Arizona Hotel Tips by madamx

The Suncatcher Bed and Breakfast is located at the eastern outskirts of Tucson, amidst the beautiful desert, and is a hop, skip and jump away from the east section of Sagauro National Park. On our arrival from a long drive from Phoenix, the property looked like paradise to us, complete with birdsong and the scent of orange blossoms. Wildlife abounds in the area, with plenty of Gambel's Quail running around.

The exterior of the building looks something like the Brady Bunch house, and belies the fact that the renovated interior is decorated like an old Spanish Manor house, with beautiful antiques and other artistic touches.

We stayed in the Rancheros Room, and we found it a tad small, with a rather tiny bathroom, but it was okay for a couple of nights. The bed is extremely comfortable and triple sheeted with high-quality linens. Our room was tastefully decorated with Mexican furniture and a large Navajo rug.

Unique Qualities: The pool area is fantastic, decorated in Mexican tile, and the breakfast is outstanding. Janos, our host, overwhelmed us with his gourmet breakfasts that were so filling lunch was not needed.

Janos is a friendly and genial host, and offers a light snack buffet in the afternoon, with plenty of cold drinks, wine/beer at the bar. Make sure if you stay here to climb up to the rooftop terrace to have a look at the stars.

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Theme: Bed and Breakfast
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$40-80  » Currency Converter
Phone: 877-775-8355
Address: 105 N. Avenida Javalina, Tucson Arizona
Website: http://www.thesuncatcher.com/
Other Contact: 520-885-0883

Alma de Sedona was going to be the premier treat to ourselves on our trip to Arizona, but we ended up being disappointed in the long run, and felt we did not get good value for our money -- and plenty of it we spent here during a six-night stay.

Located below picturesque Thunder Mountain, the inn consists of adobe-style buildings on gorgeous property, and is on a quiet street in West Sedona. The suites we stayed in were large, but are beginning to look a little worn, with the frequent tourists that make that trip to see the famous Red Rocks of Sedona.

The main building where breakfast is served is decorated in a very tasteful mix of elegance and Southwestern rustic. The pool area is great, and is a nice place to watch the sunset, while eating the snacks and cold drinks that are set out every late afternoon. Breakfast is simple and very creative; though filling, it does leave you a bit of room to sample some of the local cuisine at lunch.

Unique Qualities: As I said we were a little disappointed -- the rug in the first suite we stayed in (Romantic Reflections) had been shampooed a little too much, and looked worn, and second one also looked this way, with the additon of large grease-like stains. A large wardrobe held an 18" inch tv -- not really condusive to watching in such a spacious room. The wardrobe was designed for a 27" tv and this little tv looked strange and out of place. The bathroom is very nice, though, with a huge soaker tub for two. The decor of the suites were very nice and tasteful, though as you open the door the overpowering odor of Pine Sol greets you.

The pool, which was supposed to be open, was not, due to longstanding mechanical problems. When we mentioned it to the manager, he told us "it is not pool season around here". However, it we saw many happy bathers at the Days Inn pool down the road.

In both of the suites we stayed in ( we left to tour the Grand Canyon, then returned) there was a problem with the shower, where it would unexpectedly surge not hot, but SCALDING water to the point where my husband's back was blistered. To make a long story short, the manager -- we found out the actual owner of the property lives in New Jersey -- was not very helpful and uncaring and acted like we were a bother when we wanted to talk to him about it. We debated about returning, and decided to give them a second chance. On our return, the manager suddenly did a 180 and was falling over himself trying to alleviate the problem. We were puzzled by his Jeckyl and Hyde behavior until we met the owner, who likes to come to the property once a month to see what is going on, wandering around.

The owner was very concerned, and upon hearing our woes, ended up giving a 10% discount for our trouble. This, though, did not completely make up for the disappointment we experienced. Overall, the breakfasts were good, and the property is beautiful, and housekeeping was immaculate. We will not return, though, due to the manager's behavior.

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Theme: Bed and Breakfast
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$120-180  » Currency Converter
Phone: 800-923-2282
Address: 50 Hozoni Drive, Sedona
Website: http://www.almadesedona.com/

The Yavapai Lodge is located about .8 km from the rim of the Grand Canyon, and is ideally situated away from the rim crowds, near the marketplace, and has bus service in front of the lodge's main building plus the rooms (they are a small distance away from the main building, about a 5 minute walk).

The rooms are housed in several depressing-looking 70's era buildings. However, the rooms have been recently renovated, and have nice mission-style furniture, plus the temperature is electronically controlled. What I found strange, though, was they tried to make do with doing minimal renovations -- for example, the room sink had brand new fixtures, but the sink was the worn-looking original, plus the light switches were yellowed and old. The bed was very comfy, but the pillows could have done double-duty as pancakes. The bathroom has not heat, but you can turn on warm air via an ancient-looking timing dial and it comes out of a ceiling vent.

Unique Qualities: We found the staff very pleasant and helpful, plus the fridge in the room was extremely handy. The cafeteria serves pretty decent -- albeit-- cafeteria food, but we thought it was okay and ate most of our meals there.

This was our first time to the Grand Canyon and were very impressed with how everything was organized to move people through efficiently. The bus service was excellent, and you do not need a car at all to get around the rim, unless going east on Desert View Drive.

Overall, we were very happy with the Yavapai Lodge, and would return, as we got very good value for our money. We were suprised at the reasonable rates, considering the place is at the Grand Canyon.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$40-80  » Currency Converter
Phone: 888-297-2757
Directions: Follow the main park road, and the location is clearly signed. Check in at the main lodge building (where cafeteria is), then you must drive to your room.
Website: http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/dynamic/mz_viewer.htm?articleid=28
Other Contact: 303-297-2757

This hotel is very conveniently located near the airport, and we chose it because we had to return a rental car, and did not want the hassles of trying to make our way to the airport for our return flight home.

The building is downright ugly from the outside -- the color and construction looking like cinder blocks, but the interior has a modern edge, and the hotel looks like it was recently built. The area surrounding the hotel is a strange mix of seedy strip malls and beautiful brand-new office towers. I wouldn't recommend wandering around at night.

Unique Qualities: The staff were very nice and professional, and handed us two warm chocolate chip cookies on arrival -- sort of out of place, it being 100F outside, but very much appreciated. The rooms are centered around a court and pool area, that is beautifully landscaped. The pool area was clean and attractively set-up.

The suites have new, modern decor and have a bedroom and living area with a small kitchenette with fridge and microwave. I didn't notice any dishes, so you may have to phone and ask for them. The electronically controlled airconditioning, though slow to cool the room, worked just fine after a while, keeping us comfortable in the heat. Not a whisper of airplane noise, though located a few minutes from the airport.

They also have a deal with a nearby Enterprise car rental business, and will shuttle you to there, plus Enterprise will pick up your car at the hotel, while the hotel will shuttle you to the airport.

There is a breakfast buffet included, and it was not bad. We would return here again, if we needed to stay near the airport.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$80-120  » Currency Converter
Phone: 602-225-0500
Address: 320 North 44th St., Phoenix, Arizona
Directions: Near the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Website: http://www.doubletree.com/en/dt/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=PHXFVDT