St Tropez, the Hamptons, Monte Carlo, Scottsdale… If the name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like the rest, well, that could soon be about to change. While the city in Arizona has been a secret haunt of the rich and famous for years, it is about to announce itself on the map again, thanks to a huge investment boom and a string of enticements to lure visitors.
And there are many. In the last five years, £2.12 billion has been pumped into Scottsdale. There are golf courses galore, 125 art galleries and miles of retail therapy. But there is one attraction that towers above the rest. It is not the selection of spas with everything from Watsu pools to Tibetan massage, nor is it the dramatic scenery of the Sonoran Desert. It is this: in Scottsdale, Arizona, they have around 330 days of sunshine a year. Leaving the UK on a characteristically grey day, this joyful prospect fixes itself onto my mind like a limpet.
LA’s celebrities have been flocking to Scottsdale for more than half a century. Stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Cary Grant came to escape the paparazzi who found the city, 300 miles away, too inconvenient to bother. But while some things have changed – golf has replaced tennis as the recreation of choice – the city still offers high-end rest and relaxation, as Beyoncé and Jay-Z can testify after they honeymooned here last year.
To appreciate the city, I take a leaf out of the many Westerns that were filmed in Arizona and hike up the nearest hill, Camelback Mountain, to scope out the desert. The trail to the top is just over a mile long and the climb is 1,300ft. Early morning is the best time and, judging by the number of runners hooked up to their iPods, the summit trail also doubles as Scottsdale’s unofficial pre-office workout. And what a workout it is. At times, the path is so steep, it’s necessary to hold onto a handrail cemented into the rock. The reward is a stunning sunrise that bathes all in a beautiful, copper-red hue. Everywhere are the fork-pronged saguaro cacti. They may be symbols of the American West, but they are only found in Arizona and northern Mexico, so it’s a treat to see so many. The view from the summit is 360 degrees of desert, mountains and life below. On one side is the sprawling metropolis of Phoenix, the state capital, and on the other side is an area called Paradise Valley, home to some of Scottsdale’s hottest hotels.
It may be just ten minutes from the buzzing downtown area, but Paradise Valley is utterly secluded in the foothills of the spectacular mountains. And, thanks to a ban on street lighting, it is an oasis of tranquillity at night. Many hotels, such as Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, have made use of this. Sanctuary’s Asian-themed spa has an outdoor treatment suite, where couples can gaze at the stars, and it is one of many resorts that has recently undergone a multimillion dollar makeover. But most refurbishments are dwarfed by what has been going on at the Andalusian-themed InterContinental Montelucia. Open last November, at a cost of more than £197 million, it is the most expensive resort ever built in Arizona. The spa design provides hammam-style therapy, the marquees that line the pool providing shade look like the tents of a desert sheikh, and they’ve even shipped in an authentic 16th-century, two-panel palace door for the hotel’s own private wedding chapel.
