10 days in Arizona

My husband and I are flying into Las Vegas and staying one night then driving to Hoover Dam and spending the night in Kingman. Then on to the Grand Canyon, staying at the El Tovar for 2 nights. We will have 5 more nights to spend in Arizona. We will be flying out of Tucson. We want to visit Phoenix. Any suggestions as to where to stay. I don%26#39;t care about staying at a Resort. Just a nice clean hotel in a good area. We like to shop, eat and see nature. Thanks for any suggestions.

10 days in Arizona

You can get a good perspective of the Phoenix area from two online interactive maps, the Phoenix Discovery Map at www.phoenixazmap.com and the Scottsdale Discovery Map at www.scottsdaleazmap.com. Both maps will give you some ideas on areas to stay and where to shop.

10 days in Arizona

I would suggested downtown ';Old Town'; Scottsdale. Scottsdale is known for resorts, but downtown has a mixture of niche hotels as well as nice chains such as Courtyard by Marriott.

If you stay within the area roughly bounded by Indian School Rd on the South, Highland Road on the north, 64th St. on the west and Hayden Rd on the east, you would be in a very walker-friendly area with tons of shops, restaurants and club.

If you%26#39;re here in March, the SF Giants have spring training within walking distance of Old Town.

';Nature'; is not walking distance, but Scottsdale is close to the McDowell Mountains Regional Park, which has numerous trails ranging from easy to difficult. Camelback Mountain is close by and you can either walk near the base for a gentle stroll, or take a strenuous hike to the top. The Zoo and Botanical Gardens are about 15 minutes by car.

Downtown Tempe is also very good, though hotels are limited to the Mission Palms, which is quite good or the Holiday Inn on Rural Rd. There are also some lesser chains nearby. The Holiday Inn is o.k., but it%26#39;s not walking distance to downtown Tempe / Mill Av., which has lots of nightlife. Mill Av. is close to Tempe Town Lake and the aformentioned Botanical gardens and Zoo are even closer than from Scottsdale.

Thank you for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that we will be traveling in May. Thank you.

fish