A Most Glamorous Desert Escape

BY: ZOEY GOTO

Boasting over 300 days of glorious sunshine every year, it’s no wonder that Arizona has long been a hotspot for winter snowbirds. A new crop of high-end wellness resorts, teamed with world class golfing and scenic hiking trails, have been attracting discerning visitors to the Sonoran Desert year-round.

Most of them will arrive via Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which is just a short drive from the Rise Uptown. This stylish boutique hotel has transformed a former mid-century office block into a hip hangout, popular with locals and overnight guests alike. Fresh fruit popsicles are handed out at check in, rooms feature retro-chic interiors, sumptuous Egyptian cotton beds and in-room vinyl record players. At the buzzy Lylo Swim Club restaurant, dive into tacos served around a photogenic swimming pool, where you’ll also find DJs spinning tunes on balmy evenings. Heading up to Don Woods' Say When rooftop bar, you will enjoy classic cocktails served against a backdrop of panoramic city views.

Nearby is the Heard Museum, a leading light in telling the histories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective. Set around a tranquil courtyard, the museum galleries display Indigenous artwork and storytelling with a particular focus on the southwest. Try to time your visit with the annual Heard Hoop Dance Contest in February, a stunning artistic expression that celebrates Indigenous traditions throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Traveling from Phoenix through the sun-baked Sonoran Desert, dotted with outcrops of saguaro cacti just 20 minutes by car is Scottsdale. In recent years this resort town has carved out a niche as an ultra-luxe hideaway, drawing parallels with the gated opulence of Beverly Hills.

Serving up a serious dose of oldschool glamour, Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale has been attracting Hollywood stars since it first threw open its fabled doors in 1956. Now considered a midcentury modern masterpiece, the hotel has managed to retain its vintage glamour, while also updating the guest rooms to offer all the mod cons one would expect nowadays. Pampering options at the onsite day spa include massages and antioxidant facials, while the palmfringed pools offer shelter from the sun under colorful parasols. Be sure to stop by at the hotel’s ZuZu restaurant, where Chef Russell LaCasce serves up fresh takes on contemporary America cuisine and the clink of cocktail glasses can be heard at the handsome cocktail bar, a favorite with former guests including Marilyn Monroe and Bing Crosby

Just a lasso throw from Hotel Valley Ho is Scottsdale Old Town, where a giant cowboy sign at the entrance proudly declares that you’re entering ‘The West’s Most Western Town’. Here saloon bars jostle for space with kitschy western curiosity shops, selling a treasure trove of Stetson hats, tasselled shirts and cowboy boots in a rainbow of colors.

The great outdoors is one of Scottsdale’s biggest selling points. At the Phoenician resort guests get to tap into the natural beauty of the rugged canyon landscape that unfurls on the doorstep. Grab a map from the front desk and hit the nearby hiking trails, wander the cactus garden, or take a dip in one of the nine sparkling, multi-tiered swimming pools. A sundowner at the Thirsty Camel, voted one of the world’s best hotel bars, offers ringside views for dramatic fiery sunsets. Exceptional steaks are served at the Mowry & Cotton casual dining restaurant. The Phoenician makes a solid choice for families, with child-friendly activities including crafting and games out on the lawn.

Design lovers will appreciate a visit to Taliesin West, the winter home of architectural visionary Frank Lloyd Wright, where he adapted his organic prairie style to the Sonoran Desert. Take a guided tour of the home and school, or join the new monthly yoga class that takes place on the lawn before the landmark building.

Scottsdale is a golfer’s playground with over two hundred courses to choose from. Stay at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa and you won’t have to walk far from your hotel room to tee off. The resort’s courses are considered some of the finest in Arizona, with bespoke lessons and technique clinics also on hand. Once you’ve spent the day perfecting your swing, drift along the 900-foot lazy river in the resort’s adventure water park or put your feet up in a poolside cabana.

Those looking to get away from it all in style should head to the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. This gorgeous five-star retreat is nestled into the mountains and valleys. Two hundred blush hued adobe rooms and suites, many with firepits on the patio, melt into the surrounding Red Rocks desertscape.

Make a splash in the dazzling pool, voted one of the finest in America. Be sure to book in at the heavenly spa where the menu taps into the local desert with aloe vera massages to sooth sun kissed skin. There’s even a golfer’s massage treatment, using warmed golf balls to gently knead tight muscles after a day on the course or trails.

Round off your desert escape with a meal at the Four Season’s Talavera restaurant. Chef Jesus Figueroa recently took over the helm and has already created waves with his exquisite menu of elevated Spanish origin cuisine using traditional Iberian ingredients. Feast on paella and dry aged steak in the Talavera dining room overlooking the iconic Pinnacle Peak Mountain, or dine al fresco on the patio, basking in that soul-warming Arizona sunshine.