None was actually attempted in the making of this picture. We were just intrigued by the menu descriptions. You will be too.

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

This large spread manages to be an astounding desert resort without screaming, “Aren’t we an astounding desert resort?”

Take the spa, called Willow Stream. Remarkable. Inspired by the Grand Canyon and its Havasu Falls, cascades tumble down its multiple levels. “Just the power they have, in the middle of nowhere — it’s breathtaking,” spa director Jill Eisenhut says of the originals. “We tried to depict that feeling.” There’s more. Briefly: If Troon North is heaven for serious golfers, Willow Stream Spa is no less for serious spa-sters. (Both those suppositions are, naturally, open to debate — but not in this paragraph.) The resort’s La Hacienda regularly appears with Chicago’s Topolobampo at the top among upscale Mexican restaurants in the U.S. Just added: Bourbon Steak, from award-winning chef Michael Mina.

Kids? Here’s a clue: Across from the adult check-in area is one for kids — yes, for kids — with a mini-staircase to ease communication with the desk clerk. The big people tell the little ones about such diversions as a covered sandbox, four-story water slides and catch-and-release fishing lagoon.

Bigger kids? The TPC Stadium club, one of two on-site 18-hole courses, is home to the FBR Open, renowned among PGA tour events for its unique tolerance for, um, fan participation (that is, noise).

Five pools. A “fragrance garden” (fragrance seasonal). There’s a resident desert tortoise … but explorers will find ungroomed desert “within five minutes of leaving the parking lot,” notes a spokeswoman.

The rooms? Really, really nice.

Downside: It’s a little away from the action. Minor.

Favorite spa treatment: Desert Moonlight Massage, $179.

7575 E. Princess Dr.; 800-344-4758; 651 rooms, including suites 25 suites and 125 casitas; rates from $459.

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa

There’s nothing wrong with this hotel other than it feels like it got lost on its way to downtown Phoenix. Or downtown Dallas. Or suburban Kansas City.

This is an 11-story, 732-room (plus suites, plus casitas) godzilla of a hotel in low-rise country that, try as it does (and it really tries), can’t escape the sense it’s a convention hotel with privileges, not the resuscitative “resort & spa” the name suggests.

Businesspeople who haul the spouse and kids along will make the family happy. The requisites are in place: pools, water slides, a “lazy river,” Kids Club, Teen Lounge, spa. But.

The overwhelmingly marble lobby feels about as leisurely as the Sears Tower concourse. Yes, you can see golf though the lobby glass — lots of bunkers glare menacingly on the finishing hole of the Acacia nine. But.

There’s even a designated “director of fun”: cannonball contests, watermelon-eating contests.

Of course, adjacent to the hotel is Kierland Commons: 70 “high-end” retailers, along with restaurants everyone comes to Scottsdale to enjoy: Morton’s, the Cheesecake Factory, Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe and Emporium …

The three nines of golf are here. Also here: air-conditioned golf carts. Explains a spokeswoman: “Keeps you cool on the back of the neck when you’re dripping sweat.”

There are hints of Arizona — a narrow Grand Canyon mural over a lobby bar, that sort of thing — but no real sense of place.

The signature restaurant is the much-praised Deseo (nuevo Latino). The creative Agave spa offers such treatments as a Gingerbread Massage: “When you’re all through, you get a gingerbread cookie.” A bagpiper pipes in the sunset.

A first-rate hotel. Plenty of parking. Pet friendly. If you’re stuck in a meeting, the spouse and kids won’t complain. If you’re on expense account, treat ‘em all to steaks at Morton’s. There it is.

Favorite spa treatment: Ice Cream Pedicure (you pick the flavor), from $95.

6902 E. Greenway Pkwy.; 800-354-5892; 732 rooms, plus 55 suites and 32 casitas; rates from $369.

FireSky Resort & Spa

Most convenient of this collection to downtown Scottsdale, the former SunBurst (opened in 1961 as the Executive House) was sold and in 2005 became the Caleo Resort & Spa; Kimpton Hotels, noted for breathing style into other people’s dowdy properties, took it over later that year and in spring 2007 reintroduced it as FireSky.

So it’s evolved, from a classic (then faded) throwback Southwest property (desk clerks in cowboy hats?) to a classically Kimpton Southwest property with emphatic dashes of non-terra cotta color, a little healthy quirkiness (lightweight cheetah-pattern lounging robes instead of white terry) and an attitude Kimpton fans recognize.

“We’re not out to be the most expensive hotels,” says a rep, quoting the company mantra. “We want to be the most loved.”

That includes lovable touches like free shuttles into town and back, free afternoon wine tastings, free other things.

They’re also extremely pet friendly. If you don’t bring your own animal, your room’s work desk will get a live goldfish. Dogs and cats are offered facials. True. The goldfish are not.

“If you bring an elephant …”

The changeover renovations are largely complete; the rooms already have their flat-screen TVs and other contemporary touches. The main pool is just fine; a second pool has a sand (though surfless) beach. Firepits (a Scottsdale standard) are all over the place here but not all merely decorative: Guests, on request, are provided the makings of s’mores. Lovable.

The spa (products by Jurlique) is small but interesting; treatment rooms are more Victorian than health-clubby. Golf? Not here.

What is here? A nice place to sleep and relax and spend a little downtime between bursts of busy-ness — but for most guests and unlike many other properties in this list, Scottsdale is the destination and FireSky is the base.

Favorite spa treatment: Fabulous Furry Facial/Pooch Smooch (for your dog), $70.

4925 N. Scottsdale Rd.; 480-945-7666; fireskyresort.com. 204 rooms, including eight suites; rates from $379.

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

It’s technically in “Scottsdale” but a good 20 miles from urbanity, so if you’re coming to Arizona for rowdy fun you might want to consider something not quite this close to Utah.

For others, of course, that’s a strength.

“If you want the desert,” says a spokeswoman, “you’re going to get it here.”

In many ways, this is the un-Phoenician: We’re talking intimate and luxurious, not in-your-face opulent. (Both Travel+Leisure and Zagat call this Arizona’s best hotel.) Instead of crystal in the lobby, the light fixtures look like wagon wheels, sort of.

All rooms, recently renovated (flat-screen TVs, of course), have working fireplaces. Pinnacle Peak is less than a mile away; a trail leads from the resort, through the desert, to the base, and hiking the hike (escorted or not) is encouraged. This place doesn’t try to deny the desert; it embraces it. Suites have telescopes so guests can scan the clear desert nighttime sky.

Two sizable pools, one of them for adults only. Best kids’ game room (air hockey, foosball, big-screen video-game wall) of the group.

This is a prime golf destination: The two Troon North golf courses, reconfigured last fall (to rave reviews), are legendary; though separate from the resort (it’s a “partnership”), tee times are set aside for guests and all but guaranteed.

The spa is smallish but sweet; the essentials are here: a new featured restaurant (Talavera) and bar. In sum: This is prime Four Seasons, with the comforts and service Four Seasons loyalists expect.

Favorite spa treatment: Golfers Massage (kneading of tight muscles with warm golf balls), $155.

10600 E. Crescent Moon Dr.; 480-515-5700; 210 rooms and suites; rates from $555.

The Phoenician

You’re greeted in the lobby by crystal chandeliers. The intent is to impress, and the Phoenician succeeds — even before the concierge offers the self-guided audio tour of the property’s $25 million (their estimate) art collection.

The resort has nine pools and 12 tennis courts, one of the courts regulation Wimbledon-worthy grass. Opened in 1988 and now one of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, The Phoenician underwent a complete renovation of rooms and suites (all now have at least one 42-inch flat-screen TV, plus tweaked decor) and has attempted to reinforce its sense of place (the desert, after all) as well as the property’s position among the nation’s finest spa-resorts.

There will be a new steakhouse featured restaurant, which is sure to be a knockout, including the view. The Phoenician has the near-standard three nines of golf, on-site, to mix and match. The spa (at 22,000 square feet) is complete, though less a showplace than some others in this group.

In its Canyon Suites, an exquisite boutique hotel within the hotel, you can get a “therapeutic turndown.” Which is: “We’ll come in at night,” explains a spokeswoman, “and offer a pitcher of chilled water and then draw your bath with a variety of soothing salts … “

Nice feature: an expansive cactus garden featuring 350 varieties from around the world. Another: a 165-foot water slide and other kiddie concessions — but this is primarily a place for grownups intent on dazzling (and/or seducing) other grownups.

Favorite spa treatment: Myoxy Caviar Facial, $250.

6000 E. Camelback Rd.; 800-888-8234; 647 rooms and suites; rates from $750.

Camelback Inn: A JW Marriott Resort & Spa

Part of the fun of staying here is imagining what Scottsdale was like when the resort opened in 1936. For a generation and more, this was a prime hangout for movie stars and others of means.

It’s grown under Bill Marriott from 118 rooms to today’s 453 — yet the basic concept is unchanged: adobe-style casitas scattered about the irregular desert terrain between Camelback and Mummy Mountains. “You’re integrating the Southwest, the desert,” says a spokesman.

And, oh yeah, they’re integrating significant construction. In the works: a new main building (including restaurants, one the latest in the BLT Steakhouse group); ballroom and other elements are ready to go. Guests in most casitas will be oblivious to what’s going on — hilly terrain can do wonders to deflect visual nuisance — but still. Watch for discounted rates.

The spa — revolutionary when it opened in the 1980s, updated four years ago — remains best known for its lap pool (with mountain views) and the attached Sprouts healthy-foods restaurant. Its facilities are low on frills but competitive.

There’s one other pool in operation, and one other restaurant, a casual one (burgers, etc.) alongside that pool; compensating is the relative nearness to downtown Scottsdale eateries.

Guests have access to the nearby Camelback Golf Club.

Regulars who love this place will deal with the construction the way good parents unconditionally love their sometimes-wayward teens. Newcomers will have to adjust. The management is certain that will be easy.

“This was a quality five-diamond resort from day one,” says the spokesman, “and it continues to be.”

Favorite spa treatment: Adobe Clay Purification Wrap, $135.

5402 E. Lincoln Dr.; 800-24-CAMEL; 453 casitas, including 27 suites; rates from $359.

Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch

Maybe this is what the Westin Kierland wanted to be but couldn’t quite pull off.

The Hyatt Regency dates to 1986, which makes it a pioneer of sorts here in pioneer country. The feeling may be country club with strong hints of corporate and convention business, but that formality eases with a walk through its gardens, the layout and lighting fixtures recalling Frank Lloyd Wright during his Japanese period, the sounds of falling water everywhere.

Like the Westin, golf (three nines, again) is visible through the lobby’s glass wall — but here the emotion is more liberating than decorative. Can’t explain why. Ask an architect. It just is.

Above the lobby is a Native American and Environmental Learning Center, where, on this day, a young non-native guest is being taught how to lace moccasins by a Hopi expert. “We provide the venue,” says a spokeswoman, “and they are able to tell the story.”

In Camp Hyatt, a concept born here at Gainey Ranch 20 years ago and widely emulated, kids fiddle with crafts steps away from a local tarantula (“We’re all about learning and discovery.”) in a glass case.

Spa Avania, 2 years old, is big and dreamy: Everything is time-pegged (energetic in the morning, increasingly mellow toward evening), from the background music (guests can select their own during treatments) to the vigorousness of the massages to the beverages provided.

New hotel rooms are on the way; that project begins in April. (No more bathtubs. “People don’t use them anymore.”) Two restaurants opened in October: SWB (for Southwest Bistro) and the Italian Alto Ristorante, which throws in a free gondola ride for dessert.

At night — and this is true of most of the resorts in this package — the mix of lights, from lanterns, from firepits, creates its own world …

Favorite spa treatment: Anti-Age Performance Facial (for men): $160.
7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.; 480-444-1234; 490 rooms, plus 25 suites and eight casitas; rates from $439.

SCOTTSDALE BESTS
Best if you love the desert: Four Seasons at Troon North
Best if you love spas: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Best if golf is why you’re here: Four Seasons, Fairmont
Best honeymoon spot: The Phoenician
Best for families with little kids: Hyatt at Gainey Ranch
Best for families with tweens: Four Seasons
Best for families with teens: Westin Kierland
Best if you collect classic hotels: Camelback Inn
Best spring training base: FireSky, Camelback Inn, Hyatt
Best fun vibe: Hyatt, FireSky
Best for a quiet escape for two: Four Seasons
Best destination with other couples: Fairmont
Best if you must bring your dog: FireSky, Westin
Best for dining on-site: Phoenician, Fairmont

Spas in Scottsdale

Day Spas In Scottsdale AZ

Scottsdale Resort Spas

The Spa at CopperWynd Resort and Club
13225 North Eagle Ridge Drive
Scottsdale / Fountain Hills, Arizona 85268

Golden Door Spa at The Boulders Resort
34631 North Tom Darlington Drive
Carefree, Arizona 85377

The Spa at Carefree Resort & Villas
37220 Mule Train Road
Carefree, Arizona 85377

Rancho Manana Resort & Spa
5720 East Rancho Manana Blvd.
Cave Creek, Arizona 85331

Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
5594 West Wild Horse Pass Boulevard
Chandler, Arizona 85226

Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino, Amethyst Spa & Boutique
10438 N. Fort McDowell Road
Scottsdale / Fountain Hills, Arizona 85264

Red Door Spa at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa
300 Wigwam Blvd
Litchfield Park, Arizona 85340

Sanctuary Spa at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
5700 East McDonald Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253

Arizona Grand Spa at the Arizona Grand Resort
8000 S. Arizona Grand Parkway
Phoenix, Arizona 85044

Arizona Biltmore Spa at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa
2400 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Revive Spa at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
5350 East Marriott Drive
Phoenix, Arizona 85054

Alvadora Spa at Royal Palms Resort and Spa
5200 East Camelback Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85018

Willow Stream at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
7575 East Princess Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

Spa Avania at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch
7500 East Doubletree Ranch Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258

Agua Bathhouse Spa at the Mondrian Hotel
7353 E. Indian School Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

Centre for Well-Being at The Phoenician
6000 E. Camelback Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

Scottsdale Plaza Resort
7200 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253

Agave, The Arizona Spa at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
6902 East Greenway Parkway
Scottsdale, Arizona 85254

Jurlique Spa at the FireSky Resort & Spa
4925 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

Four Seasons Spa at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
10600 East Crescent Moon Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85262

VH Spa at Hotel Valley Ho
6850 East Main Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

The Spa at Marriott’s Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa
5402 East Lincoln Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253

Scottsdale Resort & Athletic Club – Eurasia Spa
8235 E Indian Bend Rd
Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

~ Coming Soon ~

W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences
7373 E Camelback Rd
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251