1. Four Seasons Hotel And Resort
City: Irving, TX
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (972) 717-0700, (800) 819-5053
Address: 4150 North MacArthur Blvd.
Description: Some well-traveled, demanding patrons vow that this is the finest among all Dallas-area lodgings, and why not? Home to the prestigious Byron Nelson Classic, a favorite stop on the PGA tour, this hotel perhaps surpasses the Four Seasons’ reputation for extraordinary service and lovely, luxurious decor. Its 397-room spread with 20 suites almost baffles you with its selection of room types. Even the moderate rooms have sitting areas, for example, and the deluxe premium variety overlook the golf courses and have large balconies. The Tower Suite comes with a baby grand piano and wood-burning fireplace, and the Payne Stewart Suite (named in memory of a favorite local PGA star) is penthouse in style, with dining or meeting space to accommodate 14. Villas afford the most privacy, each with 560 square feet of living space, indoor garden courtyard, and golf or pool views. Tournament Players Club (TPC) golf course is among the top courses in Texas, and there’s a massive sports club, too, with indoor tennis courts and racquetball and squash courts, indoor running track, half basketball court, indoor heated pool, and personal training available. There are outdoor tennis courts, along with a new family pool, a lap pool, and the spa pool, the latter attached to a full-service, European-style spa with an elaborate menu of treatments. The Café on the Green is the hotel’s wonderful dining room; the Terrace Lounge is a good place for cocktails, snacks, and soft music; and 19 is the pub. Wine lovers will be gratified to know that one of the few master sommeliers in Texas is on staff at the Four Seasons.
2. Nylo Dallas
City: Irving, TX
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (972) 373-8900, (866) 391-NYLO
Address: 1001 West Royal Lane
Description: A super-chic hotel near DFW Airport feels as though it was cut out of Manhattan and dropped in the North Texas plains. You’ll find an intriguing mix of urban design and earth-friendly operations with all the boutique hotel joys—and you’ll wonder if Austin Powers is hiding around the corner. Among pleasant and pampering offerings are allergy-friendly bedding in the 200 guest rooms—here, they are called lofts—and access to a fabulous gym. A 7,500-square-foot courtyard comes outfitted with two heated pools, cabanas, fire pits, and an outdoor bar, too. Complimentary goodies include bottled water in guest rooms, local and domestic long distance phone calls, Wi-Fi throughout the entire hotel, fax and copying services, and shuttle service to the airport. The groovy restaurant called the Loft specializes in sushi, sesame-seared ahi tuna, and Dr Pepper–braised short ribs, as well as a multitude of drink specials.
3. Omni Mandalay Las Colinas
City: Irving, TX
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (972) 566-0800, (800) 843-6664
Address: 221 East Las Colinas Blvd.
Description: One of a pair of posh properties in Las Colinas urban center, a collection of corporate buildings, shops and restaurants in Irving, the Omni Mandalay lies on Lake Carolyn and near Mandalay Canal. If you’re in need of pampering, check out the Sweet Tea Body Gloss at Mokara Spa; if you’re after a nice evening dinner, Trevi’s is your destination. The hotel’s guest rooms are large and include sitting areas, and the Presidential Suite has a fireplace, a grand piano, two bedrooms, and a balcony with patio seating. Families can look into booking a kids’ fantasy suite with a connecting room for parents. Another option is Get Fit Guest Room with an in-room treadmill and healthy menu options.
4. University Of Dallas
City: Irving, TX
Category: Education
Telephone: (800) 628-6999; (972) 721-5266
Address: 845 East Northgate Dr.
Description: A private, Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1956, this elite school has an enrollment of about 1,300 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from numerous states and countries. Classes are small, and degree programs are offered in several disciplines. There were 10 National Merit Scholars in the 2008 freshman class, and the university has a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
5. Republic
City: Irving, TX
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (972) 580-7906
Address: 525 Meadow Creek Dr.
Description: The original location in Uptown has been voted “Best Place to Be Seen” by D Magazine readers, and it’s known as a place frequented by Dallas Cowboys players. This is a place for top-shelf cocktails made with Grey Goose and Cabo Wabo, as well as handmade frozen mojitos and cosmopolitans using fresh fruit. Look for a crowded patio, plasma TVs, and plush leather couches.
6. Four Seasons Hotel And Resort
City: Irving, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (972) 717-0700, (800) 819-5053
Address: 4150 North MacArthur Blvd.
Description: Among the finest of all Dallas-area lodgings, the Four Seasons is home to the prestigious Byron Nelson Classic, a favorite stop on the PGA tour. It’s also one of the most posh destinations for golf in North America. The TPC Four Seasons is an 18-hole, par-70 course that recently underwent a major redesign in 2009 directed by championship player D. A. Weibring. The resort’s other course is Cottonwood Valley, an 18-hole, par-71 course with recently rebuilt greens, tee boxes, and bunkers that follow the rolling hills of Las Colinas. The signature hole is shaped like Texas and has a bunker in the shape of Oklahoma and a lake resembling the Gulf of Mexico. The Four Seasons also has a driving range, sand bunker practice area, putting and chipping greens, private lessons, group clinics, shoe and club rentals, and fabulous locker rooms in the resort’s spa.
7. Hackberry Creek
City: Irving, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (972) 869-2631
Address: 1901 West Royal Lane
Description: A prestigious 7,013-yard-long, 18-hole course co-designed by the late local legend Byron Nelson, this park also has junior clinics, as well as lighted tennis courts and a fitness facility.
8. Coldwell Banker Dfw
City: Irving, TX
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (800) 527-7028
Address: 2801 Gateway Dr., Suite 180
Description: Among the biggest firms in Dallas–Fort Worth, this one employs a team of certified relocation specialists.
9. Café On The Green
City: Irving, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (972) 717-0700
Address: 4150 North MacArthur Blvd.
Description: Elegant dining in a setting noted for the Zen appeal of bamboo floors and a flowing, airy space is ideal for enjoying dishes from chef Katie Natale, who can wow with a peach-stuffed duck breast, burly lamb chops with mint coulis, pan-fried soft-shell crab with white asparagus and fresh-from-the-market goodies, such as purple-hull pea soup. Ask master sommelier James Tidwell to pair a perfect wine for you.
10. Byron Nelson Championship
City: Irving, TX
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (972) 717-1200, (214) 742-3896
Address: 4150 North MacArthur Blvd.
Description: Nearly 250,000 golf fans show up to see the PGA’s top competitors play four days of golf during the third week in May. Named for one of the most beloved golfers of all time, the late Byron Nelson lived nearby and supported this tournament and its charities until he was well into his 90s. Tickets are expensive, but the event is great fun.
11. Mustangs Of Las Colinas
City: Irving, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (972) 869-9047
Address: 5205 North O’Connor Blvd.
Description: The largest equine sculpture in the world, this masterpiece lies in the Las Colinas business center called Williams Square Plaza. Take your camera.
12. National Scouting Museum
City: Irving, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (972) 580-2100
Address: 1329 West Walnut Hill Lane
Description: Found near the national scouting headquarters, this educational center is so large it would take 3.2 million merit badges to cover the floor space. The single largest collection of Norman Rockwell’s scouting artwork lives here.