You either love the desert or you hate it. But here in Arizona's cactus country, you can have it both ways.
Like the desert? Step outside and commune with the cacti, the mesquite, creosote and palo verde trees. Enjoy the silence and serenity of the open spaces, the view of stark mountains against a cloudless sky.Hate the desert? Hole up in one of the region's classy resorts. With their lofty architecture, acres of pools and palms, multitudes of golf courses and quarters fit for a grand vizier, these posh places are among the most remarkable tourist oases ever created by man.
It's a strange mix, this meld of high desert and virtual Hawaii, but it works. After a day here, it doesn't seem strange to stretch out in the middle of the desert next to a hibiscus-fringed pool fed by a cascade. Or to shop for cowboy gear in a stylish boutique. Or to watch the flaming sunsets of the desert and then don a fur coat to ward off the night chill.
Irrigation, imagination and immense wallets have created some astonishing resorts here.
At the Boulders, for example, guest casitas complete with fireplaces and VCRs nestle in rocky cul-de-sacs. The venerable Camelback Inn created a Western town complete with storefronts and mock gunfights to entertain its guests. The elegant Phoenician's seven stepped swimming pools are connected by a series of waterfalls. One golf green of the Hyatt Regency's Gainey Ranch course is surrounded on three sides by water - an artificial lake amid desert sand.
Such elegance has not gone unnoticed by those who rate resorts.
At least six properties rate four or five stars in the Mobil guides and/or four or five AAA diamonds.
Marriott's Camelback Inn has kept its Mobil Five-Star award for 26 consecutive years and its AAA Five-Diamond award for 19 consecutive years; it is the only resort with both five stars and five diamonds in the region. The Wigwam and The Phoenician also carry five-star designations, while the Boulders and the Scottsdale Princess carry five-diamond awards.
Other top properties in the Phoenix area include the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, the Arizona Biltmore and the three Pointe Hilton resorts. Plenty of other hotels are found here as well, ranging from regular motels to some with grand spreads but less exalted prices.
Most of the posh resorts are found in the tony suburb of Scottsdale, whose main artery, Scottsdale Road, is home to elegant restaurants, art galleries and upscale shops, as well as perplexing traffic.
Sports is another lure for winter visitors. There are 134 golf courses in the valley, all with the greenest grass you've ever seen this side of the Emerald City of Oz.
And next year, Phoenix will have an extra added winter attraction - the Super Bowl. It'll be played in Tempe in the same stadium where Arizona State plays its home games and where the annual Fiesta Bowl is held.
Summer is a different story. Temperatures rise to well over 100, often to 115 or 120 degrees during the day, and even the residents regard it an ordeal.
But if you can take the heat - or stay in air-conditioned places all the time - Phoenix offers its best bargains in summertime. Hotels that charge $200 or $300 a day in winter drop their rates to below $100 in summer. Similar savings drop the cost of golf greens fees and other activities.
Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is often rated as one of the best museums in the world.
Desert animals of all kinds are on view here: The chuckwalla, the whiptail lizard, Gila monster and javelina along with more common desert denizens. Playful river otters can be seen from vantage points both above and below water, while mountain lions and big horn sheep clamber on artificial rock cliffs.
Desert plants run the gamut, from the small canyon grape and wait-a-minute bush to the large chihuahua pine and white oak of the Sonoran Desert's "mountain islands" (hills that rise abruptly from the flat desert floor, like islands in a sea).
Here, too, the tall saguaro cactus covers the hills, and nothing symbolizes the West more than this magnificent plant.
Conditions here are just right for these stately sentinels of the desert, and the area is covered with thousands of them. The growth of these giant cacti, however, is extremely slow. After 15 years of growth a saguaro may be only a foot tall; it does not even sprout arms until it is around 75 years old. The very largest of them may reach 50 feet in height and weigh 8 tons, after 150 years or more of growth.
Some of the densest stands of saguaro are found in the national park, which until last fall was a national monument. Now the brand new visitor center in the Saguaro West section presents a film, interpretative exhibits and conducts guided hikes, nature walks and lectures. Visitors who take the six-mile Bajada scenic drive within the park should stop at Signal Hill, where a short hike leads to a set of Indian petroglyphs.
The larger (but less visited) Saguaro East section of the park has similar facilities, as well as 128 miles of hiking trails. Best time to visit is October-April, before summer's horrendous heat sets in.
The saguaro blooms in May. You can buy the seeds. Plant one and about 100 years later, if you're still around, your garden will be the talk of the town.
Provided the cactus rustlers don't get to it first.