Phoenix Update for February 2011

HIGHTLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH’S EDITION

• This spring, Greater Phoenix plays host to Cactus League Baseball Spring training
and welcomes back fans with several Valley properties offering Spring Training packages

• Devoured, Phoenix’s premiere culinary event returns to the Phoenix Art Museum

The AAA Four Diamond, all-suite Arizona Grand Resort is offering a Grand Experience Package perfect for Spring Breakers from Illinois to escape to the warm weather and sunshine of Phoenix.  Now through May 22, 2011, guests that book the Grand Experience package will receive a one bedroom resort suite starting from $249 per night with a nightly resort credit of $100.

The Ritz Carlton will play host to The American Cancer Hero Award Ceremony. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 29,780 individuals in Arizona were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2010.  As each of these individuals and their loved ones understand, the medical team involved in their care plays a critical role in their treatment journey. Each cancer treatment team is comprised of dedicated individuals who provide not only exceptional clinical care, but also the emotional support needed during such a challenging time. To pay tribute to these exceptional clinicians, Elekta has created the Arizona Cancer Heroes Initiative.

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa is the ideal place for families looking to get away for spring break. We have something for every member of the family! Dine in the state’s most highly decorated restaurant: AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five-Star, Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, has made history with their Native American Cuisine. Immerse yourself in an authentic cultural experience by taking an insightful tour led by the resort’s Cultural Concierge, Ginger Sunbird Martin, who is Pima, and was born and raised on the Gila River Indian Community. Restore the mind, body and spirit with Belen Stoneman, Native American Healer, at Forbes Four-Star Aji Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.   Finally, experience the scenic beauty and playability of one of Arizona’s seven golf courses on Native American land, including Troon-managed and Gary Panks designed Whirlwhind Golf Club.

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa has introduced Languages of Love, a resort-wide festival of the senses honoring Mediterranean countries that provide the inspiration for the resort’s architecture, design, gardens, ambiance, food and spa treatments. The Languages of Love experience was created so that guests would be greeted with new ways to discover romance throughout the year, continually adding surprises and new elements. Guests can fall in love over and over again.

Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe is offering Spring Break packages starting at $209. They were recently named the “Best Full Service Hotel 2010” in Arizona and  home to Fire and Spice, a southwest-inspired dining experience serving a unique blend of traditional Native American artisan recipes, the spices of Old Spain, and the distinct flavors of Old and New Mexico.

Fiesta Resort Conference Center offers March visitors a Spring Training Package: The Fiesta Resort’s Spring Training Package provides baseball fans with a comfortable, convenient “home plate” from which to catch all the exciting pre-season games.  The package includes a deluxe guestroom with hot buffet breakfast for two. The resort is within shuttle distance of Tempe Diablo Stadium, home of the California Angels, and Phoenix Municipal Stadium, home of the Oakland A’s.

Arizona’s renowned Boulders Resort has announced a first-rate upgrade to its 160 casitas, which includes a fresh interior design, new finishes, new furnishings and technology enhancements.  The cozy casitas will keep their adobe-style architecture, one of the resort’s distinguishing features and an important aspect of The Boulders’ “Sense of Place.”  But the large, residential-feeling guest rooms will be refreshed with a modern interpretation of Southwestern design.

Hotel Valley Ho has joined Valley Forward Association, which brings business and civic leaders together to convene thoughtful public dialogue on regional issues and to promote cooperative efforts to improve the environment and livability of Valley communities. The Hotel Valley Ho is currently the only hotel member.

Play Ball Spring Training at Kimpton’s FireSky Resort & Spa. Greater Phoenix is a homerun with baseball fans who come to cheer for their favorite Cactus League teams. Not surprisingly, Kimpton’s FireSky has  got game, boasting a central location just 10 minutes from the home stadiums of the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks (along with easy freeway access to the fields of the 12 other ball clubs). Not to mention, the resort is walkable from Old Town’s restaurant-and-bar-packed scene – perfect for guests whose evenings have extra innings. The package is available March 1-31.

For fans of the San Francisco Giants seeking a VIP spring training experience, the swank W Scottsdale has created a fan package fit for the biggest baseball fanatics. Situated in the center of downtown Scottsdale, offering insider access to shopping, dining and nightlife, W Scottsdale’s Who’s Hitting a Home Run? includes a Cool Corner Suite, exclusive player meet and greet, on-field practice experience and transportation to and from Scottsdale Stadium, among other perks, inviting guests to get even closer to the game.

For over two decades, memories have been created on the enchanting waterways of Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa. Visitors glide along in authentic Venetian gondolas while being serenaded by singing gondoliers, transforming the waterways into a romantic Venice of the West. They proudly announce the much anticipated release of “Venice of the West,” a CD featuring the resort’s highly acclaimed gondoliers, the beauty of their voices and some of their favorite songs. CD’s can be purchased “Venice of the West” at the resort.

Hotel Valley Ho’s Romance Package is offered year-round and is the perfect Valentine’s getaway. Upon arrival, guests will receive a Red Flower aromatherapy candle. In the room, they will enjoy turndown service as well as a half-bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne with an assortment of fresh seasonal fruit. A complimentary movie may be enjoyed in bed, and breakfast in bed or at ZuZu is also included.
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The Farm at South Mountain doesn’t offer a cozy place to stay; it does present entertaining venues that you and your family will find enjoyable for a daily get away from the city.  The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix offers a nearby escape from the city with canopies of pecan trees and acres of grass lawns. Rich in history, the Farm invites you to explore organic gardens, three restaurants, art galleries, various shops and retreats.  Your kids will be able to show their creativity off at the Artist Studio at The Farm. Art workshops are offered, as well as, writing classes, educational lectures, youth home school classes, field trips and staff retreats.   Along with the Artist Studio, there is The Cottage where you are able to enjoy yourself and shop at the same time surrounding yourself with local artwork to admire while you are shopping and relaxing. Coming to The Farm at South Mountain will give you and your family an outer city experience without even leaving the city!

Three years after BODY WORLDS brought record crowds to the Arizona Science Center, a new blockbuster exhibition, Gunther von Hagen’s  BODY WORLDS & The Brain, is now open to the public in the Sybil B. Harrington Galleries.  For the first time in Phoenix, this new presentation of BODY WORLDS contains a special feature that unravels the mystery of the mind and secret world of the brain. BODY WORLDS & The Brain provides Arizona Science Center with a unique opportunity to enhance their educational programs and enrich people’s understanding of their bodies and visitors will encounter both the resilience and fragility of the human body, discovering how a body works when it is healthy and how it breaks down when it is not. Through its aesthetic and accessible displays, BODY WORLDS invites contemplation, study and reflection of the power and vulnerability of the human body by everyone.

A Turning Point: Navajo Weaving in the Late 20th Century opens to the public this month at the Heard Museum. Navajo weaving experienced incredible stylistic and status shifts throughout the 20th century. The Heard Museum’s new exhibit: A Turning Point, features over 30 pieces that display the incremental change in Navajo weaving that took place between the 1970s and the 1990s. The pieces will be displayed in traditional form while slightly transformed to include name artists that are exploring new aesthetics and showing in urban galleries. This event will continue through May 22.

This Valentine’s Day, learn what makes your heart race and your blood pressure sizzle – your sweet heart!Arizona Science Center has partnered with the American Heart Association to help you learn how your heart works and how to ensure healthier, longer lives for you and your loved ones. This event is free with paid general admission and takes place Feb. 14, 2011.

The Downtown Phoenix Public Market has a new shopping experience for you all you “locavores” out there. If you simply can’t make it through the weekend without some of Seacat Gardens’ haricots verts, tomatoes from One Windmill Farm, or Maya’s Farms’ fantastic field greens, don’t worry about it. Just stop over any Wednesday and stuff your bags full of local produce, cheese, farm-fresh eggs, baked goods, and much more on the way home. If you really don’t feel like cooking or don’t  have the time, go ahead and pick up some brats, soups, salads, posole, or enchiladas and hang out for a bit while you wait for the hustle and bustle to die down.

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix will be open 7 days a week during Spring Break beginning March 8th through April 3rd.  Kids will have a blast in the Museum’s  3 floors of interactive exhibits, with over 20 hands-on play activities including the 3 story tall Schuff-Perini Climber, the Noodle Forest (thousands of pool noodles hanging vertically from the ceiling) and Building Big (where you can build forts all day long and never get bored). Practice tying your shoelaces while creating your very own lacing door hangar. Put on your inventors hat and have a blast creating a mysterious substance known as Ooey Gooey Putty. Have fun searching for leprechauns and pots of gold with a Lucky Leprechaun Wand that you make yourself.

Sea Life Arizona is a 26,000 square foot aquarium designed with children in mind. Sea Life Arizona includes more than 30 display tanks in 12 different habitat zones featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures including a giant Pacific octopus, zebra sharks, clown fish, a guitar fish, and rays.

Want to get a new perspective of the Sonoran Desert? Rainbow Ryders, Inc.® has been making dreams come true for more than 29 years with memorable balloon rides over the landscapes of the scenic Southwest. Offering seasonal sunrise and sunset flights, Rainbow Ryders takes guests up and away to enjoy sweeping 360-degree views as the balloon rises and calmly floats across the sky. A unique outing perfect for your proposal or your post-nuptials getaway, this one-of-a-kind excursion includes a post-flight continental breakfast and champagne toast.

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Five-time All-Star and 2001 World Series hero Luis Gonzalez will serve as the Ambassador for 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Summer. As part of his role, Gonzalez will be involved in a series of activities on behalf of MLB in the months leading up to the Midsummer Classic and ancillary All-Star events.  Gonzalez will forever be known for his game-winning bloop single against New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. During that season, Gonzalez had career-highs in home runs (57), RBI (142), runs scored (128), OBP (.429) and SLG (.688). Gonzalez, a Tampa, Florida, native and 2001 Home Run Derby champion, collected 2,591 hits in the same number of games played, 354 home runs and 1,439 RBI over his 19-year career, eight of which were spent with the D-backs. He is one of 17 players in history to record at least 2,500 hits, 500 doubles, 350 home runs and 1,000 RBI in a career. During his time in the desert, he hit 224 home runs and drove in 774 runs, both all-time franchise records. Gonzalez, whose No. 20 was retired last season by the D-backs, currently serves as a special assistant to Derrick Hall, President and CEO of the D-backs.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have announced that they will host the seventh annual SUBWAY® D-backs FanFest on Feb. 12 to the general public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Chase Field. The free event will include autographs and photograph sessions with current players, coaches, alumni and broadcasters on the field at Chase Field.

LPGA Tour is making its way back to Phoenix as the Wildfire Golf Club at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa will play host for the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup The tour reportedly will run for three days, from March 18-20.

The Sonoran Desert Golf Trail is the first desert golf trail in the Valley of the Sun and features six noted public golf clubs and eight courses all located in close proximity to each other in the scenic Lower Verde Valley area. The area is comprised of the communities of Fountain Hills, Rio Verde, Tonto Verde, Vista Verde and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.  The courses included are Desert Canyon Golf Club, Eagle Mountain Golf Club, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, Tonto Verde Golf Club, Vista Verde Golf Club andWe-Ko-Pa Golf Club.

The Boulders, ranked one of the top ten golf courses in the country, has added a new Short Game personalized instruction class to their Golf Academy program: Scoring Zone Series. This one-hour session includes: Putting; stroke mechanics; distance control; green reading; Chipping: solid contact; loft and roll; Pitching: technique, trajectory; Sand: greenside bunker splash shot; and complimentary Nike rental clubs. Other Golf Academy classes include Golf Simplified-a simple, yet practical hands-on instruction technique that incorporates digital video analysis, Accelerate the Learning Course–A two-hour golf school, Introduction to Golf-A non-intimidating introduction to the game, this program takes place in a small group setting designed for the new golfer and Fore Ladies-introduction to the game of golf in a beautiful and non-intimidating setting.

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Aji Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa is proud to name Bates Tennis Services as the new on-site tennis academy and instructional team offering a wide array of services including personalized coaching, doubles and singles tactical drills, comprehensive packaging and unparalleled customer attention.

A new year brings new beginnings and new resolutions to improve everyday lives.  Agave Spa at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa offers a great start with new fitness and salon packages and special Agave Spa therapies. The new options for spa-goers include the eight-week “Agave Body Transformation” health and fitness package, “New Year, New You” Agave Salon makeover package, 28 days of meditation and special guided meditation sessions with Damian Vaughn and the Vaughn Center and a new “Fresh Start Renewal” Vichy Therapy. The Westin Kierland Resort’s Agave Spa has just kicked-off their new “Agave Body Transformation” program to help participants become the best version of themselves in a “Biggest Loser-like” challenge.

After more than 15 years in its current location, the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa at Biltmore Fashion Park relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility. While guests experience new amenities and a new environment, they can be sure that they will continue to receive the same impeccable guest service and technical expertise that they have come to associate with Red Door Spas. With close to 5,000 square-feet dedicated to beauty, harmony and well-being, the new state-of-the-art facility is reflective of the contemporary yet elegant, architecturally-inspired interior design that has become synonymous with the Red Door Spa experience.

The Spa at Camelback Inn is offering a new signature Natural AgaveToning Wrap, an organic firming treatment that uses FarmHouse Fresh products and implements methods dating back to the Aztecs, who used agave nectar as a protective balm for skin infections. A fine-grain sea salt exfoliates the body to remove impurities before prickly pear cactus gel is massaged into the skin to improve circulation. Once a full scalp massage releases facial pressure points, agave nectar oil saturates skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

The Golden Door Spa at The Boulders introduces a new facial for spring, the Vitamin C Facial Experience By Hylunia. The facial includes a radiant papaya enzyme exfoliation and Vitamin C peel, followed by a soothing anti-oxidant mask.  The Vitamin C Facial utilizes a holistic, green, organic and vegan skincare line that is free of harmful and potentially harmful ingredients.

Spa Avania at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa is kicks off their new year with “New Beginnings,” with special treatments that renew, refresh and revitalize. The Avania Active Massage is the perfect massage to complement an active lifestyle, combining active stretching and traditional therapeutic massage techniques. The Monticelli Mud Wrap detoxifies and hydrates; this warm wrap renews the skin and relaxes the mind with a full-body exfoliation, scalp and face massage and toning hydrating cream application. The Renewal Facial is an extraordinary treatment that resurfaces, revitalizes and deeply hydrates the skin, while stimulating a cellular awakening and the microcirculation of the skin. The Moroccanoil™ Ritual refreshes and invigorates the hair and scalp, topped off with a paraffin hand massage treatment.

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The West Valley now has a new destination for fresh, locally-sourced dining with the grand opening ofLitchfield’s at The Wigwam. Replacing the resort’s former signature restaurant Red’s Steakhouse, Litchfield’s will be open for dinner nightly with a menu offering fresh Arizona cuisine at approachable prices. Litchfield’s will feature farm-to-table fare focused on seasonal cooking and ingredients that are grown, harvested and produced from sustainable and local Arizona farms and artisans. Playing an integral role in developing the concept of Litchfield’s, James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco, behind the famed Pizzeria Bianco, also provided inspirations for the menu. Litchfield’s menu reflects Bianco’s appreciation for local resources.

High-end resort restaurants seem to be a thing of the past, replaced now with steakhouses and more casual venues.  Not so at Royal Palms – T. Cook’s has refused to change what made it successful. This past December, the restaurant was named the Best Hotel Restaurant in Phoenix by Zagat’s. This gorgeous-in-all-seasons staple features enchanting Southwestern-style décor and uses the freshest ingredients in its far-from-ordinary gourmet Mediterranean cuisine.

Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain continues to garner attention as a hub for good food and drink.  Guests and locals can shake off the end-of-weekend blues with its ongoing “Mixology 101” classes at jade bar.  Featuring the barman prowess of Jason Asher, Sanctuary is educating locals and travelers on classic cocktails and unique libations.  The program is designed as a fun and affordable activity for resort guests and area residents, creating a forum to explore the mysteries of high-concept cocktails.

Prado Restaurant at InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa recently announced that Peter DeRuvo has been named as its new Chef de Cuisine. As the head chef of the resort’s signature AAA Four Diamond restaurant, DeRuvo will continue Prado’s commitment to working with local farmers and purveyors to bring the freshest and best of ingredients straight from the farm to the table, while prepared with the authenticity, elegant simplicity and international flair for which DeRuvo is so well-known

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