Tiny Creatures and Art in Wheelchair Accessible Phoenix

 

I was heading to Phoenix for a conference, and I thought I’d do a little accessible sightseeing while there. I had spent a lot of time in Arizona when I was covering tennis and always loved it.

My hotel for four days was The Camby in downtown Phoenix. I had a large accessible room with some features that were a first for me. One was door buttons in and outside the bathroom. I didn’t have to worry about a heavy door. I could push the button, and it would open for me.

I also loved that both sides of the bed had outlets, both electrical and USB, on the walls. I had plenty of room to keep my things next to my king-size bed and still plug in my wheelchair, phone, and computer. The shower was also big and had a shower chair.

I was exhausted that first night and decided to order through GrubHub. True Food Kitchen had good reviews, and I agreed after having their Lasagna al Pesto.

The next morning, I ordered an omelet and latte from room service at The Canby. I had contacted Visit Phoenix about setting up an itinerary for me. We were both excited about my heading to the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t going to cooperate, and we needed a new plan. It turned out to be a great one.

HealthLift picked me up in a wheelchair accessible van and we went to the Arizona Boardwalk in nearby Scottsdale. It was quite a place, with attractions, stores, and restaurants.

My first stop was at the aquarium, always a favorite of mine. The OdySea Aquarium was quite interesting and had many unique features. The first of which was definitely something I had never seen before: America’s Best Restroom. It earned this honor because, just above the sink there was a live viewing of all types of fish!

I took the elevator upstairs and began exploring the rest of OdySea. It was a little crowded, but I still had no problem wheeling around. I saw unique exhibits, such as one on Jellyfish, and signs for special activities like SeaTrek Helmet Diving. After looking through all the fish and sharks, I ended up at Voyager.

OdySea Voyager is a rotating aquarium that takes you on a carousel ride for 20 minutes. It goes through four marine habitats: Open Ocean, Sea Turtle Reef, Sea Lion Sound, and Shark Waters. There was plenty of wheelchair seating for me to enjoy the world’s only rotating aquarium.

On my way to the next stop, I spotted a Johnny Rockets. I hadn’t been to one in years and it was the only place I’ve had a malt. I ordered a 

It was pouring rain hard, but I only had to go outside for a few minutes to get into Butterfly Wonderland. I was hesitant to go there. I just expected it to be a bunch of butterflies flying around an atrium. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Butterfly Wonderland is the world's largest Butterfly Conservatory. It is home to thousands of unique butterflies from different parts of the world. It also has exhibits of the chrysalis, the hard casing that caterpillars build before transforming into a butterfly. I could actually see some butterflies emerging.

A 3-D movie explained the flight of the monarch butterfly, which includes a stop in this part of the country. Then, we entered the atrium. It was not flooded with butterflies. We only saw a few and it was amazing they only landed in the hands of children.

Butterfly Wonderland also houses reptiles from the rainforest and aquariums of fish from rivers nearby. I probably could have stayed hours more if I didn’t have another place to be.

 

I was definitely running late. I just made it to the Courtyard Café at the Heard Museum before they closed. The menu was filled with Southwest cuisine. I was drawn to the burrito, and it was freshly made and flavorful.

The museum was closing in an hour, and I didn’t have a lot of time. Fortunately, it was just on the other side of the open courtyard. I caught some of the end of a tour and explored on my own until they told me it was time to leave. The Heard Museum shows the world of American Indian Art, from paintings to jewelry.

I had no problem with accessibility in the museum, with wide open halls. It’s a place I’d like to explore more next time.

I went back to The Camby worn out, but still excited about all I was able to do in Phoenix despite the rain.

Spa Life Among The Boulders

I had been battling a cold and sinus infection all week. I spent lots of time in the spa at the Arizona Biltmore and Sanctuary at Camelback in steam rooms filled with eucalyptus. I was finally starting to feel a bit better at The Boulders, and I it was a good thing because I got to really enjoy one most incredible spas I have ever seen.

It’s hard to explain The Boulders to a person who has never been. Breathtaking doesn’t even begin to describe the sprawling grounds, filled with natural boulders, more types of cacti than you have ever seen, and just about anything you could need in this miniature city on the mountain.

My day began just as it should in a place like this – with sunrise yoga. I practice yoga all the time, but there’s something about a setting like this that made the class amazing. I wished I had been feeling better and could also experience the other classes offered on the fitness side in this huge Golden Door Spa.

The spa at The Boulders is 33,000 square feet and has 24 treatment rooms, the gym, a movement studio, the Labryinth (“a path to tranquility”), Watsu and a beauty salon. In addition, there are relaxation areas, a tea room, huge locker rooms, steam rooms, saunas, Japanese soaking baths, a Golden Door Café and an outdoor swimming pool with whirlpool. It’s a place you could easily stay in for a day (or even a week) in full relaxation without ever being bored – and I came close to doing that.

After my yoga class I had breakfast in the spa’s café. The menu was inviting and healthy, and I settled on some tea with an egg white omelet, filled with asparagus and goat cheese and served with tomato sauce and fruit. With it came an absolutely delicious banana nut muffin. It was still warm from the oven and turned out to be lowfat and gluten free!

My roommate and fellow writer Susan did a morning hike and we met up back at the room for a while before heading to the spa together for a meeting with Debi Bridges, the public relations rep for the resort. It was lunchtime by then and I had no problem with another meal at the Spa Café. I had a chicken & wild rice soup, spinach artichoke dip with pita and a smoothie. It couldn’t have been a more perfect lunch in a beautiful setting overlooking the mountains.

After lunch we took a tour of the property in a golf cart and I saw so many scenic trails I wished I had more time to explore, but I was anxious to get back to the spa as relaxation seemed to be the best way for me to get healthy. I went for a short swim in the outdoor pool and then got comfortable in the tea room with some apple cider tea and a book.

I had chosen a Lavender Zen Treatment and it combined everything I loved. Using lavender-scented products, I first had a scrub, followed by a warm towel wipe down. Then, hot rose quartz stones were placed around my body before I was massaged with warm oil. We finished the 90 minute treatment with me wrapped in warm towels while my feet and scalp were rubbed with oil! I would recommend visiting The Boulders for this treatment alone.

I stayed in the spa a bit more for a steam room and shower before walking back to the room for a nap. We dressed for dinner and then sat on our patio with a bottle of Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Moscato (yum) to celebrate our final night in the Phoenix area.

Dinner was at Palo Verde. The comfortable Southwestern décor was in contrast to the International menu. It was filled with small plates so we had a chance to sample quite a bit. David, or waiter, was very helpful and brought out a feast of interesting creations that were all wonderful:

Arancini Sicilian Risotto Croquettes with leeks and mushrooms;

Crispy Polenta Cake with red peppers, onions and goat cheese;

Duck Quesadilla with asatero cheese in a pineapple chipotle salsa;

Spicy Cannelloni;

and Linguini with Meatballs.

Throughout the meal, Brad, the restaurant manager, brought over some Arizona wines for me to try. (Susan was more than happy with her Frozen Mango Margaritas). I really enjoyed the Pillsbury Wild Child White Blend, a combination of chenin blanc and riesling made in the high appellations of Southwest Arizona, and the 2009 Nache Red Blend, a combination of petite syrah, Grenache and syrah which was very fruit filled, with notes of dark raspberries and blueberries.

After a decadent Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate cake with a rich fudge frosting, Brad brought Cameron over to talk to us a bit about Tequila Herudera, the tequila that he helped pick for The Boulders. They bought the barrel and keep going back for more as it has become the bestselling tequila in Arizona. I couldn’t disagree as it was very smooth with lots of vanilla.

We ended up closing out the restaurant for our last night of this amazing trip. Susan and I talked quite a bit about our favorite resort and it was unanimous that there wasn’t one. We loved the executive lounge and formal grounds of the Arizona Biltmore; the spacious casita and restaurant views of the Sanctuary at Camelback; and the magnificent spa (with café and pool area) at The Boulders. We also agreed that we were so glad we got to stay and enjoy all three.

Exploring Scottsdale on the way to The Boulders

It was time to leave our beautiful casita at Sanctuary at Camelback and head to The Boulders, but before we checked in there, we were going to make a stop to check out some of Scottsdale.

I had been intrigued when I read about Chef Jose Garces creating three complimentary food spaces at the new Saguaro Hotel and had arranged for my fellow writer and companion Susan and I to have lunch there.

We enjoyed walking through the Saguaro Hotel to get to Distrito. The décor was contemporary and eclectic so we seemed to constantly be stopping to look at things such as a Hello Kitty poster or an advertisement for Twinkies and Ding Dongs.  

The food venues at Saguaro Hotel included a coffee shop and a whiskey bar, featuring more brands than even I knew existed.  Distrito matched the style of the rest of the building. Even the menu was minimalistic, but it had all we really needed.

The weather was beautiful so we decided to take an outside table. There was an event going on in the square and we listened to some Indian chanting while enjoying the Red Sangria, made from red wine, tequila, blackberry brandy and simple syrup. We drank it with a tasty guacamole with cotija.

Our next course was called a quesadilla, but looked more like an empanada. It was filled with squash blossoms and was really delicious. Next, came the Tacos de Carnitos. These were a combination of pulled pork, beans and pineapple salsa.

Before a dessert platter of vanilla flan, almond cake and a mango dulce de leche (as well as some churros with chocolate sauce) we tasted the white sangria. It was a blend of white wine, tequila, apricot brandy and simple syrup and was as good as the red.

After lunch we took some time to walk around in Old Scottsdale and burn off some calories while we explored. It’s a great area with a nice cross between touristy (which I have to admit I still enjoy) and cowboy in the desert.  We left town after about an hour and took the ride up to The Boulders.

I had never been to Scottsdale, but it did remind me quite a bit of Tucson, Arizona, with a combination of open desert land and strip malls. The mountains were also spectacular. It was about 4:00 pm by the time we settled into our Boulders Casita, a studio with a small porch that looked at some of the most breathtaking parts of this resort – the cacti, mountains and, of course, boulders.

I was still battling a sinus infection so I headed to the spa for some time in the steam room. I was blown away by the size and amenities at this Golden Door Spa and couldn’t wait to see more of it in the morning.

We had a relaxing dinner in the lounge, where I just had a burger and a Bouldertini (a Bellini everywhere else). We took a shuttle to the Spotted Donkey for a Prickly Pear Margarita nightcap and then went back to the casita in preparation for a busy day exploring The Boulders before we would settle into the spa.