December in Tucson?
 

What do you think? We just have a few days with our teen age daughters. Looking for nice weather and relaxation. Would Sante Fe be more exciting (albeit chilly?) Where should we stay?

Depends on what you mean by "nice weather".
Tucson is still somewhat cool at Christmas, with daytime highs in the 62-64 range on average, lows in the 37-40 range. But the dry air makes it seem a little cooler.
Santa Fe is cold at Christmas with daytime highs in the low 40's.
If you want genuinely warm weather at Christmas, south Florida and south Texas are the only places in the US which will average in the 70's.

Since we're coming from the NY area, any weather will be nicer than what we've got. Enough to do in Tucson to entertain teenagers? A nice resort with a spa?

I went to Tucson in April on business and stayed at the Hilton Tucson East. It was an okay hotel, but since it was a franchise property, it did not have the typical amenities that I would expect in a Hilton, such as internet ports in every room. Thus, I would advise staying closer to the downtown area.

Some of the things that I enjoyed during my stay were the Pima Air and Space Museum and AMARC (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center), Sabino Canyon Tour, and excellent Mexica food at Cafe Poca Cosa in Downtown Tucson. The following website has more on what to see and do in the area.

http://visittucson.org/

Best resorts are the Loews' Ventana Canyon and Westin La Paloma, and the best spa is the Miraval Life in Balance (top spa in the USA in Conde Nast list last year).

We stayed for a week at the Omni Tucson last December. My husband and I had a hacienda (separate bedroom, bath, living room and kitchen). My mom was steps away in a casita. It is a beautiful property with 2 gorgeous pools, spa, golf, tennis, blah, blah. The staff was outstanding.

We found plenty to do in the area. You could spend a whole day at the outdoor Desert Museum. We also enjoyed walking around the Pima Air Museum. We spent one rainy morning downtown at the craft center. A spectacular morning trip was the bus ride up Sabino Canyon and the wonderful leisurely walk down. We took a one day trip to Nogales for the Mexican experience. We also took one day to Tombstone and Bisbee. Would highly recommend any of these activities for your family. We had a terrific time! The Christmas decorations at the resort and the surrounding private homes provided lovely walks in the evening. The first day it rained and the rest of the week the weather improved until it was actually swimming temps.

I'm a Tucson native. There is a ton of stuff to do here. Check out www.dotucson.com,lots of information there. As for where to stay, do not go closer to the downtown area, just not a good idea. Tucson offers quite a variety of resorts, that's your best bet.

I forgot to add this. Try www.tripadvisor.com. This website will give you information on hotels and guest comments.

I would definitely vote for Santa Fe. Can't beat the smell of the pinons and the festive southwest style holiday decorations. There may be more museums in Tucson, but a Christmas or holiday in Santa Fe is magical! (I spent the holidays there about 10 years ago.)

Also, although the weather is colder than Tucson, it's definitely brisk, crisp, with clean air and bright sunshine.

A suggestion if you stay in Tucson -- I would recommend the Arizona Inn rather than the Loews or other hotels located on the outskirts of town. It is much more charming.

I lived near Tucson and absolutely love it, so this is hard to say, but in your case, I'd suggest Santa Fe instead. You wouldn't run out of things to do in Tucson, and you'd enjoy the weather, but Santa Fe would be much more festive and charming around the holidays.
However, if you choose Tucson, I would add San Xavier del Bac, a church known as the White Dove of the Desert, to your list of places to see. They have special services around Christmas featuring a candlelit procession through the desert (La Posada) that are magical.
Let us all know what you decide!

You can get great rates on hotels through Priceline.

Restaurant Suggestions: Poca Cosa and Terra Cota.

I would suggest seeing the Biosphere and Karchner Caverns.