On April 6, 2009, The Best Western Sundial Resort opened in downtown Scottsdale. This boutique hotel features 54 contemporary guestrooms, including 12 suites that are Zodiac-themed rooms with astrological artwork. All rooms feature flat-screen TVs, glass shower doors and high-speed Internet access plus many of the guest rooms have a whirlpool tub and bar with balcony views of the signature Camelback Mountain and McDowell Mountains. Guests also enjoy complimentary breakfast each day. The Best Western Sundial Resort is owned by Allan Henderson, a hotelier who owns two Best Western properties in Alberta, Canada, and whose grandparents owned and operated The Hacienda Inn, which was a well-known 22-room bungalow style resort at one time and located on the exact site as the new Best Western Sundial Resort.

Resort Programs Give Visitors an Up-Close Look at Sonoran Desert

The Boulders Resort, The Waldorf Astoria Collection, formerly The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa, offers three learning programs to enrich guests knowledge of Scottsdale’s Sonoran Desert.

The Desert Photo Safari is a guided nature walk where participants capture the stunning flora and fauna with the help of expert photographer, Linda Covey. Held at sunrise and sunset, the two-hour exploration surveys the desert’s most pristine scenic areas with the morning tour kicking off 30 minutes before sunrise. The evening tour begins 30 minutes prior to sunset and ends with a complimentary glass of wine where attendees can discuss their best shots with the group. Cost is $85 per person.

The resort’s onsite art gallery, created by the Trail of The Painted Ponies, an organization dedicated to promoting artistic excellence through exhibitions of original fine arts, workshops, demonstrations and signings, is a living gallery featuring the works of the American West’s most established and emerging artists. The selections are displayed throughout the property and further enriching the program for visitors are art workshops, special exhibits, private artists consultations, and an Artist-in-Residence program.

Guests of The Boulders Resort also can turn their attention to the desert sky and experience the onsite stargazing program led by Astronomer Richard Allen. Depending on the time of year, attendees participating in the one- and two-hour sessions can locate Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula, Mars and other stellar sights using state-of-the-art telescopes and star charts as they listen to Allen’s awe-inspiring stories about the night sky. The experience is complimentary for resort guests.

Reach Your Full Wellness Potential With Resort Spa Programs

Travelers find their own path to nirvana with the Satori Wellness Retreat at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. Named after the Japanese word for enlightenment, the program helps attendees find their way to a healthier lifestyle. During the three- or four-day journey, each guest meets with a certified trainer who introduces them to a personalized health and fitness program. The wellness retreat runs $3,034 per person for three nights or $3,879 for four nights and includes accommodations in a mountain vista casita, three daily meals, two daily fitness courses, one 60-minute spa treatment and one salon service.

Give your body the care it deserves at The Phoenician’s Centre for Well-Being. The Well-Being Retreat costs $360 per person and gives you all the tools needed for making lasting lifestyle choices, as well as preventative care. The package includes a consultation with the spa’s naturopathic physician and fitness revival program that includes a body composition analysis, personalized cardio and muscle conditioning, and personalized stretching program.

Joya Spa at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort makes personal well-being a top priority with its free health seminars. The Wednesday night workshops, held from 6 to 7 p.m., focus on various areas of health such as heart, skeletal and arthritic care. The programs are led by local doctors who offer expert advice on prevention and treatment. Classes supplement Joya’s pro-wellness emphasis, and will eventually lead to a full menu of lifestyle offerings, including guest speakers, weekend- and week-long workshops slated to begin later this year.

Faint-Hearted Need Not Apply: High-Octane Outdoor Adventure Activities

Canyoneering might be a new word for your vocabulary but 360 Adventures guarantees that just one experience will have you hooked. The journey takes visitors to the Roosevelt lake area on hiking, wading, swimming, scrambling and rappelling excursions through one of geology’s most impressive feats, a canyon. Professional guides navigate guests through spectacular chasms as they encounter the stunning elements. The full-day trip is $400 for the first person and $200 for each additional participant and includes all safety gear, snacks, water and lunch.

Come to where the mountains meet the desert and adventure meets escape, and enjoy one of Arizona’s most natural beauties, the Upper Salt River Canyon. Guests on a guided river trip with AAM’s Mild to Wild Rafting brave the rapids of the state’s 2,000-foot deep “other Grand Canyon” as they make their way through the Sonoran Desert scenery. The day-long excursion runs $115 per person and includes a grilled lunch. Or, guests can opt for the multi-day trip that runs $375 to $750 per person and includes a catered, deluxe river camp setup.

Westwind Air Service offers scenic air tours to some of the most spectacular locations in the Western United States, including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell and Sedona. Tours range from one-hour sunset flights above the Valley for $199 per person to the Grand Canyon South Rim Air Tour where guests pay $349 per person and enjoy the birds-eye view of the Tonto National Forest, Red Rock formations of Sedona and unforgettable San Francisco Peaks as they make their way through the Painted Desert and Navajo Indian Reservation before arriving at the Grand Canyon.

History Collides With Modernism at Scottsdale’s Two Historic Properites

Scottsdale is a contemporary town boasting the finest in accommodations, amenities and activities but the city also is home to a rich Western heritage that is still at the base of its character. In fact, the city is home to two historic properties that add a dose of culture and intrigue to its renowned travel offerings.

Revel in Scottsdale’s Southwestern history at The Hermosa Inn. This 35-room boutique hotel was once the home and studio of cowboy artist Alonzo “Lon” Megargee whose rugged abode was created using old beams and wood from an abandoned mine. To supplement his income as an artist, Megargee rented his home out as a guest ranch. Now known as The Hermosa Inn, the hotel has been modernized with a wine cellar, an organic garden and the award-winning LON’s restaurant but still prides itself in its Western heritage with prints and Megargee’s original artwork decorating the property grounds.

Since opening in 1956, the Hotel Valley Ho has been thrilling guests with regular sightings of Hollywood stars. Once a hideaway for past celebrities like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marilyn Monroe, the property was built with Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired elements and now mixes modern and mid-century design with Western detailing. After an $80 million rehabilitation and expansion in 2004, Hotel Valley Ho continues to pamper guests and celebrities like Nick Lachey and Jamie Foxx with the VH Spa, Arizona’s only Trader Vic’s and the popular Café ZuZu, serving American comfort food and moonlighting as a bar and lounge in the evenings.

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