Monday, April 23, 2012

Considering Arizona Vacation- WHERE TO GO???

Hi- My husband and I are looking at a short (3 day) get-away mid-March. I know NOTHING about AZ and have no idea which airport to fly into, much less which area to visit. We basically just want some R and R in a warm area with nice views and a spa. I have heard of Sedona...Mesa....Scottsdale...any area better than another for this type vacation? Is Phoenix where we would fly into? Is there another airport we should consider? Sorry to be so ignorant...just need help!



Considering Arizona Vacation- WHERE TO GO???


You might want to take a look at Frommers website (or buy/borrow the written travel guide for AZ)or check out Phoenix here in TA for hotel rankings and to give you an idea of price ranges. Sky Harbor Airport is the major airport in Phoenix that basically all of the commerical airlines fly in to. It%26#39;s very close to downstown area (10 - 15 min) and depending on traffic 30 min - 1 hr from parts of Scottsdale. There are some beautiful resorts here in Phoenix - The Royal Palms (named by TA%26#39;s survey as one of the 10 top Luxury Hotels), the Arizona Biltimore, The Phoenician, to name a few. March is great weather - also peak Spring baseball season which may be a factor in getting a room. If you think of Phoenix as being in the middle, Mesa is East of Phoenix in what%26#39;s known as the ';East Valley.'; Can%26#39;t think off the top of my head of any really nice resorts in Mesa. Not where I would pick. Scottsdale is northeast. Scottsdale has a Westin resort at Kierland Commons which is also close to a nice outdoor mall and restaurants. Sedona is about 2 hours north of Phoenix. Beautiful area with some great B%26amp;B%26#39;s. Days will be nice with evenings still cool that time of year. Tucson is approx 2 hours south - also some great resorts and Tucson has it%26#39;s own airport too. Truly for a short trip I would stick with either Phoenix or Tucson. Phoenix has the Heard Museum which is known as one of the best for Native American artifacts. Tucson as Saguro National Park and other sites. Just realize that public transportation here is horrible and a rental car a must if you%26#39;re headed off to see sights.



Considering Arizona Vacation- WHERE TO GO???


Fly into Phoenix or Tucson.





Phoenix/Scottsdale is a huge metro area, with tons of restaurants, hotels/motels golf, shopping etc.





From Phoenix you can head to Sedona, nice lodging/spas and places to visit. AND you can also visit Grand Canyon National Park (not a day trip tho), it won%26#39;t be really warm there, but it is beautiful.





Tucson is a bit smaller than Phoenix and a bit more fun (in my opinion). See the AZ/Sonoran Museum, Saguaro Nat Park and maybe Tombstone and Kartchner Caverns.




Sedona is really beautiful. The red rocks seem to glow when the sun is setting and rising. It鈥檚 really worth seeing. There are a bunch of really nice resorts to stay at. The area has great hiking. If you go, hike the West Fork of the Little Colorado River. It鈥檚 an easy trail that crosses the Little Colorado a few times. In March though, the average temps will be in the mid to upper 60s. I鈥檓 from Phoenix, we don鈥檛 call that warm, but you might. From Sedona, there are some interesting places to check out. Jerome, located about 45 minutes outside Sedona, is a old mining town that now is the home to an interesting arts community. The houses are all on stilts. To get to Sedona, you would fly into Phoenix and rent a car.





Phoenix is a big city. Scottsdale, which is part of the Phoenix Metro area, has tons of resorts. Average high temps in Phoenix in March will be in the mid 70s. There are a bunch of places to shop and dine in Scottsdale. You could easily stay in a resort in Scottsdale, enjoy the beautiful desert during the day and the city at night.





Also, mid March is Spring Training time in Arizona. Over 10 Major League Baseball teams including the Cubs, Giants, Angels and A鈥檚 have Spring Training in Arizona. Taking in a game makes for a great, laidback afternoon.




Hey Y%26#39;all....thanks for the info! You guys are a big help in just helping me to get my bearings and narrow it down....Thank you, Thank you!!! I am going to keep researching so you will hear from me again. Thanks!!!!




Oops. Something has been nagging me since I posted Sedona advice for ya. The cool hike in Sedona is the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon www.amwest-travel.com/awt_oakcreek.html not the Little Colorado River. Sorry about that.




No problem- but thats for the info....:)


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