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Your lodging choices in Arizona could vary, from five star hotels in Phoenix and Tucson to working ranches in the mountains. You can even stay in a haunted in with sweeping 50-mile views in Jerome. Arizona has it all.
New Southwestern cuisine is the nouveau cousin of the standard Mexican/cowboy fare traditionally found in these parts. But you won't have trouble finding standout versions of the latter in restaurants throughout the state.
The best historic lodgings
Many of the state's historic properties have survived and been reborn as vacation lodgings. The following are among the best in the state.
- Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (Phoenix/Camelback Corner): This Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired resort, nearly 80 years old, continues to add amenities without subtracting character.
- Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa (Scottsdale): Scottsdale's first luxury resort has retained its old-fashioned appeal while keeping up with the times (most recently by rebuilding its excellent spa).
- Royal Palms Resort and Spa (Phoenix): Built as a winter getaway for a wealthy couple, this intimate property still fulfills that function, although now more upscale pairs can come to play.
- Kay El Bar Ranch: This dude ranch remains faithful to its historic Western roots but offers a touch of Hollywood glamour as well: Val Kilmer's family owned the ranch for a spell, and little Val used to hang out with the horses.
- Arizona Inn: Tucson was a desert outpost when the Arizona Inn opened in 1930. Although the city is no longer primitive, this charming property still provides the same civility it afforded weary travelers in the past.
- Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort: A girls' school turned dude ranch to the stars in the 1940s, this is now a scenic miniresort with artfully rustic rooms that offer all the creature comforts.
- The Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast Inn: Lovers of Victoriana will adore these downtown Tucson digs, with immaculately maintained fittings and gorgeous antique furnishings.
- Westward Look Resort: Among the legacies of this property's guest ranch past are spacious quarters designed for long-term stays, along with a generous spread of desert with great city views.
- Copper Queen (Bisbee): A holdover from Arizona's days of mineral wealth, this hotel still offers lots of Old West charm.
- Tubac Golf Resort: Founded in 1959 by a group of investors that included crooner Bing Crosby, this gracious property sits on Arizona's first Spanish land grant. Conferences are held in an 1880s hacienda.
- Hassayampa Inn: Prescott's premier historic hotel helped usher in Arizona's auto age with its modern covered driveway. Today's visitors like the fact that it's within easy walking distance of the town's Courthouse Square.
- El Tover Hotel: The grandest of the Grand Canyon lodgings closed briefly for a makeover in its 100th anniversary year, 2005, and emerged better than ever, with accommodations as appealing as its public areas.
- Grand Canyon Lodge: It would be hard to find a better complement to the woodsy beauty of the North Rim than this impressive limestone-and-log structure flanked by rustic cabins.
- Goulding's Lodge: Ever since Harry Goulding brought director John Ford out to his place, it has been a favorite of filmmakers, who like its proximity to Monument Valley as well as the modern conveniences subtly incorporated over the years.
- La Posada: Resuscitated in the 1990s, the hotel that architect Mary Colter created in Winslow in 1930 just keeps getting better, as the gardens mature and more original fittings are restored.
- Thunderbird Lodge: This hotel, the only one inside Canyon de Chelly National Monument, features a dining room that used to be a trading post and cottonwoods planted in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The best places to savor Southwest flavors
Here are some recommended places to dine:
- Kai (near Phoenix): Here, dazzling New Southwestern recipes incorporate traditional ingredients grown on the reservation of the Pima and Maricopa Indians.
- Los Sombreros (Scottsdale): This lively eatery departs from typical northern Mexico fare to range all over our southern neighbor's map.
- Roaring Fork (Scottsdale): Innovative takes on steak and other Western menu staples make chef Robert McGrath's restaurant a favorite with Valley foodies and meat-and-potato types alike.
- Café Poca Cosa: For far-flung regional dishes not found in most of Arizona's Mexican restaurants, you can't beat this colorful downtown Tucson cafe.
- Janos/J Bar: The food at upscale Janos has a French accent, while that at more casual J Bar speaks with Mexican tones. These adjacent restaurants share the talents of Southwest cooking guru Janos Wilder.
- La Roca el Balcon (Nogales, Mexico): Savory seafood and grilled meat dishes are among the offerings at this cavernous, romantic taverna.
- The Cowboy Club's Silver Saddle Room: The rattlesnake brochettes at this haute-rustic eatery in Uptown Sedona may be gimmicky, but the ribs, steak, seafood — and even buffalo cuts — are seriously good.
- Cameron Trading Post dining room: Under the pressed tin roof of this historic dining room, you find the best Navajo taco in Arizona — huge and made with fresh hot fry bread.
- Romo's Cafe: The New Mexican-style food at this low-key Holbrook cafe will bring happiness if you're a fan of sopaipillas (fried bread sweetened with honey), red and green chile sauce, and other imports from the Land of Enchantment.
- The Turquoise Room: Drawing on the menu of the Santa Fe railroad's luxury dining car and on Arizona regional specialties, the restaurant at La Posada in Winslow features everything from Hopi piki bread to chile-cherry duckling.
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