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Palm Springs , Scottsdale or Santa Barbara weekend get aways...

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scarleta

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Hello: I posted already on weekend get aways destinations.I hope that I can get more responses on above destinations.Just want to go away from rain, snow and hail for a weekend.Above destinations would be great.Has anyone been there? Any suggestions? Or perhaps any other ideas.Just looking for soaking good weather, relaxation, good food and things to do.Thanks a lot...
 
HI:

Palm Springs is our fav choice. Always stay at the La Quinta Golf and Tennis Resort. I envy you--it is snowing here!

cheers--Sharon
 
I used to love Montecito and the Biltmore in SB. Not sure what it is like anynore, but SB used to be very charming.

I love La Quinta too, the fountains, casitas...it is lovely too. Frank Capra wrote screenplays there, and old Hollywood used to go there in the day...I would guess the 30''s and 40''s, maybe even the 20''s if it was built then. I remember hearing about it when we stayed there.

Scottsdale I know very little about. I am sure there are great hotel/spa type places there too.

How fun, you cannot go wrong at any of them.

What about San Diego, Four Seasons Aviara or something? Or is it too far?
 
Thanks a lot Dfan San Diego is not too far for us.Any recommendations on S Diego?
Canuk-gal ( its snowing and hailing here too) we don''t play golf so it does not need to be at golf resort.Would like nice spa or hot springs even better, bit of things to do, but really just to get away from this winter like conditions.Please keep the ideas coming.Won''t see your posts till this evening so can start into booking them.
 
I would go to either the Palm Springs area or Scottsdale as this is the PERFECT time of year in the deserts weather-wise, and the beach areas are still cool and foggy a lot of the time. I don''t know much about Scottsdale, but there are lots of great places and things to do in the Palm Springs area. La Quinta is really nice. The Parker hotel in Palm Springs is really a great place, as is the Esmeralda in Palm Desert, the Westin in Rancho Mirage, etc. both of which are sort of "central Coachella Valley", so accessible to everywhere. There are both the larger upscale hotel/spa type of places and the boutique private and secluded types of places (mostly in Palm Springs), and the in-between.

There is lots of golf, tennis and pool sunning this time of year as well as local hiking, good food, shopping etc... Enjoy!
 
I think the Four Seasons Aviara is supposed to be nice but not sure how close to the San Diego proper area it is. You can probably google it and see if it is appealing to you. The other places are also great, you really cannot lose!
 
Palm Springs all the way!!!
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We go there every year (my Grandma lives there) and DH was just there 2 weeks ago and stayed at the Esmeralda and loved it!

If you do go, and you like Mexican food.....be sure to visit to Las Casuelas it''s GREAT!!!

Have fun!
 
Not to confuse things, but what about Laguna, La Jolla, Dana Point? the Ritz in Laguna used to be wonderful. there is also an art pageant that used to take place there, not sure if it happens in Spring or not, but I recall people raving about it. San Clemente and that area has some lovely history to it, and I am sure that Aviara is not too far, again, you would want to look, but I know people who loved Aviara and there is some flexibility as to what you can drive to from there.
 
Gotta be different - I vote Scottsdale! One of my girlfriends is moving there this summer, and has been gushing about all the fun stuff to do for pretty much the past year. Awesome downtown, music/arts scene, and the spas are pretty much to die for apparently. Amazing golf, too. The snow is (hopefully) gone from here now (knocks on wood), but all winter, all I wanted was the desert!
 
San Diego is GORGEOUS right now and has been for the last few weeks. It can be a little foggy and overcast in the morning but it clears up pretty early.
 
As a Santa Barbara native, I have to vote for my home town! The weather lately has been really pretty and there are lots of things to do, from shopping downtown to lying on the beach to hiking and everything in between. Plus, we have some AWESOME restaurants. If you do end up heading down here, I''ll give you some recommendations for good eats in town.
 
Date: 3/29/2008 1:28:12 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds
Palm Springs all the way!!!
36.gif


We go there every year (my Grandma lives there) and DH was just there 2 weeks ago and stayed at the Esmeralda and loved it!

If you do go, and you like Mexican food.....be sure to visit to Las Casuelas it''s GREAT!!!

Have fun!
Click to expand...
HI:

Quit making me hungry!!!!!! Also, the Marriott Desert Springs is tres fab. And ya don''t have to golf--just enjoy the pools, hike, spas, walk, and play tennis. Or jsut eat and shop--works for me!

cheers--Sharon

cheers--Sharon
 
Thanks to all for your replies.As far as the airlines and connections etc ( we want to use points on this trip) Phoenix or possibly Santa Barbara would be the easiest.
Phoenix for sure.Anyone can chip in anything for Phoenix? We probably would need a rental car? Any suggestions??Thanks
 
It''s been a long time since I''ve been to Palm Springs, but Scottsdale is my favorite. The Four Seasons at Troon North is great, but it is a bit out of the way. There is a huge resort very close to the Fashion Mall, so that would be fun. Scottsdale has some good
bling shopping!! And not sure about time of year, but the Thursday evening art walks are fun and interesting. Some of the Scottsdale resorts that come to mind are The Princess, Camelback, Sanctuary, Hyatt at Gainey Ranch (great pools and a new spa I think)
 
we''ll be in palm springs in a few weeks...it seems like the weather is not as warm as we wish it would be (aka high 80''s or so, but it''s like 70s right now I think)...but it''ll be a nice short getaway for us. we love our resort --esp their breakfast...amazing. and the relaxation is fab.
 
Scarleta, I did a quick search on the weather and PHX is going to be the warmest; then Palm Springs coming in a close second during the next week. I am sorry I cannot offer advice where to stay; I stayed in Sedona and visited PHX. I like to look at tripadvisor when I narrow down where I want to vacation for advice on hotels; the hotels the others suggested look very nice. You will have a great trip!
 
oh we have stayed in scottsdale too...there are a ton of resorts there. i am all about warm weather right now...but PS is closer to us and we don''t want to fly. we only have a short trip. i also find that PS seems to kind of have more to do than scottsdale but maybe that time in scottsdale we just hung around and relaxed.
 
There was recent short thread on Scottsdale that you might find helpful. If you give me your budget and types of things you like to do, I might be able to recommend hotels and restaurants.

Scottsdale thread
 
Date: 3/29/2008 9:04:28 PM
Author: scarleta
Thanks to all for your replies.As far as the airlines and connections etc ( we want to use points on this trip) Phoenix or possibly Santa Barbara would be the easiest.
Phoenix for sure.Anyone can chip in anything for Phoenix? We probably would need a rental car? Any suggestions??Thanks
Click to expand...
You will need a rental car unless you intend to stay at a resort and not leave. I've stayed at Hilton Pointe, the pool area was nice, my husband said the rooms needed to be redone then, and that was a few years ago so they probably really need it now. The Biltmore is nice, the architecture of the buildings is really interesting.

We ate at a fantastic restaurant in Scottsdale the last time we were there, Sassi (www.sassi.biz), I'd highly recommend it. It's a bit of a drive from Phoenix but a totally wonderful experience.

We spend a lot of time just lazing around while there. We've been to the zoo and the botanical gardens, both were interesting. If you enjoying hiking one of the most challenging and interesting hikes I've ever experienced was climbing to the top of Camelback Mountain. There are museums and such in the area but we've never been to any of them. Wandering around downtown and checking out the art galleries is fun too.
 
Thanks to everyone lots of good ideas ( I knew I could count on you)
We are thinking since we need a car maybe it would not be enough time ( just a weekend)?.We may get more tired with the driving in a new city? and not get enough time to relax , which is the goal here.
Just thinking here and still not sure if we will take this trip now or perhaps when we have few more days so we can enjoy it.Definitely don''t want to get more tired flying and then car rental in a new city??
Perhaps we will go to Vegas this time?
We need to book it soon because the points we want to use are about to expire.Thanks again and I welcome more suggestions especially how many days would one need minimum to go to Phoenix.We can book it for our next get away..
 
Thanks again: so for Phoenix We want to go a bit later so we can have a bit more time.We have not been there and don''t know how many days would be minimum to see the area and relax a bit also.How many days should we consider?( less than a week?) How long would the drive be from the airport in Phoenix to Scottsdale? Once we have an idea of how long we need we can start booking it.Originally we were planning to go for a weekend but it would be too tiring so we still want to do it but a bit later before it gets too hot..Please keep your ideas coming ..Thanks
 
Thanks for recommendations on Palm Springs.We will definitely go there and check out La Quinta Golf and Tennis Resort as Sharon recommended.
Diamondfan: I love San Diego also its not too far, but wanted to use points so have to stick with the airlines for that trip.I am sure one day we will go and visit San Diego.No you are not confusing things with Laguna,La Jolla,Dana Point etc.I''m getting lots of suggestions here so I can just keep planning our trips.
Lop: thanks for your many recommendations on Palm Springs and Palm Desert when we go I shall take your recommendations.We were in Palm Springs many, many years ago so I''m sure it all changed now.Many thanks.
Thanks San Diego Lady: for sure casita will be on my list when we go..
Lovewhitediamonds:Thanks for the Mexican restaurant recommendation.I will be sure to go as we enjoy Mexican food and the atmosphere is usually great in Mexican Restaurants.
Elmorton: It looks like we will go to Scottsdale this time perhaps sometimes in April.I need to get some time off from work first as its a bit too much for just a weekend.Not sure how much time we would need to take.Can''t take too much so I hope to get more ideas here..Thanks
Heraanderson:I wish I could be in San Diego right now.Its a lovely city with nice weather one day for sure we have to go there again.
Ladypirate:I will remember to contact you for good eats and hotels in Santa Barbara when we go.Thanks
Canuk-gal:sound like you need to plan a trip also to Desert Springs soon.Thanks for your recommendations.
Bebe:Great recommendations here for Scottsdale thanks.
Luvmyhalo:Thanks for the link and info.I can hardly wait to go to Palm Springs and the area.
Mara:Have fun in Palm Springs and post some more when you get back as we will visit in the near future.We have to fly to PS and to Scottsdale and want to use points so this time it has to be Scottsdale but it will be PS in the future for sure.
Skippy: you are so sweet doing a quick search for me re weather thanks a bunch.As I mentioned above we will go to Scottsdale first just need to get few days off work so we won''t be rushed too much.
Chefneil: thanks for the link.Will be very helpful that''s for sure.Since we have not been there we just want to stay at a nice place in a quiet yet central location, have relaxing time and see the city and the area.How many days do you think would be sufficient ? It won''t be too many days so I don''t think we can plan too many things.As for the budget I like to find a place that is very nice and not too costly? Thanks a lot.
Kimberly: yes we need a car so we can see the area a bit.Do you remember how long was the drive from the airport to Scottsdale? We can stay in Scottsdale rather than Phoenix."Lazing around" is exactly what I feel like doing.Zoo and botanical gardens are right down my alley also.Love hiking , but have a bit of a problem with my knee lately ( meniscus )so I probably won''t challenge it for a while.Art galleries, a spa perhaps sound good.
Any other suggestions are welcome.Thanks a lot to everyone once more...
 
I think Vegas is great, the food is excellent in the nicer restaurants and the shows are fun, plus you can sit by the pool or go to the spa.

Just keep a file on all of the ideas you get so you can check them off one by one!
 
Scarletta, Scottsdale is pretty large, it has something like 15 exits on the highway! Generally when people say "Scottsdale" they''re referring to either Old Town Scottsdale or North Scottsdale. Old Town has the art galleries, nightclubs, and is generally a happening place on weekend nights. There''s also Fashion Square Mall and the very cool new waterfront area with restaurants and shopping. North Scottsdale has the large resorts and destination golfing, and is where all the golfers and spa-seekers go.

Either way, they''re no more than 15-30 minutes from the airport. You definitely need a car. The big, nice resorts in N Scottsdale will run around $300-$400 a night this time of year (Westin, JW Marriot, Princess, Boulders, etc). Those are the high-end big golf resorts, though - there are tons of cheaper hotels available.

I''m not that familiar with hotels in Old Town, but the Valley Ho is a landmark and just underwent a major renovation. For activities, check out the Scottsdale Art Walk (google "scottsdale art walk"), hiking, the zoo, botanical gardens, etc. If you can spare a day and don''t mind a 2.5 hour drive, Kartchner Caverns is a world-famous cave system with a fascinating backstory that''s worth checking out. Sedona is also very worth a day trip, or an overnighter. In terms of time, I''d say you can fill up anything from 3 days to a full week or more.
 
Thanks Diamondfan:like you said:" can sit by the pool or go to the spa". Sounds really good exactly what I need just about now..This time around I would like to stay in old Vegas and not on the strip.
Hope its going to be ok ??.Just for a change.
You bet I am reading everything here line by line ,as its nice to get ideas from people who visited that area already.I am also planning to visit Phoenix this Spring before it gets too hot there.

Chefneil:Thanks a lot.We don''t play golf ( unless we learn in a hurry ---- just kidding here) So maybe we can find more reasonably priced and still nice hotel.
I know Sedona is great city ( we were just passing by years ago), so for sure would love to visit.Thanks for the links will check it out.I hope to go for 5 days ,so definitely would love to see the caves.(thanks for pointing it out to me)Many thanks for your help it does help out to know from people who know the area.Maybe we should go to Sedona first and then visit Scottsdale? Anyways I am going to get a book with maps etc so I can do a bit of reading also.Thanks and if anything else comes to your mind please post.
Thanks a lot..
 
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