Where to stay
Valley Ho
Epitomises retro 1950s cool. Sean Connery and Jamie Foxx have been spotted here. Doubles from £111. hotelvalleyho.com
W Hotel, Scottsdale
A hip, contemporary choice. Doubles from £190. starwoodhotels.com/whotels
Camelback Inn
Full of south-western cowboy charm. Doubles from £99. camelbackinn.com
The Phoenician
For classic luxury, this is the place to stay. Doubles from £144. thephoenician.com
The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa
Offers a unique sense of place and organic spa treatments. Doubles from £85. theboulders.com
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
Popular with stars, from Beyoncé to Sting. Doubles from £376. sanctuaryaz.com
The Mondrian
Mixes glamour
with sophistication. Doubles from
£89. mondrianscottsdale.com
InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa
The most expensive hotel built in Arizona.
Doubles from £194. icmontelucia.com
Where to eat
Frank & Lupe’s
A friendly, low-key Mexican. Try Frank’s Enchilada Plate. frankandlupes.com
Tapino
For its locavore cuisine, where all ingredients are produced locally. tapino.com
Digestif
A loud, high-energy Italian serving homemade
pasta. digestifscottsdale.com
Sushi Roku at W Hotel
For great sushi, try the new 14-seat Japanese bar. sushiroku.com
Where to play
Golf
Scottsdale has 207
golf courses – for
a full list, log on to experiencescottsdale.com/golf. When
you want to take
time off from your busy golf schedule, get a customised club fitting at Troon North Golf Club (from £65, troonnorthgolf.com). And if teeing off isn’t your thing, join half
a million fans and
watch the pros at the
FBR Open from
26 January and
1 February 2009
(tpc.com/scottsdale).
Adventure
The surrounding Sonoran Desert offers excellent hiking, river rafting, mountain biking, horseback rides and rock climbing. Desert Hummer tours (from £89) can be booked through the website, roadrunneradventures.com
Spas
Scottsdale is famous for its spas, offering every treatment from ancient to modern. Highly recommended is the Hyatt Hotel Apa
Avania (scottsdale.hyatt.com) and the Agua Bathhouse Spa at the Mondrian (mondrianhotel.com). For a full list of pampering places,
go to experience scottsdale.com/spas.
Arts
Take a tour of Taliesin West, the desert home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (from £18, franklloydwright.org). Also check out the Scottsdale Artwalk (scottsdalegalleries.com) and the Scottsdale Museum
of Contemporary Art (smoca.org). And SouthBridge (southbridgescottsdale.com) is worth a visit for its independent and upmarket vibe.
For more on Scottsdale, visit scottsdale downtown.com.
Read about Tarquin Cooper's adventure through Arizona in Light sensation.
