ARIZONA


AGENT’S VIEW


MAIN PICTURE: The Phoenician, Scottsdale


ABOVE:


Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale


LEFT:


Arizona Cowboy College


Scottsdale is great because it’s not very well known, so you feel like you’re experiencing a really authentic part of the US. What’s more, with an enviable position in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, a great health and


fresh-air-loving fun-seekers. Los Angeles without the crowds, if you like. Or Palm Springs without the price tag. Fashionistas looking to increase the size of their wardrobe won’t find a better, cleaner shopping experience anywhere in the southwest. Scottsdale’s malls are big, breezy and largely empty, with free Wi-Fi and endless help at hand. Hours can be lost at Fashion Square, a vast empire of designer labels, or at Kierland Commons, an outdoor shopping parade similar to The Grove in Los Angeles. Shoppers visiting on a Sunday morning can join a free yoga class in the main square before gorging on avocado wraps at True Food Kitchen,


Scottdale’s answer to Good Life Eatery. It’s all very hip and healthy. For accommodation, The Phoenician, a sprawling five-star fun palace at the base of Camelback Mountain, is the place to sip prickly-pear iced tea while the other half tees up. Boulders Hotel and Four Seasons Troon are twin favourites with the international spa-set for their agave- based treatments and chic lodgings. For something more boutique-y, direct your clients to The Saguaro, Hermosa Inn or The Bespoke Inn, or better still, Hotel Valley Ho. Designed by architect Edward Varney, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, it opened in 1956 and remains one of America’s


wellness scene and a history of cowboy culture, it appeals to the culturally curious – the traveller that wants to see what the real USA looks like, who may have done the more trodden routes like California or Florida.


Why go now? Like most good things, it won’t be long before Scottsdale becomes more popular, and it’s great to be ahead of the crowd. At the moment, Scottsdale is having a real foodie moment thanks to its Cordon Bleu culinary arts programme which brings in Michelin-star chefs with boundary-breaking cuisine.


TOM MARCHANT CO-FOUNDER, BLACK TOMATO


aspire june 2016 — 63


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