The Royal Palms Resort and Spa ~ Phoenix, Arizona

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa was first opened in 1948, but its original history started out in 1929 as a mansion built by Delos Willard Cooke, a New York industrialist and financier who came to the desert to aid his wife’s poor health.

Because of the Royal Palms Resort and Spa’s historical significance, and its early appeal to Hollywood-types like Groucho Marks and even President Bush, this iconic resort has also found its way to a listing in the Historic Hotels of America.

On-site Roaming Boomer Photo Journals

• Day #1 at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa
• Day #2 at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa
• Dazzled by Executive Chef Lee Hillson’s Cuisine

As you can see from our following video, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a stunningly beautiful place with perhaps the valley’s most mature gardens:

From our visit, here are the things that were left foremost in our minds:

• The look and feel of a Mediterranean estate.
• Unbelievably lush gardens for being in the middle of the Sonoran desert.
• Our spa suite was really cool.  Two flat screen TVs, a steam shower, Bose Stereo system, free WiFi, and all the little extras that you would expect from a world-class resort.
• Carol really enjoyed her Alvadora Spa facial.  She said, “I look five years younger”.
• T. Cook’s restaurant is phenomenal.  I am very happy that we can go enjoy Chef Hillson’s cuisine when ever we like.
• Amazing chilled White Sangria at lunch.
• Our poolside cabana was nice, and the service was impeccable.
• There must be 50 little nooks around the resort where four people could sit and visit, have a cigar, enjoy a glass of wine, enjoy a fireplace, enjoy a fountain, or simply read a book.  I really like this about the Royal Palms.
• Everyone was very friendly, helpful, and bent over backwards to create a wonderful experience for us.

I would encourage you to poke around in our articles and video.  I am quite confident that you will begin to see why The Royal Palms Resort and Spa has enjoyed such great success for over the last 60 years, and is greatly worthy of your consideration.

Disclosure:  our wonderful experience was provided by the kind folks at The Royal Palms Resort and Spa.  Thank you very much!  It was fabulous!

Carol w/ Executive Chef Lee Hillson

T. Cook’s Restaurant ~ Royal Palms Resort & Spa ~ Phoenix, Arizona – It is a most wonderful thing to live in vacation/convention/resort destination area.

With the 4.5 million people who live in the Greater Phoenix Area, plus the millions of visitors who come each year to the Valley of the Sun, we are blessed and able to sustain a large cadre of world-class restaurants and chefs.

One of the notable examples of this is Chef Lee Hillson, Executive Chef of  T. Cook’s Restaurant within the Royal Palms Resort & Spa.

Chef Hillson has garnered national attention battling on television’s popular Iron Chef, has cooked on more than one occasion at the James Beard House in New York, hosted a Friends of James Beard dinner at the resort, and has received the prestigious AAA Four-Diamond Award for the last six years running.

T. Cook’s Chef Hillson is also very popular with local foodies where they have voted the restaurant “best” in a number of categories in the Arizona Republic Reader’s Choice Awards:

• Best Hotel for Dining 2010
• Best Splurge Restaurant 2010
• Best Romantic Restaurant 2010
• Best Place for First Date 2010
• Best Weekend Brunch 2010

If this hasn’t convinced you of my claim to world-class cuisine, then let me share with you our dining experience at T. Cook’s.

Carol w/ Chef Hillson and Director of Romance Robert Vickrey

After settling in with a glass of wine, and some most excellent bread and pesto, we began to peruse the menu.  I could immediately tell the decision making process was going to be difficult because I wanted a taste of everything on the menu.

But alas, decisions must be made.

For our first course, Carol opted for House-Made Paté with Chef’s Fixings, while I, in my typical fashion, ventured off into untraveled gastronomical lands and chose Wild Burgundy Escargot (with crisp brioche, lightly scrambled eggs, mushrooms and roasted garlic Mascarpone).

The paté was delicious, but the escargot was stand on the top of your table and start dancing good!  Wow!

For our entrées, Carol went for Butter Poached Maine Lobster (with sour cream raviolis, asparagus, and champagne chive butter sauce), while I elected the T. Cook’s Mediterranean Paella (with 1/2 lobster tail & claw).

For me, Carol’s lobster was typical.  However, her accompanying raviolis were outstanding.  I was prone to sticking my fork in one of her raviolis only to be shooed away.  “All you get is one ravioli, Buster!“, she replied.

Now, you must understand, when I see paella on a renowned restaurant’s menu, I am going to get it.  I love paella!

This paella however…..oooooh….it was put into an iron skillet and finished off in the wood fire.  On top of all the wonderful tastes in this Spanish dish of all dishes, there were the most wonderful crusties.  Did I spell that right?  You know… crusties?  Right?  Those crunchy little pieces of wonderfulness you get when you cook something in an iron skillet.

High Fives to Chef Hillson, the King of Paella!

OK!  Dude, calm down!

Phew!  Alright.  Now.  We are stuffed to the gills right?  But you know what happens when you are being hosted at a world-class restaurant…right?

Dessert.

There is no way they will let you out of the restaurant without sampling their desserts.

Fortunately, I figured this out a long time ago, and now I have a most excellent take-home bag of paella.  YAHOO!

Ahem!

If you look at the photograph above, Chef Hillson brought us a very special dessert with our names written in chocolate.  Cool!

On the plate was Chocolate Fantasy (French chocolate silk on a decadent chocolate cake with chocolate sauce served with vanilla gelato), and Caramel Cheesecake Créme Bruleé (served with fresh berries & guava sauce).

Decadent is right.  It was so good, some might think it darn right sinful.

Well, all good things must come to an end.

Listen, all the accolades are well deserved.  This was a spectacular dining experience, the cuisine was sensational, the service was impeccable, and T. Cook’s has earned it’s way into our hearts as one of our favorite dining experiences.

Thank you Chef Hillson, and thank you T. Cook’s team!  You all deserve a standing ovation!

Disclosure:  this dining experience was provided by the Royal Palms Resort and Sap.  Thanks!

As I was roaming, the only stirring human beings were me and the resort’s gardeners.  I also enjoyed the company of scurrying rabbits, desert songbirds that were busily sounding their throaty tunes, and an occasional small lizard.

I made my first photographic stop of the resort’s pool.  I had to get my shot off quickly as there was a young father present with his very young son who was simply dying to swim in the pool.  It was only a smidgen past seven o’clock in the morning.  I smiled as I imagined the scene in their hotel room as this young family was dealing with a very persistent young swimmer wannabe.

As I pressed on past the pool, and into the resort’s nine acres at the foot of Camelback Mountain, I was immediately taken with how incredibly lush this place was for being in the middle of the desert.  These gardens are over 80 years old, and the lush magenta bougainvillea, the many exotic plants, the palm trees, the orange groves all made testament that this is truly one of the Phoenix Valley’s most mature landscapes.

Here is a beautiful Mexican Bird-of-Paradise that was begging to be photographed.

Another striking feature of the Royal Palms Resort and Spa are the copious numbers of fountains, doorways into private alcoves, antique wooden doors, iron gates, outdoor fireplaces, and comfortable small sitting areas that are discovered as you explore the resort’s maze of curving walkways.

At nearly every turn, I felt as if I had discovered yet another secret garden hideaway.

Even further, the terra cotta Spanish architecture that lays the foundation to the resort is simply stunning.  Here’s an example…

Later in the morning,  we headed over to the pool to enjoy a cabana that the Royal Palms Resort and Spa had reserved for us.  We were greeted by eager pool waitstaff, ushered a metal bucket full of iced bottled waters, and told that they were there to wait on us hand and foot.

When it was time for lunch, all I had to do was gaze towards the wait-stand and immediately there was someone rushing to our aid.

We enjoyed mahi mahi tacos, wonderful olives, and a wonderful smokey humus.

Here’s a photograph of Carol in ultimate pool luxury wearing her secret agent sunglasses.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  Around two o’clock we packed up our things and headed back to our home in North Scottsdale.

But, stay tuned.

We still have a video to share with you, and we simply can’t forget to tell you about our wonderful dining experience at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa’s T. Cook’s restaurant.

Clearly, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa understands and has mastered the art of the first impression.

We arrived at 12:00 and our room wasn’t quite ready yet.  Therefore, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at their on-property fine dining restaurant, T. Cook’s.  As a side note, their White Sangria was cool, refreshing, and out of this world!

Shortly after our lunch, my cell phone began vibrating in my pocket to alert me that our room was done.  When our bellman opened the door to our Alavadora Spa Terrace Suite, this was the opulent luxury that was beckoning our entrance.

As our optical systems were firing great pleasure messages to our brains, our auditory system noted that there was also immensely beautiful Spanish accoustic guitar music playing on our spa suite’s Bose stereo system.

This is a photograph of our room!

Note:  this particular photograph is from the Royal Palms Resort and Spa Digital Photograph Library.

When we stepped out onto our patio, there was below us a most beautiful courtyard with the Camelback Mountains serving as a backdrop.

Next on the agenda was a wonderful eucalyptus steam bath for David, and Carol was slated for the Alvadora Spa‘s signature Omorovicza Facial:

This classic Hungarian facial, cleanses and re-mineralizes the skin. Cleansers, exfoliaters and moisturizers are formulated with mineral – rich Hungarian thermal waters which are used in different combinations to suit each customer’s skin ensuring the best result. After gentle exfoliation, a mud mask packed with calcium and magnesium carbonates, cleanses and detoxifies the skin. A unique facial massage stimulates micro-circulations and combats stress.

Carol walked out beaming that the skin on her face was glowing and looked five years younger.  I agreed, and certainly wouldn’t have had the courage to do otherwise. 

Here is a stock photograph, from the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, showing one of their beautiful spa suites.

After a few hours of luxuriating in the Alvadora Spa, we returned to enjoy some time in our wonderful room and prepared for our dinner at the resort’s renowned T. Cook’s restaurant.

I can’t possibly explain the exceptional cuisine we enjoyed in this short photo journal.  Therefore, I will tell of this experience is a separate post.

However, to tease you a bit, think Iron Chef, AAA Diamond Awards, most romantic, best hotel dining, best place for a date, to mention just a few of their many awards.

For now, just know that T. Cook’s spoiled us rotten.  Check this out photograph with Chef Lee Hillson…

After dinner, we strolled in the Royal Palms Resort and Spa’s stunningly beautiful grounds.

Well, that’s it for now.  Stay tuned!

Note:  all photography, except where noted, is by David A. Porter and is protected by copyright.

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]]> http://www.theroamingboomers.com/photo-journal-day-1-at-the-royal-palms-resort-and-spa-phoenix-arizona-baby-boomer-travel/feed 1 http://www.theroamingboomers.com/montelucia-resort-spa-scottsdale-arizona-baby-boomer-travels http://www.theroamingboomers.com/montelucia-resort-spa-scottsdale-arizona-baby-boomer-travels#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:10:04 +0000 David Porter http://www.theroamingboomers.com/?p=2453 Scottsdale, Arizona’s Montelucia Resort and Spa is one place where these roaming baby boomers absolutely loved spending a few nights.

Montelucia Resort and Spa is only two years old with its architecture inspired by the rich history, white-washed villages, and sun-drenched hills of Spain’s Andalusia region.

Montelucia Resort and Spa features an entry that is reminiscent of a charming European town square with Moorish arching entryways, splashing fountains, and floral walkways.

As if this weren’t enough, the Montelucia Resort and Spa’s $30 million Moroccan inspired Joya Spa will absolutely dazzle with its rich flowing tapestries, and amenities befitting the king of the Moors and his harem.

What a privilege to live in Scottsdale, Arizona and have a resort like the Montelucia Resort and Spa in our hometown.  I am absolutely certain that we will return for a stay-cation, and spend a whole day in the incredible Joya Spa.

We highly recommend that you consider a stay at Montelucia Resort and Spa for yourself.

Now, you don’t have to take our word for this assertion, but how about the Abbondanza! 2010 Guide to the Best Gelato Shops in the United States!

We have been enjoying Paola and Christina Marrazzo’s gelato for quite some time and we figured it was high time we shared our little secret with our readers.

It seems that young Riccardo was suffering from asthma, and his Italian doctors suggested Arizona’s arid climate as a cure.  Thankfully, Riccardo is now fine, and we now get to enjoy authentic Italian gelato straight from Milan!

Besides serving up Arizona’s best gelato, That’s Amore Gelato also features wonderful Italian cakes, pastries, latte, espresso, and delicious Italian style sandwiches.

Best of all, after a few visits, and you certainly will visit more than once,  you will begin to feel like one of the family.

We absolutely love That’s Amore Gelato, and highly recommend it to your family as well.

That's Amore Gelato - Left to Right is Fabio, Paola, Riccardo, Rebecca, Christina, Cassandra, and Davide

We made our way to the Queen Creek Olive Mill for lunch on the way back to N. Scottsdale from our visit to the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by General Manager Rob Holmes, as well as Joey & Sydney, two beautiful daughters of owners Perry and Brenda Rae.

Rob spent about an hour with us explaining the history of Queen Creek Olive Mill, and helped us to understand the process of harvesting extra virgin olive oil from their 2,000+ olive trees.  We found it interesting to learn that our Arizona climate, because of the heat, allows them to produce their olive oil without pesticides as the typical olive grove pests do not live in this arid climate.

“For more than a decade we have been experimenting with different olive (olea europaea) varieties to establish which varieties grow best in the Arizona desert evaluating the yield, bloom dates, harvest maturity dates, pollination, fruit size, cold hardiness, disease resistance, and oil quality/ profile. Our grove is home to over 16 different varieties with the Frantio, Grappelo, Pendelino, Maurino, Moraiolo, Coratina, Taggiasca and Mission as the primary varieties planted. Our trees are drip irrigated and the use of pesticides or mold inhibitors are not required as there is no issue with the olive fly or any kind of olive tree molds. Hence our grove is pesticide free.” (Queen Creek Olive Mill)

When you visit Queen Creek Olive Mill, make certain that you come with an empty stomach as you will certainly want to sample the cuisine of their Tuscan inspired eatery, del Piero.

Rob Holmes mentioned that their Kalamata Sandwich (“Pork Shop” Italian and kalamata salami, capicola, herb roasted tomatoes, leafy greens, provolone, red onion and White Balsamic & Herb Crema on a grilled baugette) was soon to be featured on the Food Channel’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” series, so I promptly ordered up one for lunch.  I can honestly say that this was the best sandwich I have ever tasted.  Absolutely delish!

They happened to also have a special Pulled Pork Sandwich on their menu that day, so Carol smiled her way through that.

There are daily tours of the olive mill, and afterwards you will certainly want to explore their large selection of olive products, extra virgin olive oil bath and beauty products, wine, and a host of local seasonal fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and much more.

This place is a veritable mélange of mouthwatering delights!

We look forward to returning in the fall for the olive harvest.

In the meantime, I’m hankering to dip some fresh baked bread in my Queen Creek Olive Mill extra virgin olive oil.  YUM!

About an hour southeast of Phoenix, adjacent to the town of Coolidge, Arizona, lies the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

Presumed to have been built around 1350, Casa Grande is one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America, and its purpose remains a mystery.

“Archeologists have discovered evidence that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and extensive trade connections which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E.

The Casa Grande was abandoned around 1450 C.E. Since the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built it left no written language behind, written historic accounts of the Casa Grande begin with the journal entries of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino when he visited the ruins in 1694. In his description of the large ancient structure before him, he wrote the words “casa grande” (or “great house”) which are still used today.” (National Park Service)

Before touring the ruins of the ancient Hohokam, we spent about 45 minutes visiting the museum, and also watched an informative 15 minute video.

Casa Grande is 4 Stories Tall

To help give you a perspective on the scale of Casa Grande, you can see Carol standing at Casa Grande’s front door in this photograph.

Another very interesting fact about these ancient people is that they were very industrious, and created a massive canal system that would bring water from the nearby Gila River.  This canal system allowed them to irrigate the land, and thereby have an agricultural system in the middle of the dry, arid desert.

As we were driving to Casa Grande, the intermittently green fields in the middle of the desert demonstrated that a similar irrigation system is evidently still in use today.  In fact, for miles on our journey, we watched workman building canals along the side of the road.

When you visit Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, you will want to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy watching scores of ground squirrels playing under the shade of the mesquite trees.  Your children perhaps will remember this entertainment the most.

We have visited many prehistoric sites in the Southwest, but this one is by far the largest structure we have encountered, and it is plain to see why this site became our country’s very first national monument.

On Saturday, we went to visit a new exhibit that has just opened at the Phoenix Art Museum entitled Cézanne and American Modernism.

Whenever we travel to a major city, you are certain to find The Roaming Boomers in its art museum.  Now that we live in Scottsdale, Arizona, we feel most fortunate to have the Phoenix Art Museum just down the road from our home.

This particular special exhibit consists of 100 works of art.  There are 16 of Cézanne’s pieces, and 84 others by American artists who were greatly influenced by Paul Cézanne.

As we approached the Phoenix Art Musuem’s Steele Hall, we were greeted by cheerful representatives of the museum who gave us what appeared to be an old style Motorola Flip Phone.  I was greatly pleased to learn that these were digital devices that would give us an audio tour of the collection.  Cool!  There’s nothing worse than going to an art museum and not having any understanding of what you are looking at.

The audio tour was very well done, and kept us in rapt attention as we made our way through the exhibit.

“Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) is universally acclaimed as the father of modern art for his revolutionary use of flattened perspective, carefully structured compositions, and his signature technique of painting with patches of color. This exhibition is the first to reveal how a small group of pioneering American artists championed the reclusive French artist before he gained international prominence. Although these painters and photographers never met Cézanne in person, his long and prolific career provided many avenues of influence for them to explore.”

There seemed to be well over 100 people visiting this exhibit with us.  All had their little “flip phone” glued to their ears listening to the various curators explaining not only Cézanne’s life, but why his particular style of painting earned him the title of modern art’s father,  as well as his influence on the great many works of art that we were strolling by.

I was also captivated by the wide variety of people present.  There were young girls dressed up in stylish dresses and heels.  While at the other end of the spectrum,  several older folks confined to wheel chairs  were also enjoying the exhibit.  And, there was seemingly present, folks from every corner of the globe all gathered here in a common bond:  the enjoyment of Cézanne, his art, and his influence.

The Phoenix Art Museum has brought us an exhibit that is informative, and very pleasing to the eyes.  It will broaden your perspective of the world, and leave you a more enlightened person than when you first entered the beautiful lobby.

As I have mentioned before,  the Phoenix Art Museum is a must for your top 10 list when visiting the Greater Phoenix Area.  If you happen to live in the Valley then you simply must go see these works of art.  I promise you will have a most enjoyable visit.

Photo credit: Paul Cézanne. Bathers. 1898-1900. The Baltimore Museum of Art:  The Cone  Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland, BMA 1950.195.

Scottsdale, AZ (2010) – Arizona possesses 5 AAA Five-Diamond resorts, and they all happen to be in Scottsdale, Arizona.

During the months of May and June we were invited to come sample each of these beautiful resorts.  We slept in their rooms, enjoyed their fine cuisine, swam in their pools, luxuriated in their spas, and completely bathed ourselves in their amenities for two full days.

You don’t earn the prestigious AAA Five-Diamond award without firing on all 12 cylinders, and doing nearly everything perfectly.

Therefore, it was not our intention to say that this resort was better than that resort.  Rather, we were expecting world-class service from all, and suspected that we would merely view different flavors of such service from each.

We were not disappointed.

Even though we were in our own Scottsdale backyard, each of these magical resorts transported us to such a place of relaxation, luxury, and pampering we quickly forgot where we were and simply enjoyed the moment.

And after all, isn’t that what a world-class luxury resort is suppose to do?

At each of these resorts, we have prepared for you video, beautiful photography, and even a little pithy text.  So, sit back, relax, and let me take you on a wonderful journey of Arizona’s AAA Five-Diamond Resorts:

• The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
• The Phoenician Resort & The Canyon Suites.  Two Five-Diamond Properties in one place.
• The Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort at Troon North.
• The Camelback Inn

With each of these properties, we have prepared for you at least two separate postings.  One on the resorts in general (with a video), and one on each of their fine dining restaurants.  Make sure that you scroll all the way down to catch all the material on each resort.

We sincerely hope that you find these article informative, and entertaining.

Furthermore, if you are coming to these articles from a search engine, these are the best of the best of Arizona, and we highly recommend that you visit one of them.

Further still, if you live in the Greater Phoenix Area, or anywhere near the area for that matter, these properties will make for you a  magical stay-cation.  I highly recommend that you take advantage of these jewels for occasions like wedding anniversary’s, special birthdays, or any special occasion.  Also note that these resorts are amazingly affordable in the warmer months when the snow birds have flown the coup.

Again, we hope you enjoy our work, and we hope that you in return will honor us by following us by e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.

We have many exciting destinations up our sleeves, and we would love for you to follow along.

David & Carol Porter (aka The Roaming Boomers)

PS  Here is a link that will take you to all ten (10) of the articles.