Opulence in the Desert

About the only problem one might encounter around here is temporary blindness caused by the flash of brilliant sunlight off the Rolls-Royces gliding majestically down Scottsdale Road.

The pricey cars go hand in hand with a feeling of affluent elegance that founding fathers had in mind. Bring on the chic boutiques, five-star hotels and fine restaurants, they said, only make sure that each understands we won’t have billboard-size signs of blinking neon intruding on our palm trees, saguaro cactus and rugged boulders.

The results, with few exceptions, are commendable. It’s also difficult to forget that the lovely desert is all around you, a powerful scenic attraction that developers heeded as they designed resorts to blend with the landscape’s natural beauty.

Scottsdale at first glance may seem a haven only for the well-heeled, yet it is surprisingly affordable if you take advantage of Sunsational Holiday Package, a special deal offered by area hotels.

Here to there: Western, PSA, Southwest and Alaska get you to Phoenix nonstop from LAX, Eastern and America West from Ontario, Sun Aire with stops from LAX. Many hotels have van-limo pickup.

How long/how much: It really depends on vacation time, because this is a place to relax and stay put, once you’re here. Regular hotel prices are expensive in winter, much, much less in summer, three-day, two-night package plans about the same as regular rates, but most throw in extras that add up.

A few fast facts: From mid-May until September temperatures can zip well up into the 100s, any other time is very pleasant. An old-fashioned Molly Trolley will take you all around town, running every 20 minutes or so, stopping at major hotels and shopping malls, 50 cents a ride, $2 for a day pass.

Getting settled in: Papago Inn (7017 E. McDowell Road; $46-$86 double, depending upon season) is our idea of a cozy bargain. Lush grounds around a central pool and aviary, restaurant, bar, a member of Best Western. Holiday Inn (5101 N. Scottsdale Road; $55-$110 seasonal) has a most central location, an informal bank of balconied rooms around central palm-strewn patio and pool. Lobby bar and lounge, and if you don’t mind thinking pink while dining, try the Flamingo Room.

Ramada Valley Ho (6850 Main St.; $55-$120) is an enormous enclave with three pools, tennis courts, putting green and fitness center. Just given a sparkling renovation, this one is close to some of the best shopping and art galleries. A pleasant dining room is several cuts above what you might expect in food and decor. Call for free airport pickup.

Inn Suites (1400 North 77th St.; $45-$86) is short on charm from the outside, being a rather boxlike affair. But all the rooms are suites and you get a lot for your money: fridge, coffee maker, some with microwave ovens. Continental breakfast comes with room tab, as does morning paper, local calls and an afternoon cocktail party that may or may not be gala, depending on your fellow guests. Take breakfasts and other meals at the Raintree, a small and moderately priced restaurant right out the front door on same grounds.

Regional food and drink: Nothing really unusual to get excited about here, but the Southwest’s passion for steaks, ribs and assorted barbecue is fulfilled in several places, and this town seems to have more than its share of Italian restaurants.

Moderate-cost dining: Don and Charlie’s Chop House (7501 E. Camelback Road) is a Chicago-style place that justly claims the best pork ribs in the valley. Always jammed, particularly from 5:30 until 8 when the bar throbs to a live jazz group, it’s a maze of low-ceilinged rooms, waitresses scurrying about with garlic chicken and Cajun rice, prime rib and those famous back ribs.

Garcia’s (7633 E. Indian School Road) maintains its reputation through the years with a gigantic menu of Mexican dishes, served in gigantic portions. The chimichangas are delicious, margaritas lethal in size and potency. Colorful decor and waitress costumes; usually crowded with long waits for table.

Hightops (7607 E. McDowell, hidden in a small mall) is a place where young and/or sporting types gather. This one is fairly new, convenient to Papago Inn and Inn Suites. Handsome bar, owner takes pride in his homemade Dallas-style chili, a New York strip steak with fries for $5.45, which has to be a record of some sort. Hightops’ prices certainly don’t match its name.

Going first-class: The sands of Scottsdale are liberally sprinkled with outstanding resorts, Lowes Paradise Valley (5401 W. Scottsdale Road; $150-$210 Jan. 1 to mid-May double, about half that mid-May to September) having the convenience of a midtown location. Twin waterfalls greet you at the porte-cochere, superb rooms with decor in muted desert tones, tennis courts indoor and out, health club, two pools, golf at nearby Orange Tree Club.

Lowe’s Bouchon dining room is one of Scottsdale’s absolute finest, stark modern with bright graphics, a nouvelle menu that gets you started with the likes of smoked goose breast, salmon and scallops ceviche, three American caviars. Marinated venison with prunes and chestnuts is an example of the imaginative entrees.

Rick’s Cafe Americana (8320 N. Hayden Road in Mercado del Lago) is, as you might imagine, a takeoff on Humphrey Bogart’s place in the movie “Casablanca.” It’s really gorgeous, with white latticework soaring up as room dividers, a French-Moroccan feeling in decor, tables on several levels always filled and festive. Try a first course of oysters in champagne sauce, then go on to Cornish hen Casablanca stuffed with wild rice and mushrooms glazed with apricots and honey.

On your own: Golf, tennis, swimming and horseback riding are the big four in Scottsdale, backed culturally by 130 art galleries and the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, an always-lively place with free exhibitions, classic cinema series, crafts, performing arts and the like. With a galaxy of handsome malls and stores in all price ranges, the town is a perfect place to shop till you drop.

For more information: Call the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce at (602) 945-8481, or write (7333 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale 85252) for brochures on hotels, dining, art, events and Sunsational Holiday Packages. Or call (800) 528-0483 for the latter and reservations.