The Pointe is Grand!

I've lived in the valley my entire life... I've never spent more then a few weeks at a time away. So, when people talk about things to do and places to stay with out driving more then 20 minutes... I rarely get excited. Yes, I am easily entertained and I LOVE my hometown but it takes a lot for me to spring for an expensive room at a local resort. But maybe there's something to these places? I visited the Arizona Grand Resort in Tempe and I was pleasantly surprised! If the Arizona Grand Resort doesn't sound familiar that's because it is formerly known as The Pointe Hilton at South Mountain. You would not believe the level of entertainment this resort will provide for you and your family, you and your friends, or even just YOU!
$180-Gets you a beautiful room at the foot of South Mountain. The resort is surrounded by delicious restaurants-All with in walking distance! But, the restaurants and the luxurious rooms are not to be out done by the pool or should I say the OASIS!! It's paradise in the middle of the property. Picture a giant water slide, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a bar separated by giant boulders. Spend the day at the pool, take a nap in the room, and then hit the nearby restaurants and bars. When you're done you can walk back to your room!
www.arizonagrandresort.com
Check it out! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Calistoga anyone?

... and I'm not talking about the water. As I mentioned in my previous blogs I'm heading off to Northern California and I can honestly say I can't wait! However, I am really having trouble deciding where to stay and on what nights.
I had also mentioned in one of my previous blogs while having a terrible dinner at an undesirable Phoenix restaurant, Calistoga was recommended to me as a must see place to stay when visiting Napa Valley.
So... here's what I found....
Either the hotels are really really cheap, really really expensive, or really strange. Yes Strange!

Bad restaurant may equal good advice

I still haven't tackled the lodging portion of our trip to Napa Valley but it seems everywhere I go I am learning more about it. Last night a group of work friends decided to eat at a place called Barrio's Cafe in Phoenix. Bad idea. I was so excited to try a new quaint little place... When we arrived I was a bit concerned by my surroundings but still willing to give Cafe Barrio a shot. The music was EXCELLENT too bad it wasn't good enough to make us forget about the cuisine. I ordered a Chile Relleno plate and it came out bland and on a huge piece of bread! WEIRD! Anyway, while we were there I received a few more recommendations for the trip. I'll do some research and will soon post my findings.
By the way... I can't end this blog with out mentioning while we were gathered out in front of the Barrio Cafe WE WERE EGGED! Yes, egged! Covered in shell, whites, and yolk we got into the car and decided we will never return.
Hopefully this bad restaurant experience will equal good advice. We'll see.

Northern California

I started planning our trip to Northern California... it's been interesting to say the least. Like most Americans I thought I would be able to google "Napa Valley" and find exactly what I'm looking for. WRONG! There are a zillion sites claiming to know the secrets of Napa Valley. They give information on Napa's best hotels, the finest wineries, the most romantic, oh I could go on! But... what's the truth?! I haven't been to the area in years! All I want is a phone number to call and hear a friendly voice on the other end. I want to be able to say, "I want to drink good wine, eat delicious food, and not pay a ton of money!" I compiled a list of resorts and spent much of my morning sitting on hold waiting for the concierge to pick up. But, the most valuable information that I found of course came from close friends.

The results are listed below....

Del Dotto Vineyards-http://www.deldottovineyards.com/
This Vineyard sounds like a slam dunk. I was able to reach a live person and didn't have to sit on hold. I was upfront with her telling her we couldn't spend a ton of money but we still wanted a great experience. I also asked her to recommend a nice hotel nearby (maybe even walking distance) and she recommended two! She also explained (in great detail) the Cave experience at the vineyard and I was sold! For $40 per person you can enjoy the cave experience and what an experience it sounds like! This Vineyard will definitely find a spot on our itinerary.

Napa Valley Wine Train- http://www.winetrain.com/
I envision a fun train packed with jovial wine tasters, music, and great food. I thought we would be stopping at wineries as we made our way through the Valley. WRONG! According to the site... riders will see Napa Valley through the window of a train car. The train doesn't even stop at wineries.
Starting at $89 you get dinner and jaunt down the tracks. I asked my friend about the wine train and she told me the train takes you up and back down the same tracks. The wine train sounds like a nice experience but not for me. Maybe if I had more time in Napa.

Budweiser Brewery tour-http://www.budweisertours.com/
Don't expect a ton of information from the website but if you pick up the phone you'll likely get a friendly and informative voice on the other end. When I called I was told the tours start daily at 10am and run every hour on the hour. The best part... THEY ARE FREE!

The Wine Card- http://www.napadowntown.com/wine_card.html
Again, if I had more time this would work but I want to visit the real deal... the wineries. But, for 20 bucks you get a card and access to 10 different downtown wine rooms. Once you get to the wine rooms you can taste the wine for 10 cents! Not bad.

So, it appears I have the wine tasting portion of our trip figured out. Looking for a hotel is next, ugh! That portion is coming soon. If you have any tips or tricks please let us know!