Hotels By City: Cheap Hotels, Hotel Guides & Hotel Blogs

The Downtown Phoenix Hyatt provided a stay I won't soon forget.  The way I judge a hotel is by what I feel as soon as you walk in the main entrance.  At this hotel, you feel like a king.  I was treated royally when I showed up to find swift valet service with a smile and a concierge waiting to take my bags for me.  The front desk service moved things along ...

I found one of the best hidden hotels for easy access to nearly anywhere in the Pheonix/Tempe/Scottsdale area. It is located right by Papago Park and blocks from the Oakland Athletics Spring Training facility.

The Motel 6 prices range from $47.69 - $67.99/night. I have stayed there and it has better than average rooms, with a swimming pool. The great thing is that it is close to Tempe's Mill Avenue, Old Scottsdale and only six miles from downtown Phoenix.

Papago Park Motel 6

So I went to a new restaurant last Saturday night called "The Vig" (40th street and Indian School). I was there on a double date with some friends from college who know the owner's son, so we thought we would check it out because it had only been open a couple of weeks. We almost didn't even go in because the parking lot (which had a valet) looked pretty busy, but for ...

Why do guys try to get creative when giving a girl jewelry? Believe me, the right box (say Tiffany's or Molina's blue) is much more exciting than something hidden in food or a beverage. Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed at Kai, the 5-diamond restaurant at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, where diamonds are appearing in a couple of different ways this spring.

Kai is the first Native American owned and operated restaurant ...

I love Italian food. I could eat it every day of the week and still want more. I almost married an Italian girl, but that's the topic for a totally different blog! But she cooked great food.

If you're tired of the Olive Garden, not that there's anything wrong with it, try Pasta Pomodoro (www.pastapomodoro.com). There are several locations in the valley, but I tend to orbit around the one ...

If you like movies, especially old western flicks, then you should definately check into a hotel in "new" Tucson and spend a day at Old Tucson Studios. With over 350 major motion pictures filmed here since 1939, John Wayne's "Rio Bravo" and Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday in "Tombstone" are two of the studio's Western memories I'll never forget. In fact, I put "Tombstone" as my all-time, favorite film because it revolves around friends and family.

According to mapquest, Old Tucson is 115.54 miles, or 1 hour, 58 minutes away from Phoenix.

You can visit the Soma Cafe (on the northwest corner of Tatum and Shea Blvd.) most any time of day and enjoy a great variety of tasty treats. In the morning enjoy breakfast options like the turkey apple sage omelette or Soma's homemade granola with fresh fruit and yogurt. Stop by for coffee, teas, juices, or other drinks all day ...

So you want to take a trip through history and/or get out of the 110 degree heat? Then Tombstone is the place to check into a hotel for a night! As my #2 favorite place outside Phoenix, here's a 'Heads Up': with the exception of a couple saloons, Allen street rolls up about 6:00 pm, so get an early start for sightseeing. According to Mapquest.com, Tombstone is 184.27 miles, or 3 hours, 2 minutes away. But by missing both Phoenix and Tucson high traffic hours, I make it in 2 hours, 30 minutes (or so).

If you truly want to go back to the office and impress all those uncultured cubicle critters, dash on down to the Phoenix Art Museum and enjoy some true art with a lunch that is as beautiful as it is delicious!  The museum very wisely partnered with Arcadia Farms a couple of years ago to bring wonderful organic salads with fresh berries and greens,  ciabatta sandwiches that will make your ...

Since it doesn’t rain very often in Phoenix, some people may just want to enjoy the change in atmosphere, but without actually being out in it. Several places offer wonderful, panoramic views of the Valley including A Different Pointe of View at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort or Top of the Rock at the Wyndham Buttes Resort.