November 2004 -- If you're planning a trip to the Grand Canyon state in the near future, you've probably already discovered that Frommer's Arizona is an invaluable planning tool. Here, in this online update to our book, you'll find recent changes and other up-to-the-minute information.
Planning Your Trip
Arizona Outback Adventures (tel. 866/455-1601; www.aoa-adventures.com), which previously rented bikes and offered half-day and full-day mountain biking tours, has now added multi-day tours for adventurous travelers. The Red Rock Multi-Sport tour takes participants on six days of hikes and mountain bike rides in Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Monument Valley. There are also mountain-biking tours, hiking tours that stay in luxury resorts, and tours to the Grand Canyon and Havasu Canyon.
Phoenix, Scottsdale and the Valley of the Sun
All you budget-conscious New Yorkers are in luck. JetBlue Airways (tel. 800/JETBLUE; www.jetblue.com) now offers economical nonstop service between J.F.K. International Airport and Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. The daily service began in October 2004, and fares started at $99 each way (plus tax) if you booked on-line. WestJet (tel. 888/WESTJET; www.westjet.com), Canada's biggest budget airline also added flights between Calgary and Phoenix. Fares are around C$450 round-tip (including taxes, fees, and surcharges).
If you're planning a stay at the luxurious Wigwam Resort, 300 Wigwam Blvd., Litchfield Park (tel. 800/327-0396 or 623/935-3811; www.wigwamresort.com) in the west valley, be prepared for a bit of dust and noise. The resort is in the process of adding a big new spa that won't be done until sometime in late 2005. At the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch, 7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 800/55-HYATT or 480/991-3388; www.scottsdale.hyatt.com), the Golden Swan restaurant, which for years was the resort's premier restaurant, has been replaced with Vu, a contemporary steak-and-seafood restaurant. Although the Golden Swan was known for serving one of the best Sunday brunches in the Valley, Vu is closed on Sundays.
If you like Italian food (and who doesn't) and don't mind spending a small fortune for dinner, head to north Scottsdale's Sassi, 10455 E. Pinnacle Peak Pkwy. (tel. 480/502-9095; www.sassi.biz). It's big, it's designed to look like an Italian villa, and it has breathtaking views of the Valley of the Sun and the nearby mountains. This is definitely a memorable spot for a splurge dinner during your Arizona vacation. Looking for a new spin on sushi? Check out north Scottsdale's trendy Blue Wasabi Sushi & Martini Bar, 27015 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/538-5161). I'm sure you've never seen or tasted the likes of the wildly creative (and sometimes bizarre) sushi served here. This place is also one of the hottest bar scenes in the city. For upscale diner food in downtown Phoenix, check out the Welcome Diner, 924 E. Roosevelt St. (tel. 602/253-7799), which is housed in a restored trailer-style diner that dates back the 1930s. Unfortunately, Nonni's Kitchen, which was under the same ownership as the perennially popular Rancho Pinot, has gone out of business. Nonni's Kitchen was one of my favorite off-the-beaten-path restaurants. Luckily you can still get some of the same great food at Rancho Pinot.
The news of Rawhide Western Town's demise was a little premature, as the family-oriented attraction in north Scottsdale will be in business at its present location until August, 2005. Rawhide will then be moving to an as-yet-unannounced location.
Taliesin West, 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/860-8810 or 480/860-2700; www.franklloydwright.org), which was Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and architecture school, has, for the first time ever, opened Wright's private living quarters to the public. The living quarters have been restored to the way they appeared when Wright added the wing in the 1940s. You'll see the living quarters if you opt for the 90-minute "Insights Tour," which costs $22.50 per person and are offered November 1 through April 30. Fans of Wright's should also be sure to check out the impressive Wright-designed spire that was constructed recently at a shopping center at the corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road.
The Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix (tel 602/252-8848; www.heard.org) is an impressive repository of Native American art, artifacts, and culture and should be on everyone¿s itinerary during a visit to Phoenix. However, you should be aware that the museum¿s large Native Peoples of the Southwest exhibit is currently closed for a major make-over and won¿t reopen until May, 2005. The museum, however, has plenty of other great exhibits, so don¿t let this closure stop you from visiting. Still not sure? Let me help you make up your mind. On the museum¿s website, you can download a two-for-one admission coupon. So, for half of what it would normally cost you, you can see all the rest of this great museum.Central Arizona
It's time once again to update your "Favorites" list. The Sedona Chamber of Commerce has a new web address: www.visitsedona.com.
You may not think of Sedona's red rock country as wine country, but there are actually several vineyards and wineries nearby. If you'd like to visit the best of the local wineries, book a tour through Sun Country Adventures (tel. 877/783-6000; www.scadventures.net), which is operated by the owners of the wonderful El Portal inn. On the wine tour, you'll visit Echo Canyon Vineyard & Winery, which is set on the banks of Oak Creek and has vineyards built on rocky terraces above the creek. The setting is absolutely gorgeous and the wines are some of the best made in Arizona. The 2 -1/2-hour tours cost $95 per person.
The Four Corners
Bad news if you had hoped to visit Lake Powell this winter and wanted to stay right on the lake at Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lakeshore Dr. (P.O. Box 1597), Page, AZ 86040 (tel. 800/528-6154 or 928/645-2433; www.visitlakepowell.com). It was announced in October that the resort would no longer be open in the winter. The closure extends from November 15 to March 14. However, houseboat rentals and lake tours will still be operating, though on a limited basis. If you already had reservations to stay at the resort this winter, you will be moved to a local Page hotel.
Tucson
Tucson's new Coyote Moon Health Resort & Spa, 7501 N. Wade Rd., Tucson, AZ 85743 (tel. 877/784-7430; www.coyotemoonresort.com), claims to be the country's first luxury health spa for gays and lesbians. The spa is on the sight of a former guest ranch on the western outskirts of the city and is surrounded by desert. Four-night packages, which include four spa treatments, all meals, classes, lectures, entertainment, outdoor adventures, and excursions, range in price from $1,190 to $1,889 per person based on double occupancy. Seven-day packages range in price from $2,081 to $3,306 per person based on double occupancy.
By the time you read this, the new JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., Tucson (tel. 888/236-2427 or 520/792-3500; www.marriott.com) may also be open in Tucson (it was scheduled to open in December 2004). The 575-room resort is located just a few miles west of downtown Tucson and is the first new luxury resort to be built in Tucson in many years. The location is convenient to Saguaro National Park's west unit, Old Tucson Studios, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and Tucson Mountain Park.
Café Terra Cotta, 3500 E. Sunrise Dr. (tel. 520/577-8100; www.cafeterracotta.com), suffered a devastating fire in over the July 4th weekend, 2004, but by the time you read this, the restaurant may be up and running again. Plans were to have the restaurant back in business in time for Christmas.
Want to save a bunch of money on your visit to Tucson? Of course you do. Then be sure to purchase a Tucson Attractions Passport from the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau (tel. 800/638-8350; www.tucsonpassport.com). The pass sells for $15 and lets you buy two-for-one tickets at a wide range of southern Arizona attractions including the following attractions:
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, (tel. 520/883-2702; www.desertmuseum.org)Old Tucson Studios, (tel. 520/883-0100; www.oldtucson.com)
Tucson Museum of Art, (tel. 520/624-2333; www.tucsonarts.com)
Pima Air & Space Museum, (tel. 520/574-0462; www.aero.com/museums/pima/pima.htm)
Biosphere 2, (tel. 520/838-6200; www.bio2.edu)
Arizona Historical Society Tucson Museum, (tel. 520/628-5774; www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org)
Reid Park Zoo, (tel. 520/881-4753; www.tucsonzoo.org)
Tohono Chul Park (tel. 520/742-6455; www.tohonochulpark.org)
Kartchner Caverns State Park (tel. 520/586-2283; www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html)
Arizona Opera, (tel. 520/293-4336; www.azopera.com)
Tucson Symphony Orchestra, (tel. 520/882-8585; www.tucsonsymphony.org)
The pass also provides discounts at shops around Tucson.
Pick up your passport at the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau (MTCVB), Tucson Visitors Center, La Placita, 100 S. Church Ave. (tel. 800/638-8350 or 520/624-1817; visitorinfo@mtcvb.com); at Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Rd. (tel. 520/293-7330; www.shoptucsonmall.com), or at Park Place Mall, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd. (tel. 520/748-1222; www.tucsonattractions.com/parkplace.htm). Passports can also be ordered online at www.tucsonpassport.com.
And, so you won't be disappointed, the Tucson Museum of Art (tel. 520/624-2333; www.discoverbisbee.com).