40
MILWAUKEE WEDDINGS
2018
PHOENIX IF YOU WANT to get away from
the cold, you're a spa and design junkie and the hustle and bustle of a big city is not your idea of romantic, turn your eyes towards Phoenix. This cosmopolitan re gion (which includes Scottsdale) is rich in the arts - including ar chitecture by Wisconsin's Frank Lloyd Wright, whose winter homestead is in Scottsdale - and knows that the finer things in life include golf, spas and dining. Resorts like Arizona Biltmore, designed by a Wright protege, make you forget you're in the midst of a city, thanks to expan sive lawns and its prairie-style design, right down to the lawn lanterns. Even the most basic guest rooms are worth spending lots of time in, with spa-like baths and views of the hotel's gardens or the mountains. Spa Biltmore offers treatments in a couple's suite, with aromatherapy candles. Sip a Tequila Sunrise (reputedly invented here in the late 1930s) at the Wright Bar. Consider staying at The Boulders, too, just north of Phoenix, where stunning rock formations dot the horizon and the Golden Door Spa is divine.
Guests stay in private casitas with balconies and optional kitchen ettes, which provide few reasons to leave. Taliesin West, Wright's former home when he wasn't at Spring Green, is nearby and open for guided tours. Bicycle rides are a breeze on the expansive property. Challenge your fitness and fears all in one when you hike up Camelback Mountain together. Slow down the adrenaline with a visit to Agave at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Phoe nix, where the resident tea-leaf reader and astrologer provides answers to your most pressing questions. Think of it as a crystal ball, only more fun and with a spiritual bent in a totally relaxing environment This can be a good exercise for pondering your first year as a married couple. Downtown Phoenix has under gone a renaissance in recent years and hosts a late-night scene that's hopping nearly every night of the week. This includes the First Friday Art Wall<s, a perfect excuse to stroll along holding hands and see where the night takes you - plus a collec tion of art galleries, boutiques, bars and restaurants open every night.
Above: Hiking onCamelback Mountain Right Mora Italian's Winter Peas Guanciale Bottom; Wright's Taliesin West
Flying time: 3h 21min on Frontier Where to Stay: Arizona Biltmore, The Boulders When hunger strikes: Book I a table at the buzz-worthy "Maestro of Pasta" Scott Conant's Mora Italian: or pick up culinary tips at MATCH's open kitchen, tucked into the new edgy FOUND:RE hotel and serving comfort-food eats, many of which are baked in a wood-burning oven.
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