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.

The Camelback Inn was created in 1936, and became Scottsdale, Arizona’s very first luxury resort.

The original resort cost $75,000 to build and accommodated 75 guests. The resort immediately attracted wealthy travelers who endured long train rides to Phoenix from the East Coast and Midwest, then another 12-mile trek down bumpy dirt roads to reach their Southwestern resort adventure. Horseback riding, desert exploration and other outdoor excursions introduced vacationers to the wonders of their secluded surroundings.

Today, after a $50 million face-lift in 2008, and enhancing the resort over the years with a 31,000 sq. ft spa, and a 36-hole championship golf course with spectacular 36,000 sq. ft. pueblo-styled Clubhouse, the Camelback Inn continues to dazzle people from around the world.

Another significant feather in the cap of the Camelback Inn is found in the fact that they have been a AAA Five-Diamond resort (34 years and counting) since the very beginning of this prestigious award.  There are only three resorts in the whole United States who can make that claim.

Here are a few of the highlights of our Camelback Inn experience:

• Immediately noticeable is the staff’s earnest desire to create a memorable experience, bending over backwards to create very important first impressions.
• To be completely forthright, we were somewhat disenchanted with our room’s furnishings and appointments as compared to other AAA Five-Diamond properties we have recently visited.  Unfortunately, the Camelback Inn team also dropped the ball and completely left us out of a turn-down service on our first night.  I have been fretting about whether to mention this, but we feel that it is important to be completely open about our experiences, be it good, bad, or indifferent.  We would also want you to know that these things, in light of all the other splendors of this resort, would most definitely not keep us from a return visit.  In just two short days, we grew to love this property.  Fair enough?
• I was completely taken aback by their casual dining restaurant, Rita’s Kitchen.  I went in expecting typical casual dining fare, but was dumbfounded when I experienced what was likely the best fish dish of my life!  Carol’s enchiladas also left one mute with amazement.  They were that good!  More on Rita’s Kitchen in another post.
• We were hosted to a sensational wine-parring diner at the resort’s BLT Steakhouse.  The food was so good we returned back, after checking out of the resort, to sample BLT’s “typical” dining fare.  The food at BLT Steakhouse is remarkable.  More on that in another post.
• The Camelback Spa!  Boy, how to describe this amazing place.  We spent a whole day in this spa.  We enjoyed a workout in their well equipped gym, and then both retreated to the confines of our separate gendered facilities to enjoy total relaxation.  Carol enjoyed a massage/wrap, while I greatly enjoyed a eucalyptus steam, and a shower with, I think, 13 shower heads.  I also dipped my toes in the cold dunk tank, but the water was 56º so I chickened out from a full dunk.  After 90 minutes of sheer relaxation, we headed out to our private deluxe cabana.  Here, we were waited on hand and foot.  We were greeted with a bowl of fresh fruit, had a refrigerator stocked with bottled water, were provided all day with chilled Aromatherapy face cloths to keep us cool from the hot 100º weather, and enjoyed a fabulous lunch from Sprouts, their in-house healthy fare restaurant.  Our cabana provided us lots of privacy, two chairs, two lounge chairs, and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.  I can certainly see a return day trip to this spa in our futures.

Overall, we had a very memorable experience at the Camelback Inn.  If you can afford it, I would spring for one of their many suites over the standard casita guest rooms.  Be that as it may, regardless of where you lodge at the Camelback Inn, we can assure you of a most memorable experience coupled with some of the best service we have experienced anywhere.  In fact, we hope to return again soon!

Rita’s Kitchen

During the first night of our stay with the Camelback Inn, we were invited to sample the cuisine of Rita’s Kitchen.  To be honest, knowing that this was “casual fare”, I wasn’t expecting much.

Boy!  Was I wrong!

Our meal began with Carol ordering a wonderful Roasted Artichoke, while I enjoyed a piping hot bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup (Avocado, onion, cilantro, jack cheese).

We looked at each other, and remarked that if the rest of the meal was this good, then we were in for a treat.  Little did we know that the entrées, chosen from “Rita’s Favorites”, were going to completely blow our minds.

Carol chose Chicken Enchiladas Rojas (Red pasilla sauce, Cotija cheese, slaw), while I opted for the Mahi Mahi Veracruz (Garlic, tomato, onion, olives, capers, avocado, and cilantro rice).  Please hear me, this was the best enchiladas ever!  And…this was the best fish entrée I have ever had!  Anywhere!  Wow!  This was good!

Schramsberg Wine Dinner at BLT Steakhouse

As it so happened, the resort was hosting a wine-parring dinner, with Napa Valley’s Schramsberg Winery, and we were invited to come share the night’s festivities.  YEAH!

I would guess that there were 100 people present, and we enjoyed quite the gastronomical delight.  Check out these courses:

• First Course – San Francisco Bay Dungeness Crab with compressed melon, cucumber, avocado, yuzu, and mint parred with Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs, North Coast 2006.  This dish was amazing.  The sparkling wine was nice.
• Second Course – Grilled House Made Maple Pepper Bacon with donut peach, summer onion marmalade parred with Schramsberg, Blanc de Noirs, North Coast, 2006.  I don’t know?  It was a piece of bacon.  It was good, and I am certain that it was the finest of bacon, but it was a piece of bacon.  The sparkling wine on the other hand was gooood!
• Third Course – Pan Seared Halibut Cheek with local heirloom tomato, consomme, tomato chips and rocket arugula parred with Schramsberg, “J Schram”, Brut Rose, California, 1998.  Now this, ladies and gentlemen, was a great dish of fish, coupled with an outstanding glass of bubbly!  Hugh Davis, the second-generation wine maker from Schramsberg, explained that these sparkling wines were brought to China by Richard Nixon, and have been a staple at White House functions.
• Fourth Course – Painted Hills Farms BBQ Short Rib with cranberry bean succotash, sweet corn puree, and pedron chile parred with J. Davies, Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain, 2206.  MMMM!  Both were excellent.
• Fifth Course – Mascarpone Cheesecake with strawberry essence, wild strawberries, and chocolate parred with Schramsberg, Cremant, Demi-Sec, North Coast, 2005.  Holy sweet wonderfulness Batman!

To end our evening, our wine maker ushered us all outdoors where he popped the cork of a bottle of Cremant with his trusty Schramsberg sword.  Everyone opens their Cremant that way.  Right?

Note:  click the photograph to see a much larger version, and subsequently the cork exploding its way across the garden.

What a delightful evening!  Great food, and new friends.

BLT Steakhouse

As we were enjoying the special fare of the wine dinner, everyone was telling us what a wonderful restaurant BLT Steakhouse was.  Therefore, after we checked out of the resort, and had made our way back to N. Scottsdale, we decided to make reservations at BLT Steakhouse, that very night, and return to Camelback Inn for dinner.

After getting comfortable, back at BLT Steakhouse, we ordered a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and enjoyed a complimentary taste of liver paté on toast as we studied our menus.

As we had spent the last two nights eating rich foods, we decided that we were going to split a dinner this evening.  Besides, we knew that we were about to be presented with the BLT Steakhouse’s famous popovers, and we just couldn’t contemplate a third successive evening of gorged bellies.

After many oohs and aashs over our popovers, we shared an order of Fava Bean Succotash, and then shared a 15 oz. bone-in USDA Prime Black Angus Filet which was broiled at 1700 degrees and finished with a dob of herb butter.  Wow!  Now that was a steak.

Let me just say that whether you are staying at the Camelback Inn, or a resident of the Greater Phoenix Area, this resort has some scrumptious cuisine simply waiting for your arrival.

Hat’s off to the Camelback Inn, and all the chefs.

When visiting the Greater Phoenix Area, one of the destinations that simply must be on your top 10 list is the Desert Botanical Garden, in Phoenix, Arizona.

The desert Southwest contains many fascinating plants that are found nowhere else in the world, with the Saguaro perhaps being the most famous of all.

The Desert Botanical Garden was founded in 1939, and is the only botanical garden in the world that is solely focused on desert plants.

The Desert Botanical Garden sits on 145 acres and has more than 50,000 plants on display. The Living Collection contains over 21,000 accessioned plants representing 3,931 taxa in 139 plant families. The collection is especially strong in Cactaceae (Cactus), Agavaceae (Agaves), Aloaceae (Aloes) and the flora of the Sonoran Desert.

Note:  make sure to watch the video in 720p HD after you click on the play button.

The Desert Botanical Garden has five thematic trails that illustrate a variety of topics. The Garden’s Desert Discovery Trail showcases desert plants from around the world. The Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail explores how desert plants are used for nourishment and tools. The Sonoran Desert Nature Trail illustrates the relationship between desert plants and animals. The Center for Desert Living Trail covers topics such as water and energy conservation. The Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail showcases desert wildflowers.

Further showcasing the community’s love of this “Phoenix Point of Pride” was a $17.8 million face-lift in 2008, which transformed this desert jewel into a destination in which local residents, and guests alike, have rewarded the Desert Botanical Garden with very strong attendance numbers.

We highly recommend a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden.  You will simply be amazed with the unusual desert plants, and are certain to come home with many stories to share with family and friends.

Talavera is named for a type of brightly colored hand painted Mexican pottery, and is inspired by the colorful look and feel of their dining room which incorporates the vibrant palate of the Sonoran Desert in full bloom.

A beautiful focal point of Talavera is a dramatic fire element framed by glass, positioned for both indoor and outdoor diners to enjoy, which is greatly complimented by the elevated desert and city light views.  In other words, the place is stunning and a highly romantic place to dine.

It was a little cool, and windy the night of our visit, so we chose to sit at an inside table with this view of Pinnacle Peak, accompanied with city light views available with just a slight turn of the head.

To start our dining experience, Carol chose a Hydro Bibb Lettuce Salad (spring vegetables, feta, avocado), while I greatly enjoyed the chilled Soup Quattro (asparagus, sweet pea, watermelon, and tomato).  What a delightful, and colorful presentation.  I might also add that these various chilled soups were also refreshing, and very delicious.

To continue our gastronomical journey, Carol chose for her main course; the 20 oz Prime Bone-In Ribeye (the house specialty with potato, cipollini, and hollandaise),  while I went with a Chilean Sea Bass (potato risotto, artichoke, and braised oxtail).

Carol w/ Chef Evan Goldstein

Carol adores a good ribeye steak, and from all the oohs and aahs coming from her side of the table, as well as a wonderful shared sample, I can tell you that this was certainly a steak to write home about!

My Chilean sea bass was an interesting combination of healthy sea food, with a dash of comfort (braised oxtail/risotto) thrown into the mix.  It was so good, in fact, that upon another return visit to Talavara I would likely hunt this dish down, and forgo sampling another.  A wonderful dish!

I am an easy mark for a dark chocolate soufflé, and when we first ordered our selections, our waitress warned that if we desired this most desirable of all deserts, we had better let her know up front.  I immediately succumbed to the seduction, and all throughout my meal found myself anticipating the hot, molten, dark chocolate taste of all tastes.

Oh! How I love dark chocolate soufflé, with a side of double espresso!

As we were attempting to finish our soufflé, out marched our waitress with yet another desert?  “What’s this?”, we reverently protested, knowing that another bite might completely do us in.  Well, as it turns out, the pastry chef had no intention of letting us leave without sampling her own sweet creations, and so we gleefully, albeit somewhat concerned for our growing waistlines, sampled her delicious fare. The desert to the left is a Nutella Panini!  What fun!

Well, what a wonderful evening!

We can both, without any reservation what so ever, proclaim that this is a most wonderful place for a romantic gastronomic interlude with the one and only person that makes your heart go pitter-patter.

The food was outstanding, the ambiance was dreamy, the staff very attentive, all of which combines to make Talavera one of the Valley’s most desirable romantic dining destinations.

Disclosure:  this romantic dining experience was provided by The Four Seasons, and Talavara Restaurant.

The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale is perched high above the city for spectacular city lights, and is surrounded by the renowned granite formations of North Scottsdale.  When you study the encircling landscape, you will be amazed with the precarious positioning of the massive boulders.

The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale is a perennial recipient of the industry’s highest awards, and stands ready to lavish you in quintessential luxury in one of their 210 rooms, 21 one and two-bedroom suites, a presidential suite, or even one of their 23 1,670 sq. feet residence club villas.

Outdoor Garden Shower

We stayed in one of their 1,000 sq. foot Kiva Suites, and the moment we walked through the front door, we knew that we were going to enjoy the remarkable amenities available.  Our suite featured two full baths, a beautiful separate living room (with slider to the patio), two large flat screen televisions, a large walk-in closet, a soaking tub, a beautiful tiled shower that lead to an amazing outdoor garden shower.

When we walked out the slider from our bedroom we found a very large, private patio with a comfy seating area, a table with four chairs, a fireplace kiva, a very private plunge pool, and even a large telescope to admire the dark Arizona evening skies.

There is something that happens in a woman when she knows that she is about to be pampered beyond measure,  and treated like the Queen of Sheba.  I could see in her eyes the little girl that used to wear her mother’s high heals, adorn her face with make-up, and dream the dreams of little girls.  What a beautiful moment!

The afternoon of our stay, we spent lounging around the Four Seasons’ newly renovated pool.  This beautiful desert oasis featured a children’s splash pool, a large common-area pool, and a welcomed adults-only pool to help us continue the serenity of our luxuriating. There were scores of free cabanas to provide shade, and we were even treated to a complimentary oreo cookie smoothie.  YUM!

Award Winning Spa

After a few wondrous hours at the pool, we then sauntered over to the award-winning 12,000 sq. foot spa.  Carol was treated to a very relaxing massage, while I put in an hour on the elliptical machine, and then greatly enjoyed a eucalyptus steam bath.

What a wonderful way to end the our day, and set us in the mood for a very romantic meal at the fine dining Talavera restaurant.  I will highlight Talavera in a separate post, but just let me say here that the food was exceptional, the ambiance dripping with romance, and the city-light views were breathtaking.

After finishing our meal, we strolled hand in hand through the resort’s dimly lit pathways, walking by strategically placed kivas burning aromatic desert woods, and longed to take our shoes off, and enjoy the amenities of our suite.

We arrived to our room to find it had been beautifully turned down for the night.  As the Four Seasons would expect, we called to have our Kiva fired up, and enjoyed the full moon, our plunge pool, and even a little star gazing through the large telescope.

What a perfect day!

Whether you are looking for a wonderful stay-cation getaway, or looking for a remarkable vacation experience, the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is certainly prepared to pamper you, and help you find fond lifetime memories.

We highly recommend this Sonoran desert oasis.

Disclosure:  this memorable resort experience was provided by The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale.  Thanks!

The Internet is replete with ranking sites that will cheerfully give a grade of some sort to a particular type of travel or leisure.

We absolutely celebrate variety, and further love to share our experience when we find a particularly remarkable varietal.

Such is the case with Scottsdale, Arizona’s Pane e Vino Ristorante.

We love Italy.  We love Italian food.  And we love Pane e Vino Ristorante!

Interestingly, the owner (Mark Stricker) can be generally found fishing (photographs of such activities adorn the lobby), while the affable English manager (Stuart Bailey, who hails from England’s Sherwood Forest) is evidently prohibited from entering the kitchen.

This was our fourth visit to Pane e Vino Ristorante, and this time we found ourselves perched in one of their romantic booths where we could simultaneously feel romantically adrift from the rest of the world, yet, have the activity of the restaurant in our clear view.

We started our epicurean journey with a beautiful Italian Chianti, and fresh baked breads that we dipped in olive oil accompanied with garlic and fresh olives. Bellissima!

For our Antipasti, Carol ordered their Arugula Salad (candied walnuts, feta cheese, pears, and Dijon vinaigrette), while I, (surprise, surprise) opted for Cozze Sambuca (mussels, herbs, garlic).  Normally, you would find me screaming for joy over my mussels, but unfortunately (sorry guys) the sambuca flavoring just didn’t do it for me.  I guess the sweet aniseed-flavored liquor (sambuca), in my palate’s view, doesn’t compared with a beautiful garlic flavored white wine sauce.

Nonetheless, this one minor disenchantment certainly wasn’t going to sabotage what I knew was further along in our journey.

Pane e Vino's Cioppino

For our Primi, Carol and I shared a half order of their absolutely, stomp your feet, scream for joy Spaghetti Carbonara (bacon, onion, egg yolk, white wine sauce).  The first time I ever enjoyed this dish was in a little restaurant right across the street from St. Peter’s in Rome.  Pane e Vino’s Carbonara stacks up with the best!

For our Secondi, Carol greatly enjoyed their Veal Special (veal, sweet sausage, sun-dried tomato, gorgonzola, wild mushrooms, and white wine sauce), while I, well…how to say this…my taste buds enjoyed an ecstasy seldom found as I savored their Cioppino (shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams, mussels, salmon in a thin spicy red sauce with linguine).  Absolutely out of this world!

We weren’t planning to further indulge in a desert as both of were gleefully longing for a comfortable place to be all nostalgic about our fabulous meal.  However, Mr. Sherwood Forest would not take no for an answer, and brought us a huge helping of their home-made Tiramisu.  It was heavenly, but we were forced to box most of it up for another day.  We just couldn’t eat another bite!

I hope I have convinced you to dine with the folks at Pane e Vino Ristorante.  Not only am I certain that you will have a fabulous meal, but you will also likely find new friends with these incredibly friendly folks.  And who wouldn’t want to have friends that can put together this type of Italian feast.

Disclosure:  this fabulous dining experience was provided by Pane e Vino Ristorante.

The other cool thing to consider is that I am clearly not alone in this love.  Every culture that has ever existed, on every square inch of our globe, has loved and expressed themselves in music.

Therefore, when we were afforded the opportunity to do a piece on Phoenix, Arizona’s brand new Musical Instrument Museum, we jumped at the chance.

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) bills itself as the world’s first global instrument museum, and has set about to collect musical instruments from every country in the world.

The two-story, 190,000 square feet museum is divided into distinctly separate collections.  On the first floor, exhibits are organized by themes. The Orientation Gallery introduces guests to the astonishing variety of instruments, the ways music has been shaped by interaction and exchange, and the dazzling artistry of handcrafted instruments from around the world. On the second floor, instruments are organized by geography, across these ten major regions of the world:  Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Latin America, United States / Canada, and Europe.

There is also a wonderful, hands-on experience museum, a conservation lab visible through glass windows, a 299-seat auditorium, a marvelous cafe featuring foods from around the world, and even a unique musical instrument museum store.

Another cool feature is the museum’s wireless museum guides.  Guests are given wireless headsets to wear throughout the museum. As they approach different displays, they can hear the instruments being played, either solo or as an ensemble. Photographs and video familiarize guests with the unique sounds of each musical culture, allowing them to share a common experience. Special display areas and exhibitions emphasize interactivity and personal selection.

All told, we spent around 5 hours strolling through the various musical cultures of the world.  The wireless audio, along with individual videos at each display, really allowed you to bathe yourself in the music of all these differing lands.  It was a wonderful experience.

I might also say, you should plan to eat your lunch at the museum.  For lunch we enjoyed a Russian Stroganoff with red beets.  YUM!  However, if you don’t fancy stroganoff, then there is certain to be another world’s cuisine offered on another day, alongside your typical museum fare.

For my baby boomer readers, this would be a delightful place to take your grandchildren.  They will certainly create lifetime memories in the experience room.  I know that Carol had a wonderful time playing all those different instruments.

We are very pleased to have this resource available in Phoenix, and look forward to many returns to listen to a few of their unique concerts.

Disclosure:  the wonderful experience was provided by the fine folks at the Musical Instrument Museum.