They arrived safely and are enjoying their new home in Planet Trekkers kids club. They are 2 year old Red Eared Slider Turtles and will live up to approximately 50 years or longer and reach maximum size of around 12 inches!

Planet Trekkers kids club  is an Interactive day camp and venue for young guests ages 5+ offering indoor and outdoor programming at all activity and skill levels. It is free for the first 3 hours for any Prado, Joya Spa or in-house guest.

Stop by and see the new additions!

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Fountains are very popular in the desert. They provide contrast to the heat and are beautiful to look at. Here are is a gallery of fountains found throughout Scottsdale.

The Pink Pedicure uses a decadent pomegranate sugar scrub provided by the pink Whish body product line…and toes can even be topped off with OPI’s special “Pink of Hearts” polish. All Whish products are also 15 percent off in the Spa Boutique, such as sugar scrub, body butter and shower gel. On “Pink Mondays,” breast cancer survivors receive 15 percent off spa or salon services. While enjoying any of these treatments, spa-goers also enjoy use of Willow Stream’s 44,000 square-foot luxury facilities.

The “Power of Pink” program is in conjunction with Fairmont Scottsdale’s on-going effort to support breast cancer research with several employees participating in both the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk for the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure each year. The resort’s Princess Shop also offers special pink products the month of October.

UPDATE: Here are some additional details about the spa services being offered.

• The “Pink Massage” is a 60-minute therapeutic massage provided in Willow Stream’s new “Power of Pink” room complete with pink walls painted in the official Komen for the Cure colors, along with pink blankets provided by Komen and a pink ribbon plaque with inspirational phrases. There is also a dedication poster for guests to sign their name or the name of a loved one. The Pink Massage is $169.*
• The “Pink Pedicure” in the Willow Stream Salon offers a decadent pomegranate sugar scrub using the whimsical pink Whish product line … and the toes can even be topped off with OPI’s “Pink of Hearts” pink ribbon nail polish. All Whish products, such as the sugar scrub, body butter and shower gel, are also 15 percent off in the Spa Boutique. The Pink Pedicure is $109.*
• “Pink Mondays” are for breast cancer survivors, who receive 15 percent off any spa or salon service.
• The Shops at the Fairmont Scottsdale are also offering pink products the month of October, including the Signorelli “Hope” t-shirt, Ballmania Pink Ribbon Lip Balm, semi-precious pink stoned Native American jewelry by Colette Simonetta and the “Power of Pink” bracelet and badge holder by Brighton.
• Soft pink robes and Willow Stream pink “blinged” logoed baseball caps with rhinestones will also be available for purchase year-round in the Spa Boutique.

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From September 25 – December 6, 2009, the “Season of Personal Discovery” weekends invite travelers to follow their passion and learn life-enriching skills. Each weekend is themed to satisfy every booklover’s fancy:

Living Your Best Life – September 25-27, 2009
The world’s top lifestyle and health writers join together for this inspiring weekend: Chris Crowley, Joseph C. Piscatella, Nicholas Boothman, Sean Foy, Tom Moon and Tom Valenti.

For the Love of Books – October 2-4, 2009
Riveting and powerful, authors Anita Diamant, Debra Dean and Lisa See have each crafted works of literary art.

Ultimate Girls Getaway – October 9-11, 2009
This pampering weekend invites grown-up girls to pack their “little black dress and their pj’s” to spend time together with fun, entertaining events and fascinating workshops led by Nadja Piatka, Beverley East, Kathy Balland, Linda Henley-Smith, Sandi M. Marques and Lisa McKenzie.

Food and Wine for the Soul – October 23-25, 2009
For passionate epicureans, this weekend features these food and wine experts: Michael Mina, Michelle Bernstein, Jamie and Bobby Deen, Karen MacNeil and Robin Goldstein.

Cloak and Dagger – November 6-8, 2009
Gripping and suspenseful, this weekend delves into the minds of masters of mystery: Steve Berry, Les Standiford, Joseph Finder, M.J. Rose and David Morrell.

Grand Finale Weekend – December 4-6, 2009
From a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist, to crime novelists and global philanthropists, this weekend is literary jambalaya, packed with laughs, mystery and a meaningful punch. Literary Stew includes Dave Berry, Ridley Pearson and Scott Turow, and Small Change for Big Change features Wendy Smith, Jacqueline Novogratz and Jessica Jackley.

Each themed weekend includes a three-day/two-night stay at the resort, exclusive admission to the Friday “Meet the Authors” welcome reception, Saturday readings, demonstrations and “Q&A” sessions, a Saturday evening “Mix & Mingle” reception and gala dinner, a Sunday farewell breakfast and a keepsake “Season” gift. Pricing is $499 per person, based on double occupancy, including gratuities. For complete details and reservations, dial 800-908-9397 or visit www.fairmont.com/scottsdale.

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The resort’s Babymoon Bliss Package provides romance, luxury, pampering, comfort and ease at a time when stress is often at its highest. For some couples, a babymoon getaway is a pre-partum lovers’ getaway; others prefer a post-partum vacation to bond with their newborn. The Babymoon Bliss Package is designed to provide either experience.

The resort partnered with Jennifer Bowen Photography and Moonbeams, an upscale maternity and baby store, to provide wonderful memories. The package includes:

• A two-night stay in luxurious, intimate accommodations
• “Baby Bump” pregnancy photos by Jennifer Bowen Photography at the resort; “Bundle of Joy” newborn photography; or an option for both if both a pre-pregnancy and post-partum packages are scheduled. Includes up to 60 fully edited, custom photos; online proofing and ordering; a slide show set to music of photographer favorites; and a $25 print credit.
• From Moonbeams, a Cleanwater bathtub filled with goodies: rubber ducky in stripes or polka dots, Erbaviva organic “Nighty-Night” lavender aromatherapy for baby’s bath, Under the Nile organic hooded towel and wash cloth, and Angel Dear baby slippers.
• A $50 gift certificate to shop at Moonbeams, just minutes from the resort
• “Whatever-your-craving” in-room amenity for mom
• Cigar and cognac for dad
• A pampering prenatal massage and pedicure at the Alvadora Spa to sooth mom’s backaches and tootsies
• A stress-reducing therapeutic massage for dad
• A candlelit bath for two, drawn by the resort’s caring staff upon request
• A selection of complimentary in-room movies such as “Expecting Moms,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Three Men and a Baby,” plus a selection of gourmet popcorn, sparkling waters for mom and chilled beer for dad.

The Babymoon Bliss package starts at $1,129 through September 5, 2009; from $1,429

Fall September 20 through December 31, 2009; and from $1,649 January 1 through May 2, 2010. Rates include daily resort fee, but not taxes or gratuities.

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For us, it was wildlife photographer Joel Sartore. Joel’s experience as a wildlife photographer would be diffuclt to match.  He had plenty of stories to share of hair rasing encounters with nature each accompanied by fantastic photography. After getting an overview of equipment and a short presentation on taking great pictures, each kid in the camp was outfitted with digital point and shoot cameras. They were divided into smaller groups and sent out on a photo safari, walking around the Fairmont Scottsdale Resort taking pictures from a worms eye view, a birds eye view and a 360 view – Joel’s tip for finding great pictures. Joel jumped from group to group, giving tips to the kids as well as the camp instructors – he was even nice enough to put up with  photo questions. As a testament to his teaching, here are a few pictures my kids took. Neither Mayah or Tyler has been allowed to touch my camera, so they were learning for the first time.

Bird in Flight - Photo by Tyler Kenzer

Pink by Mayah Kenzer

After the photo walk, the kids watched a short National Geographic video featuring Joel and ate lunch. They then spent an hour and a half playing in one of the Fairmont’s pools, complete with water slides. The Fairmont’s camp staff was awesome with the kids and ran the camp like a well oiled machine.

After swimming, Joel took some portrait photos of the kids. All said, the full day camp was 8:00 am till 4:00 pm. Parents have the choice of entering the kids for half the day for $59 or full day for $89 – which includes lunch, a backpack, a hat, a water bottole and a great experience. The camp is open to children 5-12 years old.

The guest speaker also sticks around for a Saturday night family dinner presentation. Joel geared it more towards the adults since the kids had heard him talking all day. The presentation was inspiring and engaging. The dinner was buffet style which featured food like mac & cheese, chicken fingers and hot dogs for the kids and Salmon, beef brisquet and roasted chicken for the adults. Diner is $30 for adults and $15 for kids 6-12. 5 and under is free.

There are only three camps left this summer, August 8th featuring Dr. Mireya Mayor – the Female Indiana Jones, August 22nd featuring Dr. Kobie Boykins – Mr. Mars, the NASA engineer, and September 5th featuring Dr. Mark Moffett – Modern Day Explorer.  Whether you are visiting for the summer or live in the valley, make sure to get your kids into one of these camps.

Here are some photos I took from the days events:

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When I arrived to the property I was greeted by the friendly folks at the front desk. The lobby has a nice southwest feeling with warm colors. It has a small business center and lounge area, a quick grab ‘n go shop, and even a golf concierge for all your golfing needs.  What’s great about Xona Resort Suites is that you can select how many rooms you need, whether it’s one-, two-, three-, or even four-bedrooms. The majority of the suites have a kitchen is included as well as a living and dining area. Most rooms also include a washer/dryer, which is great for long-term guests. Xona also provides standard rooms too if you choose not to go the suite route (no pun intended). And with four pools to choose from, the property makes it easy to take a nice, cool dip.

I arrived during the lunch hour to try out the Asada Desert Grille, which serves Southwestern-inspired food. For an appetizer, the Pollo Asada Pizza came highly recommended to me, so of course I had to give that a try. It came with marinated grilled chicken mixed with roasted pablano chili, white cheddar and cojito Cheese topped with pico de gallo and homemade guacamole. All of these tasty ingredients were spread over a two-layered flour tortilla. The pizza also came with a sauce (I forgot the name of it) to pour on top or to be used as a dip (is your mouth watering yet?). For my entrée I chose the Smoked Pork Poor Boy. Poor boy aren’t common in Scottsdale but the tender smoked pork seasoned with the restaurant’s own house rub on a bolillo roll topped with jicama slaw sounded too good to pass up. The poor boy was definitely as good as it sounded. The pork was very tender and the jicama slaw made the sandwich very tasty, light, and refreshing.

Overall I had a very pleasant experience at Xona Resort Suites. You too can also experience a wonderful time at Xona. From now until September 7, 2009 Xona is offering an exclusive special through the Experience Scottsdale blog with $59 per bedroom for one, two, three or four bedroom suites.

Other details:
Prepayment not required (which typically is)
$15 daily Resort fee waived.
Subject to applicable taxes

If you’re a local looking for a staycation or even a visitor looking for a great deal, call Xona and book a reservations at 800-989-0147.

Go to www.xonaresort.com for more information on the property.

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by flickr user eschipul

Taking place October 1-3, 2009 Phoenix Fashion Week’s 5th anniversary event will be held at the famed hipster Mecca – Hotel Valley Ho. It will feature 24 established designers including four accessory designers, and 12 emerging designers that will showcase prêt-a-porter, couture, denim and luxury sportswear collections. The event will kick off with the Fashionably Pink opening gala highlighting an all pink celebrity fashion show and benefiting the Phoenix chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The three day event will also include a style villa with designer sample sales and public and private after parties each night.

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