re: Phoenix/Scottsdale Area

That looks incredible! Thanks for the recommendation. Good news is I should be staying long enough to get to do both the Grand Canyon and some of that awesome Sedona stuff at some point. I might go up there the day after the game.

This was the only bowl possibility I was hoping for after losing to Alabama. I have a good friend that lives in Phoenix who offered to let me stay with him in exchange for cooking some Cajun food.

If you have days after the game, Sedona, GC and Flagstaff would be a nice Northern Arizona trip. A day in Sedona, plus a day in GC/Flagstaff is doable if you don't hike the canyon a lot.

Sedona is really beautiful and the Grand Canyon is what you think it is, in a good way. Flagstaff is directly between GC and Phoenix, so stopping there on the way back is easy.

I've stayed at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. Awesome resort! Not sure how close it is to the game though.

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I are day tripping it to Phoenix for the LSU game. We land at PHX at 8AM and leave at 7PM. We definitely will be hitting up Scottsdale after the game.

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How is that possible? Leaving the stadium around 3pm. Flying out at 7pm. An hour or so in Scottsdale??

I'm seriously thinking about going to the Fiesta Bowl and wanted to ask opinions everyone's opinion of The Saguaro Scottsdale. Is that a nice place to stay?

Thank you! I'm looking at several places through Expedia and it is one of the ones that is highly rated and a good deal.

I ended up booking a room at The Saguaro Scottsdale in Old Town.

nurse has some very strong sedona recommendations, i will add a few of my own from a previous thread.

do not miss elote cafe for incredible southwestern cuisine. indian gardens cafe is a great lunch spot, and has a beautiful backyard sitting area where you can have a glass of wine and enjoy the pines and a fountain. we like to get up early, fish oak creek in the morning, and go to indian gardens for a warm bowl of posole for lunch. note, it gets busy on weekends.

indeed, sedona is the second-most visited place in AZ after the grand canyon. pack your patience, especially when driving through downtown or down 89. traffic can get WAY backed up.

lots of fun day hikes, including boynton canyon (near enchantment), the west fork of oak creek, ab young trail which takes you to the "end of the world" (basically up the mountains above oak creek and overlooking town), bell rock, devil's bridge, soldier pass, wet beaver creek to the "crack", well you get it...lots of incredible hikes.

if you are into it, fly fishing oak creek is a treat. there are local guides, or you can just pull up at one of the stops along 89, hop out and fish for rainbow and brown trout. 89 itself (the "back way" up to flagstaff, i-17 is the main route) is a very pretty drive in itself and runs right along oak creek.

don't miss the chapel of the holy cross, a small chapel built into the mountains.

the pink jeep tours go to several spots, from native american ruins to a beautiful lookout called schnebly vista. solid rec from another poster.

another poster also mentioned jerome, which is a neat little ghost town/mining town. on the way there (or back) you can stop in cottonwood, which has a neat little main street with wine cellars and restaurants. indeed, if you are into wine take the short drive from sedona to cornville along page springs road, where LOTS of wineries and tasting rooms can be found. page springs cellars is the one we always visit.

flagstaff is a short drive, and worth checking out. think high-mountain college town. late winter/early spring is when the az high country gets most of its snow, so if you want to ski at snow bowl, that would be an option. on a clear day you can see the snow-capped san francisco peaks, which are quite a sight.

and as far as accommodations in the valley, staying in old town scottsdale will put you around lots of bars and clubs and restaurants. but downtown phoenix isn't a bad option, especially the sheraton, westin, and palomar.

for a more "resort" feel, consider the biltmore, the phoenician, or the sanctuary. the boulders is in way north scottsdale is another lovely resort.