By Arie Boris & Robert Yost

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, USA – We at CruiseGourmet have a recommendation for your next west coast cruise– consider a pre- or post-cruise stay at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona.  We were so impressed by our stay here that this beautiful property is now going to be a routine stop for us for our cruises out of Los Angeles, Seattle, or San Diego.  Since it first opened its doors in 1988, The Phoenician has set the standard for luxury and service in the Valley of the Sun.  The resort is a AAA Five Diamond property, and spans 250 acres of lush gardens and dramatic desert terrain against the spectacular backdrop of Camelback Mountain.

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Phoenician offers a choice of 643 spacious accommodations from guestrooms and suites to casitas with private entrances.  All rooms and suites in the main resort building offer private balconies and are elegantly appointed with hand-selected art work and white duvets with Sealy Posturepedic Firm Pillow top mattresses – you’ll never want to leave.  Our guestroom’s bathroom was the size of a New York City studio apartment with double sink, separate stall shower and sunken whirlpool tub, yards of Italian marble with full-size toiletries and plush bathrobes.

Something that our luxury-loving travelers will be interested in is the intimate Canyon Suites, nestled directly against Camelback Mountain.  This is a boutique resort within the Phoenician resort property, offering guests enhanced signature services, such as a personal wake up call served with a choice of fresh-brewed tea or coffee in a sterling silver set, a seasonal amenity presented by Executive Chef Paul Carter (http://www.sm-supperclub.com) and a Canyon Ambassador to take care of your every desire.  The Canyon Suites features 20 guestrooms, 38 luxury suites, 2 presidential suites, and has a secluded ‘edgeless’ pool and cabanas.  Reserving a cabana during your stay would be our recommendation for the sun worshippers and pool lovers among us; the Canyon Suite cabanas have a comprehensive dining menu available, full bathrooms and WiFi; you could easily spend the whole day in the cabana and eat, work, and tan simultaneously.  Should you wish to venture off the resort for shopping or other pursuits, a chauffer-driven Mercedes is available for Canyon Suites guests.

DINING

The Phoenician offers numerous dining options that are as diverse as they are inspired.  Among the nine restaurants is Il Terrazzo, which features authentic Italian cuisine and hand-crafted artisan breads, prepared daily on the property. The breads really are impressive.  While all the breads are thoughtfully prepared by Master Baker Ben Hershberger, we recommend the delicious chocolate cherry bread, which you can also order to take home or back to the room with you.  It is not like any bread, cake, tart or other bread-like product I’ve had before.  Just the right texture, not heavy, not too light-we loved it and purchased an extra loaf to give to relatives who live in Scottsdale.

We began our culinary experience with an appetizer of calamari and a pasta starter of ravioli.  The ravioli was particularly outstanding and worthy of description-the pasta packets are filled with veal, parmigiano reggiano, sage, and Barbera wine. Every bite was perfect, and definitely worth the extra gym time needed to work it off.  I paired the ravioli with a Monsanto Chianti Classico from Il Terrazzo’s wines by the glass selection, and it was just right.  We thoroughly enjoyed the beef shorts ribs and New York steak entrees.  The short ribs are a menu highlight and should not be missed.  We chose the Signorello cabernet sauvignon with our entrees and found it to be the ideal accompaniment.

For a casual lunch or snack, the guest will enjoy the charming Café and Ice Cream Parlor, where we had comfort food standards including chicken croissant sandwiches.  Guests can also enjoy poolside fare at the Oasis and Canyon Pool Grille; refresh themselves after golf at the aptly named 19th Hole; or relax with afternoon tea served on Wedgwood china in the Lobby Tea Court.  Another popular spot for libations is the Thirsty Camel Lounge, which serves spirits, light fare and rare cigars with live piano or saxophone performances making for a perfect evening.

We enjoyed interviewing Paul Carter, Executive Chef, who advised us that the successful executive chef today has to be ‘a three-dimensional leader’ – one who can cook, be a savvy business person, and manage people.  Based on the dining experiences we had at The Phoenician, he exceeds at all three of these dimensions.  Another visionary culinary leader at The Phoenician is Victor Casanova, Chef de Cuisine, who brings years of experience overseeing dining venues for Ritz-Carlton in the United States, as well as at The Connaught, a luxury 5-star hotel in the Mayfair section of London, to The Phoenician team.  Chef Casanova described a steak julienne that sounded so amazing we wanted to delay our flight back to New York so we could sample a portion.

AT YOUR LEISURE

The recreational options at The Phoenician really make for an outstanding resort experience.  The gold club offers 27 holes of championship play on three, nine-hole par 70 combinations designed by Homer Flint and Ted Robinson, Sr., while the 11-court Tennis Garden is the only resort facility in the Southwest offering four playing surfaces.

Guests in search of a spa weekend will be ‘wowed’ by the beautiful and understated Centre for Well-being.  Despite its 22,000 square foot size, the Centre is an intimate sanctuary for individuals seeking balance and renewal.  The Centre offers an extensive array of massage treatments and the most progressive bodywork programs available today.  It is known for its development of innovative new therapies, such as the Acussage™ and Table Thai™ Massage.

Also amazing is the resort’s $25 million art collection. Many of the late Allan Houser’s life-size Native American bronze sculptures, along with photorealist waterscapes by David Kessler and rate European paintings and antiques are prominently displayed throughout the resort.  Adding to the drama is the two-acre Cactus Garden, which stretches along the northern edge of the resort’s grounds at the base of Camelback Mountain; this scenic spot showcases 250 varieties of cacti and succulents.

Of course, the resort has fantastic pool areas.  There are nine pools and a 165-foot waterslide.  The resort’s signature pool with The Phoenician logo in the center is inlaid with hand-crafted iridescent mother of pearl tiles.

The Phoenician, a AAA Five Diamond resort, is owned and operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide as part of The Luxury Collection.  It is minutes from both Sky Harbor International Airport and the region’s finest shopping and dining.  For additional information and reservations, call The Phoenician at (480)941-8200; toll free (800)888-8234 or visit www.thephoenician.com.

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