ARIZONA
Spring training: where to stay and eat in Scottsdale
At the center of the valley universe, there are so many places to stay, eat and drink in Scottsdale that it's difficult to pare down a list.
The nouveau-retro Hotel Valley Ho (6850 E. Main St.), within walking distance of Scottsdale Stadium, is a favorite among the ballpark crowd. The Valley Ho, built in 1956, was a popular haven with the Hollywood elite, attracting such luminaries as Humphrey Bogart, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood held a wedding reception there in 1957. It still feels like a throwback to the '50s and '60s cocktail party days with a bevy of twenty- and thirtysomething singles on the prowl.
Nearby, the chic boutique-style Hotel Indigo Scottsdale (4415 N. Civic Center Plaza) offers an affordable alternative to the predominant resort scene just blocks away, and it's within easy walking distance of some of the city's shopping, art, dining and nightlife.
Almost right next door, the new W Scottsdale (7277 E. Camelback Road), with its rooftop bar and pool, is still all the buzz, generating a wild outdoor happy hour scene that extends well into the evening.
The same can be said for the Intercontinental Montelucia (4949 E. Lincoln Drive) Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, where the beautiful people gather in gorgeous Moroccan-themed surroundings in the foothills of Camelback Mountain.
The FireSky Resort & Spa (4925 N. Scottsdale Road) is about half a mile from Scottsdale Stadium, Old Town and the downtown center of Scottsdale, featuring rooms with balconies and patios facing a lush desert oasis garden of rock sculptures and hypnotic waterfalls. Aromatic sage-burning fire pits enhance the evening mood.
About half a dozen resorts north, the walls of the Westin Kierland (6902 E. Greenway Parkway) are a virtual museum of Arizona history, covered with old maps, photographs, paintings and text written by the state's official historian, Marshall Trimble. A bagpiper serenades the sunset each evening, and the hotel's Deseo restaurant serves Cuban and Latin American-influenced dishes, including a variety of specialty ceviches.
Perhaps the most blended into its desert environment, the Four Seasons Resort, Scottsdale at Troon North, (10600 E. Crescent Moon Drive) in the Pinnacle Peak foothills, was built on the site of the Crescent Moon Ranch residence of a Kellogg heiress. In the evening, the absence of city lights creates optimum conditions for stargazing, and some suites are even equipped with telescopes.
The 44,000-square-foot Willow Stream spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale (7575 E. Princess Drive) offers many programs catering to the increasing number of men seeking therapies and treatments and was ranked by Condé Nast Traveler among the 10 top spas in North America and the Caribbean.
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