THE ROOM REPORT
THE PHOENICIAN
6000 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 800-888-8234, thephoenician.com.
RATES: Start at $255 per night for Deluxe room. Overnight parking $26.
STAY HERE IF YOU’RE: On an expense account and dying to hang out with rich, spoiled 8-year-olds, or wealthy enough to pay for the better rooms far away from them. Or a golfer.
IT’S CLOSE TO: Camelback Mountain, downtown Scottsdale.
THE ROOMS ARE: Dull and sparsely decorated. The sofa had an icky stain.
THEY PUT ALL OF THE MONEY INTO: Everything but the rooms. The spectacular golf course might be why the rest of Arizona is dry – it’s the green patch you see from the plane – and the spa is glorious. Multiple pools, including some adults-only. The staff is gracious and top-shelf; they know how to pamper. Superb restaurants and lounge. Great bathroom products in big bottles.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Pricey, but worth it. The kids programs strive to keep them entertained – they brought in boa constrictors and a 5-foot lizard for one activity – and as long as the money holds out, the adults are happy too.
REAL DEALS
The week’s best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air.
Forty Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in seven countries have discounted “Only One Way” winter rates for stays through April 30. Additionally, 17 of the chain’s city center hotels are offering a free third night, and 13 resorts are offering a free fourth night; deadline to book is Dec. 18. Fairmont Empress, on the Inner Harbor in Victoria, British Columbia, has rates starting at about $119 per night plus 16 percent taxes and fees and is offering a free third night. Holiday blackout dates apply. Taxes are extra. 800-262-1600, fairmont.com/winter.
EasyCruise is offering reduced rates on its new Greek Island itineraries. A 10-night cruise from Piraeus, near Athens, is $338 for an inside cabin for two (use promo code greece10); a three-night cruise is $113. Monday and Thursday departures May 31-Oct. 18. 650-385-0563, easycruise.com. – The Washington Post
BOOK YOUR VACATION
It’s time to start thinking about travel gift books, and “The World’s Wild Places” ($49.95, Firefly Books) qualifies as a quality choice for fans of beautiful shots from around the globe. A comfortably sized coffee-table book, the collection showcases author/photographer Colin Prior’s 10-year journey of wilderness areas, and includes remote panoramic landscapes, such as the one of Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram Mountains in Baltistan, as well as intimate portraits of wildlife, including several close-up bear shots, such as the one of a grizzly foraging in Denali National Park in Alaska. The photos make it clear that Prior feels a deep appreciation for his surroundings – he is an active conservationist – and they not only leave the viewer with a longing to visit the subjects but also a strong desire to protect them. As the foreword by WILD Foundation founder Dr. Ian Player reminds us, “everything portrayed … is under threat.”
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Ten Best River Trips
The December issue of Men’s Journal lists the Arkansas and Yampa rivers on its list of 10 Best River Trips.
1. Grand Canyon, Ariz.
2. Alsek River, Alaska
3. Selway River, Idaho
4. Gauley River, W.Va.
5. Middle Fork Salmon, Idaho
6. Tuolomne River, Calif.
7. Upper Youghiogheny, Md.
8. Hulahula, Alaska
9. Yampa River Canyon, Colo./Utah
10. Arkansas River
GEOGRAPHY QUIZ | Where are these places?
1. Canary Wharf, part of the Docklands redevelopment, is located on what European river that rises in the Cotswold Hills?
2. The Anguilla Cays, part of the Bahamas, lie north of the Nicholas Channel about 50 miles from which island?
3. Launceston is a port on which island in the Southern Hemisphere?
4. The culture of the Kerch Peninsula reflects the influence of the many empires that have controlled the area. This peninsula is located due south of what shallow arm of the Black Sea?
5. The island of Socotra, off the Horn of Africa, belongs to which country?
6. Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre are the largest islands of a French overseas department in the Leeward Islands. Name this French overseas department.
7. The city of Manaus is situated on a river near its confluence with the Amazon. Name this river.
8. A change in the course of a major river may have led to the decline of the ancient city of Ur, once a center of Sumerian culture. Name this river.
9. The Danube and one of its major tributaries are generally recognized as marking the northern boundary of which peninsula?
10. Arnhem Land, which includes a tract of Aboriginal-owned land in northern Australia, lies west of what gulf?
1. Thames River 2. Cuba 3. Tasmania 4. Sea of Azov 5. Yemen 6. Guadeloupe 7. Rio Negro 8. Euphrates River 9. Balkan Peninsula 10. Gulf of Carpentaria
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
