Phoenix or Scottsdale
 

My husband & I will be in Az from 3/26-3/29 (1st time in AZ & 1st time vac. without kids!!!!!). Any suggestions on where to stay -- Phoenix or Scottsdale. We will have a car for day trips, but would like to relax by pool in the late afternoon & be within walking distance to restuarants and shopping. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Debbie

Definitely Scottsdale. It is resort-oriented. Phoenix is essentially a large city.

You're looking at going during high season and you're looking to make reservations with almost no advance notice. You'll likely find several of the best resorts sold out at this point, and all the great ones will be very expensive.
Don't know what kind of hotel you're looking for or budget.
There is very little which is within 'walking distance' in Phx/Scotts. It's an extremely spread out metro.
Closest nicer hotels you'll find which are close to shopping/food are the Ritz Carlton (unmemorable pool) across the street from the Biltmore mall complex, Biltmore resort (reasonably close to the same mall), and Westin Kierland.

I'll second Scottsdale...

ok - I'm sold on Scottsdale. Suggestions for hotels - as far budget I don't want to go for my lungs, but .... I will if I have to.

Try www.tripadvisor.com for hotel comments.

We loved the Hyatt Gainey Ranch.

My husband and I found the four seasons in scottsdale to be wonderfully romantic and relaxing!!! I did go off season, so rates weren't bad.

The Biltmore is sold out for your dates.
Hyatt Gainey Ranch is sold out, too.
In fact, so are the Princess, Boulders, Phoenician, Ritz Carlton, Westin and Royal Palms. Those are most of the better resorts.

Four Seasons is very remote, and IMO has relatively unattractive grounds and so-so pools for the rate. Cheapest rate on your dates is $445 without tax.

We are planning a trip to Scottsdale the end of April and found a wonderful boutique type hotel right in downtown, within walking distance to everything. They have spa services available and everything like these other larger named places but the price is much more reasonable. Called the James Hotel, http://www.jameshotels.com/about.php, could be worth looking at, we did and decided to make it our place to hang out by the pool and sight see the galleries, etc near by.

Thanks for everyone's input! Debbie

There's a new Sheraton, the Wild Horse Pass you might try but if everything's sold out they might be too. Why did you wait so long to book?

Is the St. James open yet? It used to be a motel near downtown and it closed down to remodel. I haven't seen the inside yet, but the outside isn't anything to get excited about. Good location though.

Good luck getting accommodations in Scottsdale. You are there at the height of the season. Any location in Scottsdale will be tough to get. In addition, with the final days of spring training, any place near the ballparks is booked solid. At this late date, you might want to try some places that don't have the prime locations.

Marriott Desert Ridge
South Mountain Resort
Sheraton San Marcos
Hilton Inn Squaw Peak
Hilton Inn Tapatio Point
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass
Wigwam Resort
Sunburst

As far as walking distance, there aren't too many resorts or nice hotels that offer walking distance to anything. The only places I can think of are places in the old town area of Scottsdale like Amerisuites, Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriot. Not exactly ideal pools.
Holiday Inn SunSpree

An additional plea, book your hotels NOW. In addition to the time being the height of the season, it is also the time that Phoenix is playing host to the NCAA Regional Men's Basketball Tournament. Rooms will be in scarce supply.