1. Hermosa Inn
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (602) 955-8614, (800) 241-1210
Address: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Quietly hidden among the cactus-studded, multimillion-dollar estates of Paradise Valley is the small Hermosa Inn, with 6 lush acres and Lon’s, an award-winning restaurant, brimming with hacienda charm (see the Restaurants chapter). The dream project of cowboy artist Lon Megargee, the place was hand-built in the 1930s with adobe bricks, the color of which blends charmingly with the surrounding rock. Megargee turned it into his home, studio, and guest ranch, and called it Casa Hermosa, or handsome house. Megargee’s paintings hang throughout the lobby and restaurant. The inn was extensively renovated in the mid-1990s, and today it’s popular not only as an inn, but also as the home of Lon’s, a secluded restaurant whose chef, Jeremy Pacheco, is known for his innovations with local organic ingredients and traditional European influences. Guests of the inn enjoy a pool, outdoor spas, and tennis. Golf at nearby courses can be arranged. The boutique inn is convenient to both central Phoenix and Scottsdale and affords a lovely view of Camelback Mountain. The 34 hacienda-style guest casitas and rooms underwent a $2 million overhaul to update many of the modern amenities while carefully restoring the Old Arizona details that make the Hermosa such a draw. Casitas come in 3 different types, including 4 Grande Casitas that offer 800 luxurious square feet to call home while in Paradise Valley.
2. Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (480) 948-2100, (800) 245-2051
Address: 5700 E. McDonald Dr.
Description: Sitting on 53 of the most dramatic acres you’ll ever see, right on the slope of Camelback Mountain, this resort has been rated one of the top resorts in the US since it opened in 2001. The views are considered some of the most spectacular in the Valley. A $3 million renovation in 2010 unveiled a new high-tech kitchen with a raw bar and plancha oven for cooking whole-fish style. Chef Beau MacMillan at the resort’s classy Elements restaurant has been featured on the television show Iron Chef America. The recent overhaul also included the Praying Monk outdoor year-round dining space, a great spot for panoramic views, and the wine-savvy private dining space of XII, which showcases 800 bottles of outstanding vino. The 98 casitas, with contemporary design, sport such amenities as private balconies, kitchen alcoves, outdoor spas, and even wood-burning fireplaces for a romantic evening. Some casitas have travertine marble showers and oversize tubs, and all offer candlelight turndown service. The resort also offers 7 luxuriously modern private estate homes, each with its own unique character. A state-of-the-art fitness center will help you work off the calories with cardio- and strength-training equipment and a lap pool. The resort also features 5 lighted tennis courts and 4 pools, including 1 infinity pool. You can also take a class in yoga, Pilates, tai chi, or belly dancing. The Asian-inspired spa and meditation garden will de-stress and reinvigorate.
3. Hermosa Inn
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (602) 955-8614, (800) 241-1210
Address: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Quietly hidden among the cactus-studded, multimillion-dollar estates of Paradise Valley is the small Hermosa Inn, with 6 lush acres and Lon’s, an award-winning restaurant, brimming with hacienda charm (see the Restaurants chapter). The dream project of cowboy artist Lon Megargee, the place was hand-built in the 1930s with adobe bricks, the color of which blends charmingly with the surrounding rock. Megargee turned it into his home, studio, and guest ranch, and called it Casa Hermosa, or handsome house. Megargee’s paintings hang throughout the lobby and restaurant. The inn was extensively renovated in the mid-1990s, and today it’s popular not only as an inn, but also as the home of Lon’s, a secluded restaurant whose chef, Jeremy Pacheco, is known for his innovations with local organic ingredients and traditional European influences. Guests of the inn enjoy a pool, outdoor spas, and tennis. Golf at nearby courses can be arranged. The boutique inn is convenient to both central Phoenix and Scottsdale and affords a lovely view of Camelback Mountain. The 34 hacienda-style guest casitas and rooms underwent a $2 million overhaul to update many of the modern amenities while carefully restoring the Old Arizona details that make the Hermosa such a draw. Casitas come in 3 different types, including 4 Grande Casitas that offer 800 luxurious square feet to call home while in Paradise Valley.
4. Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (480) 948-2100, (800) 245-2051
Address: 5700 E. McDonald Dr.
Description: Sitting on 53 of the most dramatic acres you’ll ever see, right on the slope of Camelback Mountain, this resort has been rated one of the top resorts in the US since it opened in 2001. The views are considered some of the most spectacular in the Valley. A $3 million renovation in 2010 unveiled a new high-tech kitchen with a raw bar and plancha oven for cooking whole-fish style. Chef Beau MacMillan at the resort’s classy Elements restaurant has been featured on the television show Iron Chef America. The recent overhaul also included the Praying Monk outdoor year-round dining space, a great spot for panoramic views, and the wine-savvy private dining space of XII, which showcases 800 bottles of outstanding vino. The 98 casitas, with contemporary design, sport such amenities as private balconies, kitchen alcoves, outdoor spas, and even wood-burning fireplaces for a romantic evening. Some casitas have travertine marble showers and oversize tubs, and all offer candlelight turndown service. The resort also offers 7 luxuriously modern private estate homes, each with its own unique character. A state-of-the-art fitness center will help you work off the calories with cardio- and strength-training equipment and a lap pool. The resort also features 5 lighted tennis courts and 4 pools, including 1 infinity pool. You can also take a class in yoga, Pilates, tai chi, or belly dancing. The Asian-inspired spa and meditation garden will de-stress and reinvigorate.
5. Phoenix Country Day School
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Education
Telephone: (602) 955-8200
Address: 3901 E. Stanford Dr.
Description: This is a popular option for Northeast Valley parents who want the private-school experience. The school opened in 1961 and has expanded over the years to a sprawling 40-acre campus near Camelback Mountain. It’s open to preschoolers through 12th graders. It dubs itself a student-centered school and has many electives and extracurricular activities. The student-teacher ratio is 9-to-1, and current enrollment is about 700.
6. Tesseract
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Education
Telephone: (480) 991-1770
Address: 4800 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.
7. Phoenix Country Day School
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Education
Telephone: (602) 955-8200
Address: 3901 E. Stanford Dr.
Description: This is a popular option for Northeast Valley parents who want the private-school experience. The school opened in 1961 and has expanded over the years to a sprawling 40-acre campus near Camelback Mountain. It’s open to preschoolers through 12th graders. It dubs itself a student-centered school and has many electives and extracurricular activities. The student-teacher ratio is 9-to-1, and current enrollment is about 700.
8. Tesseract
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Education
Telephone: (480) 991-1770
Address: 4800 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.
9. Elements
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (480) 607-2300
Address: 5700 E. McDonald Dr.
Description: The panoramic views from the restaurant at Sanctuary on the northern slope of Camelback Mountain are memorable, especially combined with the elegant menu. To begin the evening, you’ll stroll past the Zen-like fountain at the entrance and step down to the restaurant feeling relaxed already. Try to stop at the Jade Bar before (or even after) dinner to enjoy the amazing desert view. Elements prides itself on preparing sustainable seafood and hormone-free meats. The fare ranges from Asian-inspired sashimi, udon noodles, and miso-glazed salmon to new American dishes and French items. The menu changes monthly. Try to arrange dinnertime so that you can watch the glowing sunset. Patio seating is available. It’s one of the most romantic, elegant dining spots in the Valley.
10. Lon’S At The Hermosa
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (602) 955-7878
Address: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Rd.
Description: You can get away from it all at this intimate Southwestern-style dining room at the Hermosa Inn, which is tucked into a Paradise Valley residential area. The restaurant is named for Lon Megargee, a cowboy artist who developed this property as a hacienda and studio, then turned it into lodging. The artful American cuisine includes grilled beef tenderloin with blue cheese gratin and house-cured bacon, pecan wood-fired herb-crusted lamb chops, and a Sunday dinner barbecue smoke with delicacies like jidori chicken and “tender belly” porchetta. Lunch and dinner are served Monday to Friday; brunch on Sunday.
11. Elements
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (480) 607-2300
Address: 5700 E. McDonald Dr.
Description: The panoramic views from the restaurant at Sanctuary on the northern slope of Camelback Mountain are memorable, especially combined with the elegant menu. To begin the evening, you’ll stroll past the Zen-like fountain at the entrance and step down to the restaurant feeling relaxed already. Try to stop at the Jade Bar before (or even after) dinner to enjoy the amazing desert view. Elements prides itself on preparing sustainable seafood and hormone-free meats. The fare ranges from Asian-inspired sashimi, udon noodles, and miso-glazed salmon to new American dishes and French items. The menu changes monthly. Try to arrange dinnertime so that you can watch the glowing sunset. Patio seating is available. It’s one of the most romantic, elegant dining spots in the Valley.
12. Lon’S At The Hermosa
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (602) 955-7878
Address: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Rd.
Description: You can get away from it all at this intimate Southwestern-style dining room at the Hermosa Inn, which is tucked into a Paradise Valley residential area. The restaurant is named for Lon Megargee, a cowboy artist who developed this property as a hacienda and studio, then turned it into lodging. The artful American cuisine includes grilled beef tenderloin with blue cheese gratin and house-cured bacon, pecan wood-fired herb-crusted lamb chops, and a Sunday dinner barbecue smoke with delicacies like jidori chicken and “tender belly” porchetta. Lunch and dinner are served Monday to Friday; brunch on Sunday.
13. Cosanti
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (480) 948-6145
Address: 6433 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.
Description: Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti foundry in Paradise Valley allows visitors a chance to see Soleri’s trademark ceramic and bronze wind bells made on site, cast from the elements and forged in fire. Soleri, a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice who built the Arcosanti colony in northern Arizona (detailed in the Day Trips chapter), established the foundry in 1956. It looks the same way it did decades ago, a place that seems both futuristic and historically familiar. It has a very organic vibe. Soleri designed the domed apses, which the artisans sit beneath in the shade to shape and cast the bells.Cosanti bells make ideal gifts. If cowboys, Indians, salsa, or scorpion-embedded paperweights won’t cut it, this is definitely worth a stop. Each bell is a colorful piece of original Arizona artwork, beautifully wrapped and boxed for a gift. Cosanti bells range from $30 to $850; proceeds help to complete Arcosanti. There are no set tours at Cosanti, but you have the chance to walk the grounds and see the bells being cast. Apprentices working on site are happy to explain Soleri’s history, his place in Arizona, and his philosophies on art and sustainable living.
14. Cosanti
City: Paradise Valley, AZ
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (480) 948-6145
Address: 6433 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.
Description: Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti foundry in Paradise Valley allows visitors a chance to see Soleri’s trademark ceramic and bronze wind bells made on site, cast from the elements and forged in fire. Soleri, a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice who built the Arcosanti colony in northern Arizona (detailed in the Day Trips chapter), established the foundry in 1956. It looks the same way it did decades ago, a place that seems both futuristic and historically familiar. It has a very organic vibe. Soleri designed the domed apses, which the artisans sit beneath in the shade to shape and cast the bells.Cosanti bells make ideal gifts. If cowboys, Indians, salsa, or scorpion-embedded paperweights won’t cut it, this is definitely worth a stop. Each bell is a colorful piece of original Arizona artwork, beautifully wrapped and boxed for a gift. Cosanti bells range from $30 to $850; proceeds help to complete Arcosanti. There are no set tours at Cosanti, but you have the chance to walk the grounds and see the bells being cast. Apprentices working on site are happy to explain Soleri’s history, his place in Arizona, and his philosophies on art and sustainable living.