arizona

Summertime Travel: Hidden Meadow Ranch

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Events, Pets

At some point in one's life I think most of us get the urge to experience a piece of the American West with a vacation centered in an upscale cowboy resort. Look no further than the White Mountains of Arizona at Hidden Meadow Ranch where luxury isn't left behind but the hubbub of urban life is. Unique packages beginning this month lure you into the rustic surroundings at an 8,500 feet such as:

'Indulge Your Senses' Package: In the month of May guests can enjoy a package for two including private cabin accommodations, three gourmet meals daily, all non-alcoholic beverages and ranch activities such as fishing, horseback riding, hiking, archery and more. Additional sensory-packed amenities will treat guests to guided wildflower and wildlife hikes through the national forest, a complimentary CD filled with soothing mountain sounds, a specially prepared menu of light and fresh dinner fare, a gift basket brimming with spa essentials, and two complimentary one-hour in-cabin massages. (Priced at $550/night)

Gallery: Hidden Meadow Ranch

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Tags: arizona, hidden meadow ranch, horseback riding, travel, vacation, white mountains, wine, wine tasting

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Arizona Real Estate Developer Faces Foreclosure On Major Land Project

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Some Arizona land that was once to hold over 1,000 luxury homes and a luxury resort may be heading for a trustee's sale. The Arizona Republic reports that the Ellman Cos., doing business as Goldfield Preserve Development LLC, defaulted on a $177.1 million loan for the 2,450 acres of land in Maricopa County northeast of Scottsdale. The trustee sale is set for August 4.

The project known as the Preserve at Goldfield Ranch is part of the existing 5,000-acre Goldfield Ranch community. Ellman bought 2,200 acres for the development in 2006 for $133 million. The resort was to have a Canyon Ranch spa and resort and the single-family property lots were to be one to eight acres. In 2007 after the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a master-plan amendment for the project it was predicting that groundbreaking could take place in as few as two years.

Don Kile, Ellman's president of master-planned communities is quoted in the article as saying that the company continues to work with their lenders to "resolve this issue and to maximize the property's value and marketability."

Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, bankruptcy, canyon ranch, ellman, goldfield ranch, preserve at goldfield ranch

Indulge Your Senses at Arizona's Hidden Meadows Resort in May

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Greer, Arizona is not a destination you're probably given a lot of thought to – but since it's the home of Hidden Meadow Ranch, voted Condé Nast Johannsen's Most Excellent Ranch 2010, perhaps you should. With twelve log cabins set on 150 acres that are further surrounded by two million acres of national forest all at 8,500 feet, Hidden Meadow could also win an award for truth in advertising. And this month it is offering an Indulge Your Senses to make the trek even more worthwhile.

Until May 31 you can book a 900-square-foot cabin for $550 per night, and included in the price are three gourmet meals per person per day, all non-alcoholic beverages, ranch activities like horseback riding, hiking, archery, and fishing, and two complimentary one-hour in-cabin massages. You'll also get a CD of "mountain sounds," but we have a feeling the actual, live sounds will do just fine.

The ranch has three cabins that are pet friendly, even for horses, so there's no need to let Fifi or Silver keep you from your Grizzly-Adams-in-a-hot-tub adventure. Who knows, after a couple of nights in a hidden meadow at altitude with all of your senses lovingly attended to, you might not wish to be found.

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Tags: arizona, greer arizona, hidden meadow, hidden meadow ranch, hotel deals, log cabins

Visit Sedona for...Wine?

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

Sunsets are like kittens and cherry blossoms -- you have to be a real curmudgeon to dislike them, and even when they're just ordinary, they're still pretty terrific. This is why a great many destinations tout their spectacular sunsets, to the point where I roll my eyes when I see it listed among an area's charms.

But I will say that the sun fading to night on the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona is unusually magnificent. So if you need a new reason to get out there and see it, here's one: there's a new Verde Valley Wine Trail, linking together wineries in Cottonwood, Jerome and other places in this part of the state.

The trail is an outgrowth of a documentary about the called Blood into Wine -- which has been screened in theaters around the United States since February, with many more planned into the spring and summer. It's been billed as the Sideways of Arizona -- just add musicians, model Milla Jovovich, and, judging from the trailer, a smidge of Deadliest Catch-esque edginess, and bottle.

The real question for me is whether the wine is any good -- I've actually not had any Arizona wine, to my knowledge. But I'd be willing to give it a go the next time I'm in Sedona. Worst case, I'll always have the sunset as a consolation prize.

Tags: arizona, arizona wine, blood into wine, movies, sedona, Sideways, Sideways Movie, wine

Raft Down The Colorado River This Summer

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Part of the reason to get awesome accommodations when traveling is so that you can get a little adventurous and be safe in the knowledge that a 24-hour chef and 3,000-count sheets are waiting to receive you at the end of it. After departing your suite at the Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon – about as luxurious as it gets, but remember we are talking about a remote and giant hole in the ground – river rafting might make the perfect counterpoint.

If you really want to get adventurous, then skip the Grand Hotel and go straight for Arizona River Runners' 3- to 13-day trips down the Colorado River. A full-on vacation inside of the canyon provides a glimpse of nature and rams and stars not often seen. Sure, there are things like tents to deal with but the soul can luxuriate in the outdoors, and a few days on the rio Colorado will give the body every excuse it needs to shack up at the spa at the Mandarin Oriental when the trip is done.

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Tags: adventure, adventure travel, arizona, colorado, colorado river, glamping, grand canyon, rafting, river rafting

Tempe Condos Up For Auction At New Low Prices

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

More condo turmoil out of Tempe, Arizona. ABC 15 reports that the Northshore Condominiums is having a big close-out auction. The 22 units will be sold on April 10 at prices that are deeply discounted. Opening bids start at $85,000 and up to $205,000 for units that were once listed as high as $725,000.

The condos have a panoramic view of Tempe Town Lake and are located within walking distance to Arizona State University. According to the article many of the units have never been lived in. Owners share a large pool with a heated spa, fitness center and an outdoor entertainment/service bar area with barbecues. There are one, two, and three-bedroom units available that are up to 2,168 square feet. Bidders must be pre-registered and pre-approved.

Tags: arizona, condo auction, northshore condominiums, tempe

Miraval: An Oasis in the Desert and in Life

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

Miraval is a one-of-a-kind Tucson, Arizona resort and spa, nominated for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Extended Day Spas.

Miraval takes the money stress out of your spa retreat by offering all-inclusive stays which cover airport transportation, welcome gifts, accommodations, all meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, "growth activities," fitness and yoga classes, full resort amenity access and a daily $130 resort credit to be used for spa services, private consultations, Dinner with the Chef, or a round of golf. For anyone who's concerned about how much money they'll spend on their retreat, this is an ideal situation.

The desert resort was built in 1995 in the shade of the Santa Catalina Mountains and offers everything from spa and beauty experiences to nutritional counseling and horseback riding. Miraval is the kind of resort you don't leave at all while you're there. You can attend the luxurious lunches in your robe and choose your daily experiences as you go, according to how you're feeling -- no need to plan it all in advance. You can view sample weeks, called Experience Guides, which are updated monthly, here.

Gallery: More from Miraval

Tags: arizona, awards-main, best extended stay spa, golf, luxist-awards, miraval, spa, spa-main, tuscon

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JJ's Brownies Go Where No Brownie Has Gone Before

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

We didn't have a brownies category in our recent Luxist Awards Best Sweets contest but if we did JJ's Brownies in the Gainey Ranch area of Scottsdale, Arizona might be a strong competitor. These are serious brownies deep in rich flavors. A tiramisu brownie is a triple chocolate brownie blended with espresso dipped lady fingers and swirled with a sweet cheese. A Mounds brownie combines toasted and flaked coconut in a triple chocolate brownie finished with a toasted coconut icing. The red, white and blueberry brownie is loaded with cranberries, blueberries, walnuts, white chocolate and bittersweet chocolate chips then drizzled with icing.

There are also brownies that use liqueurs for more grown-up flavors. The Cherry Bliss includes Bing cherries, a touch of Amaretto and white chocolate chips. The Funky Monkey has bananas infused with banana liqueur, dark rum, and pecans in a double chocolate brownie and the Raspberry Kiss has raspberries paired with a triple chocolate brownie, a touch of Raspberry di Amore and white chocolate chips. The brownie biz currently operates out of Un Bacio Ristorante but plans are in motion for a new facility and a retail store. Luckily they also have an online business. A brownie tart that serves 8-12 people and comes in flavors like La Grande Dame (a double chocolate brownie with orange, white chocolate chips and Grand Marnier) sells for $35.

[via the Arizona Republic]

Tags: arizona, brownies, jjs brownies, JjsBrownies

Grand Estancia Estate, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home sits within the gated community of Estancia in Scottsdale. The sprawling estate spans three lots in the subdivision at the base of Pinnacle peak. it was designed to blend in with the boulder outcroppings creating a private oasis. Heavy wood doors, tile floors and curving adobe fireplaces add to the feeling of desert luxury. There are eight bedrooms total and over 20,000 square feet of living space if you include both the caretaker's cottage and the large 2,000 square foot pool house. The outdoor space includes large porches as well as several outdoor fireplaces and seating areas and a pool with a waterfall. This home is listed at $15 million.

Gallery: Grand Estancia Estate

Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, ArizonaRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, scottsdale

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The Villas at Miraval

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Yesterday my colleague Alison Stein Wellner mentioned Miraval as a great place to follow through on those possibly forgotten New Year's resolutions but you can also make your destressing a bit more permanent. Four of 16 two- and three-bedroom villas remain up for sale at the Villas at Miraval, a half hour from Tucson, Arizona. The Villas at Miraval are modern homes with beautiful mountain views but the main selling point is access to the world-renowned Miraval Spa and other world-class amenities and programs. There were 16 villas total but now just four remain available for sale. The first 12 were sold the first year.

Currently for sale are two, two-bedroom villas with 2,729 square feet of interior and 2,281 square feet of outdoor living space and two, three-bedroom villas, spanning 3,095 square feet of interior living and 3,187 square feet of outdoor living space. Prices range from $2.25 million to $3.4 million. Each villa is LEED Silver-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The villas use naturally gorgeous materials like stone, cedar and hickory wood. Each villa has a water-featured private courtyard, fireplace, hot tub, Viking 41 grill, single-family-sized spa pool and steam shower. Interiors have floor-to-ceiling windows, gourmet kitchens with Sub Zero under-counter wine storage, Thermador Freedom refrigerators and dishwashers, and master bathrooms with steam showers. The villas are meant to be turnkey second homes and are furnished including local artwork, special window treatments, facades, appliances and fixtures selected by New York-based award-winning spa designer Clodagh Design.

Each villa owner pays an annual fee for unlimited access to all resort programs and amenities, common area maintenance and property management, housekeeping service, roundtrip transportation to and from Tucson International Airport and a 20 percent discount on spa services, meals and retail purchases. A dedicated villas manager and concierge staff are available to assist homeowners with all their needs and requests for a total no-stress experience.

Gallery: The Villas at Miraval

Tags: arizona, real estate, RealEstate, tucson, villas at miraval, VillasAtMiraval

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Reconnect with Resolutions at Miraval in Arizona

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Okay, so we're into month two of the new year -- how are those resolutions doing? If you find yourself in need something of a jump start, think about booking a visit to Miraval, north of Tucson, Arizona.

Miraval is a little hard to find -- don't rely on your GPS, mine got confused -- but its location is part of its discretion, no doubt due to its roots as a drug rehab facility. But it's been a destination spa now for some time, and there are 16 new, eco-friendly rooms in which to luxuriate. These free-standing rooms were constructed out of truly local materials -- the walls are from rammed earth, the outdoor shower, from local clay, sand and straw, and the shower floor from river rocks. As you'd expect, the palette of the room echoes the exterior, so that when you're sitting on your patio, it's not jarring to shift your gaze from uninterrupted Sonoran Desert and the Catalina mountains back inside to, say, contemplate a nap on the big, soft bed.

Check out the rooms in the gallery below -- if you're wondering what the chain is near the front door, it's neither a security system nor a newfangled spa treatment, I'm told its for water drainage.

The spa itself is top notch, with the wide array of treatments that you'd expect, including several designed to rehydrate, which is an absolute must in the desert environment. The relaxation room offers a properly contemplative desert view before and after treatment, although I'd say that the changing rooms could use an update.

You can go just to bliss out and get massaged, or you can pump your adrenaline up on Miraval's ropes course, which offers the opportunity to do things like testing your balance 30 feet off the air, or leaping from a 25 foot pool or a 35 foot platform.

Gallery: Miraval in Tuscon Arizona

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Tags: arizona, health, spa

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Phoenix Condo High Rise Faces Trustee's Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

More bad news from Arizona's troubled condo real estate market. One of Phoenix's tallest towers, 44 Monroe is seeing many of its condos head for foreclosure. The project was completed in 2008 but struggled to sell the units. Of a total of 196 units, 182 are currently unsold. The developer Grace Communities worked to stave off foreclosure but the project owes Corus Construction Venture, LLC $86.8 million and the Arizona Republic states that the bank has filed a notice of trustee's sale with a plan to sell the units to the highest bidder on April 14.

Last year Corus Bank collapsed and was taken over by the FDIC. It owns a 60 percent stake in Corus Construction Venture and the rest is owned by private equity consortium led by Starwood Capital Group an investment firm run by Barry Sternlicht, the founder of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The few who live in the building have seen the value of their condos plummet in recent months.

The project started with a lot of promise. Construction on the 34-story tower began in November 2005 as real estate prices in the region were on the rise. Unfortunately by the time of the completion three years later, Arizona real estate was in the doldrums. The building features shared amenities like an eighth floor swimming pool within a 20-foot high great room with open access to the spa and sundeck with city and mountain views, a fitness center, meeting room, business center and an entertainment room with a catering kitchen, bar, fireplace, plasma television, card tables, seating areas and an outdoor terrace with gas grill and views of downtown Phoenix and surrounding mountains. The residences have travertine natural stone flooring in foyer and kitchen, granite slab countertops and Kohler bath fixtures. Seven floors of garage parking offer one designated space for all one bedroom units and two spaces designated for all two and three bedroom units and the building is equipped with security cameras and card readers that control access to resident floors and resident common areas. At one point units sold for $480,000 to $3.2 million but are not worth nearly that much now.

Tags: 44 monroe, 44Monroe, arizona, condo real estate, CondoRealEstate, condos, phoenix, trustee sale, TrusteeSale

1930 Ford Model A used by John Dillinger up for Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

There are pieces of history and then there are pieces of history. This is clearly the latter. What you see here is the actual car which John Dillinger and his gang used to escape federal agents in one of the most famous shoot-outs in American history.

In the midst of a nation-wide robbing spree, Dillinger and his cronies stayed at the Little Bohemia Lodge in rural Wisconsin. After the proprietors alerted law enforcement to their presence, federal agents arrived at the scene, shooting the place full of bullets in an effort to kill the wanted criminals. As depicted in the blockbuster hit Public Enemies, Dillinger and a few of his men managed to escape into the woods and commandeered this very vehicle, using it to flee to Minnesota where they picked up a faster Ford V8. The Model A seen here was returned to its owner, who was forced to drive the car as Dillinger shot out the back window, and it stayed with the family for decades.

It's also the car the film-makers used to recreate the scene following an extensive and faithful restoration. Now the 1930 Ford Model A, with four-cylinder engine, bullet holes and all, is up for sale by Barrett-Jackson at their upcoming event in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Gallery: John Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A

Tags: 1930 ford model a, 1930FordModelA, arizona, barrett-jackson, dillinger, ford, ford model a, FordModelA, john dillinger, JohnDillinger, public enemies, PublicEnemies, scottsdale

Tempe Condo Complex Faces Foreclosure

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

In 2006 I wrote that condo enthusiasm is alive and well in Tempe, Arizona "despite a market that is showing some serious instability." Allow me to eat those words, the project I wrote about as a sign of that enthusiasm, Centerpoint Condominiums, has now fallen into foreclosure. The concrete, glass and steel projected called for a pair of 30-story towers with around 800 units ranging in size from small studios to large penthouses. Amenities included a swimming pool, hot tub that has a sand beach entry, cabana bar, café and grocery store. Instead the project floundered and still awaits completion.

An auction date has been set for April. The property once owned by Tempe Land Co. could be sold to the highest bidder. According to the Arizona Republic, ML Manager LLC, acting on behalf of investors, filed for foreclosure and placed the unpaid principal of condo developer Tempe Land Co. LLC at $135 million.

This makes the second major Arizona development foreclosure in just a couple of weeks. Capmark Finance filed to foreclose on the High Street section of Phoenix's ambitious CityNorth project. CityNorth is a 144-acre development that was to be a network of neighborhoods with shops, cafes and parks amid the residential space. A foreclosure auction date for High Street is set for March 31.

Tags: arizona, centerpoint, citynorth, condo, condo foreclosure, CondoForeclosure, condominium, tempe

Rare $1 Million Aston Martin in Arizona Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

An extremely rare alloy-bodied 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT (above), one of only 75 built, is expected to fetch up to $1 million at RM Auctions' Automobiles of Arizona event at the Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix on January 21. The exclusive competition variant of Aston's famed DB4, the model was formally introduced in September 1959 at the London Motor Show and was based on the race winning prototype driven to victory at Silverstone in May 1959 by the great Stirling Moss. The example on offer is the last DB4 GT built and underwent a complete restoration during 1994-95. The car has a luxurious Connolly leather interior with Wilton wool carpets, handles like a race car and does 150 mph.

Tags: Arizona, Aston Martin, AstonMartin, Biltmore Resort, BiltmoreResort, classic cars, ClassicCars, Phoenix, RM Auctions, RmAuctions, Stirling Moss, StirlingMoss