Arizona Grand Hotel
The Arizona Grand Hotel boasts one of the best locations of any full service resort in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It sits less than 4 miles from Arizona State University's Tempe campus and downtown Tempe, 6 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 10 miles from old town Scottsdale and 12 miles from downtown Phoenix.
Yet because of its location, nestled on a 6-acre property in the foothills of the South Mountains, the Arizona Grand feels isolated from the hustle of city life. This location also connects the resort to some of the city's best outdoor recreation opportunities. The Grand is less than a mile away from the Pima Canyon and Javalina Canyon trailheads, which provide access to miles of hiking and mountain biking opportunities in the South Mountain Preserve.
But perhaps the biggest attraction at the Arizona Grand is its Oasis Water Park; a private on-site water park available to hotel guests only. The park boasts an 8-story tower, from which three water slides emerge. It also features a large wave pool, tubing river, children's splash park and a 25-person hot tub. The water park is closed in December, January and most of February.
This 740-room hotel has 50 standard units and 690 one-bedroom suites. All rooms include coffeemakers, CD players, high-speed internet, honor bars, hair dryers and irons. Movies and video games are available for a fee. Check-in is at 4 p.m.
Arizona Grand Resort
8000 S. Arizona Grand Pkwy.
Phoenix, AZ 85044
(602) 438-9000
arizonagrandresort.com
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak
The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak resorts sits just off the State Highway 51 corridor in north Phoenix--a vital Phoenix highway that connects the downtown Phoenix with high-income and resort-heavy areas of north Phoenix and north Scottsdale. As a result, numerous high-end shopping and dining opportunities are close to this property. The Biltmore District of Phoenix is 4 miles away, Scottsdale's Kierland Commons is 12 miles away.
The resort also sits at the gateway to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, one of the most popular mountain biking areas in the Phoenix metro. Dreamy Draw Recreation Area, less than 2 miles away from the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak, is the primary entry point to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for mountain bikers and hikers. Dreamy Draw also provides paved access around the outskirts of the park for casual bikers, road bicycle riders and joggers. The park is free and open to the public year-round.
One of the highlights of the Pointe Hilton Squak Peak is the River Ranch, an outdoor water park featuring 4 acres of swimming pools and water attractions. It includes cascading waterfalls that connect the pools, a lazy river and a water slide. Adjacent to the River Ranch is the Hole in the Wall, an authentic ranch house built in the 1940s that has been converted into a Southwestern-themed casual restaurant.
The 563-room resort features 52 standard one-bedroom units, 510 one-bedroom suites and 1 stand-alone house. Every room includes high-speed Internet, a coffeemaker, iron, honor bar, hair dryer, refrigerator and microwave. Movies and video games are available for a fee. Recreational opportunities include 3 tennis courts, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and basketball courts. There is also a pay-for-access putting green and health club available. Check-in is at 4 p.m.
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak
7677 N. 16th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602) 997-2626
pointehilton.com
Hilton Tucson El Conquistador
The Hilton Tucson El Conquistador sits at the base of the Catalina Mountains, the massive range that flanks the northern and eastern skyline of the Tucson metropolitan area. Elevations in the Catalinas range from 2,500 feet to over 9,100 feet, providing an abundance of recreational opportunities that range from hiking amid the Sonoran Desert's cactus forests to skiing through a pine forest at the Mount Lemmon Ski Area, the southernmost ski resort in the continental United States.
The resort, which sits on the north fringe of the Tucson area, is less than 2 miles from Catalina State Park, which features numerous easy trails for novice hikers and a desert stream, allowing visitors an up-close look at a riparian ecosystem--the natural ecosystem that occurs where water flows year-round in the lower Sonoran Desert. Riparian areas make up less than 1 percent of Arizona. Wildlife and rare native plant species are abundant. Sabino Canyon and Saguaro National Park, two other area parks that are extremely popular with outdoor enthusiasts are less than 30 minutes away by car.
For those who wish to relax and stay on property, the El Conquistador features 2 18-hole golf courses and 1 9-hole course. Also on-property is the Desert Springs Oasis, a series of outdoor free-formed pools boasting a 143-foot water slide, a 10-foot waterfall and hot tub. Shallow Springs, the children's area of the waterpark, features a pool shaped like a fish with a variety of hands-on water games in the tail area.
The 428-room resort features 383 standard one-bedroom rooms, 44, one-bedroom suites and 1 two-bedroom suite. Some rooms have whirlpools. All rooms have a coffeemaker, safe, iron, hair dryer, honor bar, microwave and DVD player. Movies, video games and refrigerators are available for a fee.
Recreation opportunities in addition to the golf courses and water park include bicycle rentals, basketball and horseshoe courts, volleyball, 31 lighted tennis courts and racquetball courts. Horseback riding and a health club are available for a fee. Check-in time is 4 p.m.
Hilton Tucson El Conquistador
10000 N. Oracle Rd.
Oro Valley, AZ 85704
(520) 544-5000
hiltonelconquistador.com
