I want to thank everyone who has been helping me with my trip to Arizona. We have had another change of plans. We are arriving in Phoenix mid day and plan to go from the airport to Taliesan West. Then we want a nice dinner, a swim in the pool and a good night's rest in the hotel. We plan to make our way to the Grand Canyon the next day. On our last day we are returning to Phoenix from a stay in Sedona and on our way back hope to get to a museum or two before our 9:00pm return flight.

I am looking for a nice place to eat and stay over in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, etc. area for the first night. I am also wondering if there is a preferred route to the GC (we will be returning through Sedona and staying there two nights after the GC). And - how much can we do in the day trip up to the GC from Phoenix and on our last day from Sedona to Phoenix on the way to the airport.

Thanks all.

I recently won the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center on Priceline for about $60 or so. We'll be there in July. You might want to try bidding for resorts in Scottsdale. Last fall, we won Hilton Tapatio in North Phoenix (another resort) for $55. That was very nice as well, and the restaurants were excellent.

5* resorts abound Scottsdale and the AZ Biltmore that Frank Lloyd Wright built is $80-99 a night for July/August..
What a way to top off visiting Taliesan West and then to his lovely hotel.
We'll be there all next week and can't wait!
Check direct or Expedia.com

www.azbiltmore.com

sorry..here is the right address..

www.arizonabiltmore.com

The direct route to the Canyon is the best, even if you will be driving it in reverse when you return.

If you want a different route, then from Taliesen, go east on Shea Blvd thru Ftn HIlls to the Beeline Hwy. (87) thru Payson, Pine, Clints Well to Flagstaff and then Hwy 89 to Cameron and then enter thee GC by the east entrance.

We are at the Intercontinental Montelucia as I write this. It's a very nice resort - spread out one and two-story buildings, extremely comfortable beds, very nice bathrooms (love the shampoo!), 2 pools (one big, one smaller and "tranquil", which I guess means no kids). Plenty of kids in the big pool (they even have big inner tubes - not sure if you have to pay for them). Last night was movie night at the pool. We paid $91 on Hotwire, but that's a fallacy, because there's a $24 resort charge on top of whatever rate you pay (maybe this is true everywhere) that covers self-parking, wireless internet and a few additional things. Anyway, it's a really nice place and I'd definitely return.

Oh, dinner....if you are staying in Phoenix proper, eat at Barrio Cafe. It's referred to in the review I read as "not Mexican food, but Mexican cuisine". We had heard of it on here, sent some friends who live here but never heard of it and liked it a lot...then we ate there Thursday night for the first time and it is excellent! I had cochinita pibil, which is pulled pork in some kind of sauce, with smoky chipotle mashed potatoes. Yummm.

Or, if you decide on pizza, everyone "names" Pizzeria Bianco, but Cibo (also downtown) gets much better reviews! We're going to try it next time we're here.

hey sf..
you having fun at Montelucia?
It's where Obama stays when he's in PHX..how are the rooms?
We'll be at the Biltmore next week..expedia had it for $129 a night last month..$80 at Biltmore with $21 resort fees..
Have you tried Carolina's near the airport for the best Mex?
cheap and good..hear its around 108..stay cool!

It was 111 when we left! We were only in Phoenix one night - visiting relatives in Prescott before that. The rooms at the Montelucia are very nice. We got our room on Hotwire yesterday morning. The room was in the last building (farthest from the entrance and the pools), but it was very nice -- one story, very private, looking out over a garden. The room is a nice size - king bed, round table (no desk), piece of furniture to house the mini-bar, dresser, safe, 37" flat-panel LG TV, etc. The bathroom has a separate shower and tub, and the shower is great. The bed is super-comfortable. My only complaint is that my pillow was BAD -- my husband couldn't understand what I was talking about, until we realized in the morning that the bed had 4 pillows - 3 of them foam and 1 down and he had the down one! The water in the pools is 90° which is absolutely perfect for me!

Oh, forgot to add that the landscaping at the Montelucia is lovely, and they take very good care of both the grounds and the facilities (they were power-washing already-clean concrete this afternoon).