Help! Last minute trip to Arizona
 

Hi All,

Looks like my husband and I will be heading to Arizona over Thanksgiving! It is essentially our first time there (I visited as a child but don't remember much). We love outdoor activities, hiking, nature, good food and a little bit of luxury.

Some questions: Would Scottsdale or Tucson make a better "base" for exploring? I am inclined to choose Scottsdale as it is closer to the Phoenix airport and Grand Canyon but would like to hear your opinions.

Any Starwood Hotel recommendations? I would prefer to use points for this trip. We ruled out the Phoenician (too many points). Any thoughts on The Westin Kierland Resort (not Villas), Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas (all in Scottsdale) or the Westin La Paloma (Tucson)?

We're thinking of spending the first night at the Grand Canyon, spending the day there and then driving (to either Scottsdale or Tucson as described above). Make sense? Any hotel recommendations?

What day trips would you recommend? Any restaurants we shouldn't miss? Anything else we need to know?

Thanks for your help and sorry my questions are a little vague, we've only just made this decision and haven't had time to do much research!

Thanks,
Michelle

See if you can get lodging in Grand Canyon. el Tovar is nice, the other places, Tunderbird, Kachina, Bright Angel, Maswick and Yavapai are all fine, clean and comfortable, but basic.

I found Tucson more to my liking but Scotsdale is closer. Given your interests have you considered Sedona?

Thanks Emalloy. There don't seem to be any Starwood properties in Sedona but thinking of stopping there on the way from the Grand Canyon.

If not going to Tucson, Sedona would be my choice too. Save your Starwood points for another trip.
If heading to Tucson, Westin La Paloma is very nice. And one of Tucson's best restaurants recently relocated to the property-
Contigo. You could fly out of Tucson, nicer airport than PHX.

The Westin Kierland is a nice property. It's right across the street from the Kieland Shopping Center which is a nice outdoor style shopping center versus enclosed mall. A lot of restaurants in the area and the Westin has a nice restaurant

The Sheraton Resort at Wild Horse Pass is nice and has the only 5 star restaurant (Kai) in the state. I highly recommend the restaurant. DH and I just ate there and stayed for our anniversary staycation. Property has really nice grounds and feels a little more out in the desert as it's on tribal land.

We had one of the best meals ever ( and we've eaten at many excellent restaurants ) at the restaurant in the Sheraton, Wild Horse Pass. The Westin at La Paloma Tucson is nice as is Hacienda Del Sol. Probably prefer the Hacienda.

Should we skip Grand Canyon this trip and just stay the entire 4 nights in Tucson?

I was recently in Scottsdale and stayed at the Camelback Inn by JW Marriott. I don't know if Marriott is a Starwood property but there were many high end resorts in the Camelback area that all looked very nice. These are all very luxurious places.

If you do spend a night in Scottsdale I would recommend reserving a table at the Kaz Bar. It is a wine bar (they also serve nice small plates, charcuterie, flat breads,etc. )with amazing live bands.

From Scottsdale we did a day trip to Sedona. While I would definitely recommend Sedona it was a bit far for just the day from Scottsdale. In Sedona I would recommend spending a few hours at Tlaquepaque which is a very artsy and quaint shopping/dining area. There is also a little place called the Chai Spot which is great for sitting with a cup of tea and relaxing.

Personally, I would go (and have gone) to Grand Canyon any time I'm near enough to make the trip. It is about a 5 hour drive from Tucson so if that is too much for you, stay in Tucson.

If you want to go to Grand Canyon, drive to Tucson on day 1, spend 3 nights, get up early and drive to GC on day 4, spend the night in GC and drive back to Phoenix the next day for a late afternoon/evening flight home.

Or, do it in the opposite direction GC day 1 then 3 nights in Tucson and back to Phoenix day 4.