The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is the first stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour.
The AAA Five-Diamond Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort has a very special place in our hearts. It was here, a little over ten years ago, that a love affair began between us and the Sonoran desert. It was the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess who sparked this love affair, and now we are very pleased to call Scottsdale, Arizona our home.
The romance of my wife’s company, the arid desert air, the sight and smell of burning mesquite, a good cigar, a fine glass of wine, the stunningly beautiful surroundings and we were instantly, and forever smitten.
For that, we are eternally grateful to the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess.
A world class resort is no different than a stage. You can assemble the finest appointments in the world, but at the end of the day it is the actors upon the stage, and the experience that those collective actors bring to their guests that creates an experience. Experience is what the world craves, and subsequently very willing to spend their hard earned dollars on.
As I hope you can clearly see, the team members of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess are consummate masters of creating life-long memorable experiences. In fact, I am quite certain that I could sit down and compose a song about that long-ago moonlit night at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.
To prepare for your remarkable experience, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has assembled quite a stage.
Consider their:
Five restaurants which include a AAA Four-Diamond winner, a celebrated James Beard Award-winning chef, another chef known as the “father of modern Mexican cuisine” at La Hacienda, as well as an on-site night-air lounge designed by internationally acclaimed designers.
The Willow Stream Spa which includes 44,000 square feet of tranquil luxury, steam baths, fireplaces, a fitness center, eucalyptus inhalation rooms, wonderful spa treatments/massages, and a peaceful roof-top pool to top it all off.
For the golfer, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess abuts the famous TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, which hosts the annual PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Regardless of your golfing prowess, there lies incredible experience and instruction for your enjoyment.
Further, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess sets on 450 acres overlooking Scottsdale and the McDowell Mountains, has 580 rooms including suites and casitas, 69 Fairmont Gold Rooms and Lounge, 7 bars and lounges, 7 tennis courts, 5 heated pools, as well as upscale boutiques and entertainment.
Whether you are visiting the Scottsdale area, or looking for a wonderful Phoenix/Scottsdale area stay-cation respite, the AAA Five-Diamond Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (winning 19 consecutive years!) awaits your arrival. We highly recommend them!
Disclosure: this wonderful experience was provided by the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.
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In 1927, Frank Lloyd Wright visited Arizona to consult on the designs for the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. A decade later, at the age of 70 years old, Wright decided to create a permanent winter residence in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains that came to be known as Taliesin (Welsh for “shining brow”) West.
Today, a little over 50 years after his death, Taliesin West attracts more than 150,000 visitors annually, making it one of the most visited sites in Arizona.
As one considers why thousands gather as Wright’s residence each year, perhaps nothing better symbolizes Wright’s world-wide acclaim than this statement from The Architectural Record magazine:
“Of all the 100 buildings listed in The Architectural Record as the most significant in the world, a total of 11 were by [Frank Lloyd] Wright.”
In this our second visit to Taliesin West, we decided to take the 90 minute “Insights Tour”. Lead by our knowledgeable docent, we were whisked back 50 years in time, and visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio, living quarters, studio kitchen and kiva, dining room, cabaret theater, music pavilion and were given great insight into what made this man tick.
As we walked around Wright’s Taliesin West, we learned about his three marriages, his various peculiarities, as well as the four basic architectural concepts that dominated his style: Nature of the Site, Methods and Materials, Destruction of the Box, and Building for Democracy.
We intend to go back to visit in June as this is when their popular “Night Lights on the Desert” tour begins. With this tour the desert masonry structures are lighted from within and evidently appear as jewel-like sculptures, with the lights of the valley below creating a dramatic romantic setting.
I hope I have convinced you to visit Taliesin West when you visit Scottsdale, Arizona. The few hours that you spend here are certain to awaken your imagination, and in my humble opinion, an awakened imagination is always a good thing.
Note: Click on any of the photographs for a larger version.
Disclosure: this wonderful experience was provided by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
It’s located is a historic 1880s stagecoach stop, and is daily frequented by an eclectic blend of cowboys, bikers, and North Scottsdale cosmopolitan types.
It’s a bar, it’s a great burger joint, it’s evening campfires, there’s all kinds of old machinery laying all over the place, and there’s dancing and fun for all ages.
For decades, people have been flocking to kick up their heels at Scottsdale’s Greasewood Flat. Why, even Hollywood came and made a movie or two here.
If you find yourself in the Greater Phoenix area, you simply must c’mon out to Greasewood Flat and sample a green chili cheeseburger and wash it down with an ice cold beer.
It’s the cowboy, er…biker, er…cosmopolitan thing to do!
The Roaming Boomers
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is the first stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour.
