City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (623) 583-0133, (800) 547-4747

Address: 12545 W. Bell Rd.

Description: The 3-story, all-suite hotel has a few intriguing amenities you don’t always find, including the free use of bicycles, free use of a lending library of best-selling books, and free coffee and muffin plus a newspaper delivered to your door every morning. It’s perfect for extended West Valley stays. The 127 two-room suites are 500 square feet and come with either a king-size bed or 2 double beds, along with double sinks in the bathroom, a wet bar, a microwave, a refrigerator, 2 TVs, 3 telephones, a desk area, and a sleeper sofa. Guests also have the use of laundry facilities. Adding to the amenities are the swimming pool and whirlpool. Pets are accepted.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (623) 583-0100, (888) 940-8989

Address: 16501 N. El Mirage Rd.

Description: This gated resort near the Sun Cities is mostly for 55-plus seniors living in park models, who tend to return every winter. About 250 of the park’s 1,203 spaces are available for short-term leases to those seniors with any kind of RV. Amenities are ample: an Olympic-size lap pool, 3 spas, organized activities, shuffleboard, tennis, horseshoes, exercise rooms, a wood shop, a ballroom, a library, and Wi-Fi hotspots at the community center. Pets are welcome. Rates are $49 per day.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (623) 583-0133, (800) 547-4747

Address: 12545 W. Bell Rd.

Description: The 3-story, all-suite hotel has a few intriguing amenities you don’t always find, including the free use of bicycles, free use of a lending library of best-selling books, and free coffee and muffin plus a newspaper delivered to your door every morning. It’s perfect for extended West Valley stays. The 127 two-room suites are 500 square feet and come with either a king-size bed or 2 double beds, along with double sinks in the bathroom, a wet bar, a microwave, a refrigerator, 2 TVs, 3 telephones, a desk area, and a sleeper sofa. Guests also have the use of laundry facilities. Adding to the amenities are the swimming pool and whirlpool. Pets are accepted.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (623) 583-0100, (888) 940-8989

Address: 16501 N. El Mirage Rd.

Description: This gated resort near the Sun Cities is mostly for 55-plus seniors living in park models, who tend to return every winter. About 250 of the park’s 1,203 spaces are available for short-term leases to those seniors with any kind of RV. Amenities are ample: an Olympic-size lap pool, 3 spas, organized activities, shuffleboard, tennis, horseshoes, exercise rooms, a wood shop, a ballroom, a library, and Wi-Fi hotspots at the community center. Pets are welcome. Rates are $49 per day.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (623) 544-9109

Address: 15411 W. Waddell Rd.

Description: The quaint French-style bistro in Marley Park Plaza is open for lunch and dinner. The menu is modern and clean, and it has a growing reputation with Northwest Valley folks. The buttery Black Angus steak with brandied peppercorn sauce is a favorite. Other fare ranges from burgers to French rabbit stew with wild mushrooms and other vegetables. It’s approachable gourmet done correctly, with its own character.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (623) 544-9109

Address: 15411 W. Waddell Rd.

Description: The quaint French-style bistro in Marley Park Plaza is open for lunch and dinner. The menu is modern and clean, and it has a growing reputation with Northwest Valley folks. The buttery Black Angus steak with brandied peppercorn sauce is a favorite. Other fare ranges from burgers to French rabbit stew with wild mushrooms and other vegetables. It’s approachable gourmet done correctly, with its own character.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Retirement

Telephone: (623) 546-7444

Address: 19753 N. Remington Dr.

Description: Sun City Grand opened October 1, 1996, in Surprise, just west of Sun City. The 400-acre community has 9,800 homes and around 26,000 residents. The community was the first in the Del Webb family to target the newly retiring baby boomer and has been the best-selling master-planned community in Arizona since its opening and is one of the top-selling active-adult communities in the country. Although Sun City Grand is completely sold out, it is still possible to buy in through real estate brokers or individual homeowners. Recently, the age limit was lowered to 45. Since floor plans vary widely, it’s best to ask a Realtor for pricing information. Expect homes to start a bit higher than $200,000.Designed to reflect a Southwestern desert resort with all the related resort amenities, Sun City Grand features state-of-the-art recreational facilities, championship golf courses, and Del Webb’s trademark amenities. The Village Center is located at the community’s hub. With its inviting, pleasant courtyard design, cascading water features, and lush landscaping, the Village Center provides an ideal environment for socializing and meeting neighbors. The centerpiece for that mingling is the Sonoran Plaza, a beautiful 21,000-square-foot structure that offers a 9,100-square-foot ballroom, a performing-arts stage, several smaller meeting rooms, a reading room/lounge, an outdoor patio area with fireplace, and the offices of the Community Association Management. It also provides the setting for the Adobe Spa and Fitness Center, a sophisticated facility with the latest exercise and weight training equipment, indoor and outdoor pools, an indoor walking track, and aerobics classrooms.The center also includes bocce and tennis courts, lawn-bowling greens, and a fishing pier, as well as an outdoor amphitheater for festivals and special events and activity rooms for interests ranging from billiards to computers. The 4 golf courses include Desert Springs Golf Course, a public course designed by Billy Casper and Greg Nash, featuring playability for players of all levels, 17 lakes, and panoramic views. Granite Falls South, a second course designed by Casper and Nash, opened in December 1997. Designed more like Midwestern courses with rolling fairways and large greens, Granite Falls South offers a picturesque 18th hole that features 2 lakes linked by a cascading waterfall and a fountain as a backdrop. Granite Falls North, the third Casper- and Nash-designed 18-hole golf course, features more than 20,000 native shrubs and trees, including burrage, brittlebush, mesquites, palo verdes, and a variety of cacti. A fourth full-facility course, Cimarron, was designed by the Casper and Nash team and has a slope of 123 to 117, depending on the tee. The course is considered excellent.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Retirement

Telephone: (623) 546-7444

Address: 19753 N. Remington Dr.

Description: Sun City Grand opened October 1, 1996, in Surprise, just west of Sun City. The 400-acre community has 9,800 homes and around 26,000 residents. The community was the first in the Del Webb family to target the newly retiring baby boomer and has been the best-selling master-planned community in Arizona since its opening and is one of the top-selling active-adult communities in the country. Although Sun City Grand is completely sold out, it is still possible to buy in through real estate brokers or individual homeowners. Recently, the age limit was lowered to 45. Since floor plans vary widely, it’s best to ask a Realtor for pricing information. Expect homes to start a bit higher than $200,000.Designed to reflect a Southwestern desert resort with all the related resort amenities, Sun City Grand features state-of-the-art recreational facilities, championship golf courses, and Del Webb’s trademark amenities. The Village Center is located at the community’s hub. With its inviting, pleasant courtyard design, cascading water features, and lush landscaping, the Village Center provides an ideal environment for socializing and meeting neighbors. The centerpiece for that mingling is the Sonoran Plaza, a beautiful 21,000-square-foot structure that offers a 9,100-square-foot ballroom, a performing-arts stage, several smaller meeting rooms, a reading room/lounge, an outdoor patio area with fireplace, and the offices of the Community Association Management. It also provides the setting for the Adobe Spa and Fitness Center, a sophisticated facility with the latest exercise and weight training equipment, indoor and outdoor pools, an indoor walking track, and aerobics classrooms.The center also includes bocce and tennis courts, lawn-bowling greens, and a fishing pier, as well as an outdoor amphitheater for festivals and special events and activity rooms for interests ranging from billiards to computers. The 4 golf courses include Desert Springs Golf Course, a public course designed by Billy Casper and Greg Nash, featuring playability for players of all levels, 17 lakes, and panoramic views. Granite Falls South, a second course designed by Casper and Nash, opened in December 1997. Designed more like Midwestern courses with rolling fairways and large greens, Granite Falls South offers a picturesque 18th hole that features 2 lakes linked by a cascading waterfall and a fountain as a backdrop. Granite Falls North, the third Casper- and Nash-designed 18-hole golf course, features more than 20,000 native shrubs and trees, including burrage, brittlebush, mesquites, palo verdes, and a variety of cacti. A fourth full-facility course, Cimarron, was designed by the Casper and Nash team and has a slope of 123 to 117, depending on the tee. The course is considered excellent.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (623) 972-0635

Address: 17420 N. Avenue of the Arts

Description: The Surprise museum’s collection of ethnic costumes from more than 75 countries, acquired from all over the world, is worth seeing, as is the sculpture garden. It has an extensive permanent collection featuring more than 50 Japanese woodcuts and more than 300 prints by Andy Warhol and other American artists. The museum offers art classes, a concert series, and other events.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (623) 935-6384

Address: 13423 W. Founders Park Blvd.

Description: The arts scene in the West Valley is small but poised to grow as new residents pour in. Keeping on top of the situation is the West Valley Fine Arts Council, which receives funding from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and elsewhere. It is entrusted with developing, enhancing, and promoting quality arts and arts education in the entire West Valley, a region that encompasses everything west of I-17. The council’s annual Native American Festival is a showcase of authentic crafts, music, and hands-on activities for families. The council also organizes regular concerts ranging from classical to pop music. 

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (623) 972-0635

Address: 17420 N. Avenue of the Arts

Description: The Surprise museum’s collection of ethnic costumes from more than 75 countries, acquired from all over the world, is worth seeing, as is the sculpture garden. It has an extensive permanent collection featuring more than 50 Japanese woodcuts and more than 300 prints by Andy Warhol and other American artists. The museum offers art classes, a concert series, and other events.

City: Surprise, AZ

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (623) 935-6384

Address: 13423 W. Founders Park Blvd.

Description: The arts scene in the West Valley is small but poised to grow as new residents pour in. Keeping on top of the situation is the West Valley Fine Arts Council, which receives funding from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and elsewhere. It is entrusted with developing, enhancing, and promoting quality arts and arts education in the entire West Valley, a region that encompasses everything west of I-17. The council’s annual Native American Festival is a showcase of authentic crafts, music, and hands-on activities for families. The council also organizes regular concerts ranging from classical to pop music.