The Phoenician

Conveniently located near the airport, a host of shopping, and the hiking trails of Camelback Mountain, the Phoenician is a sprawling property with impeccable service. Kids love it, too, often even before they see the nearly 200-foot waterslide that will rocket them into their own pool.

• The network of pools, including some of the most costly in Arizona
• The three-story Phoenician Spa with a rooftop pool
• The Canyon Suites, which include chauffeured Mercedes service

Unlike other top resorts in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, The Phoenician was not built to represent what charms about the American Southwest, but what dazzles about Europe. Thus the Carrera marble lobby, with its ceiling etched in 24-karat gold, the $ 1 million serenity pool, with its mother-of-pearl tiles (not to mention, among its other pools, two that are piano shaped), and eleven actual Steinway pianos. Of course nature, and time, always win out, so over the years, aided by some judicious updating, The Phoenician has come to gracefully meld with its desert surroundings.

The rooms to book here are the sixty Canyon Suites, the Phoenician’s boutique hotel within a hotel. Every one of them looks out onto a pool or golf course, and there’s original art on the walls. Canyon Suites guests have a private infinity pool, a free wine tasting every afternoon, and services that include a chauffeured Mercedes.

Among dining options is the Jean-Georges Vongerichten created J&G Steakhouse, whose dining room has nice views of city and desert. The nine pools, eleven tennis courts, 24 treatment rooms in the Centre for Well Being Spa, 27 holes of golf, and that one imposing mountain make The Phoenician a great place for anyone who wants to keep active, in luxury.

(And just that little bit extra for film buffs, the adobe-style Jokake Inn, which was the original structure on the property and is still standing, was part of the set for the film Raising Arizona, starring Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter.)

Guests who want upscale comfort but convenience of access, with plenty to do for everyone in the family. And of course anyone who has ever wanted to swim in a pool shaped like a piano.