Bring Kids and Pets Along on this Great Artist Getaway

Story by Shifra Stein. Photos by Bob Barrett.

Imagine having your first cup of morning coffee on your private balcony overlooking the rugged cliffsides and blooming desert of Phoenix’s 3000-acre North Mountain Preserve. If you’re staying in an all-suite resort like the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs, you’ll be right in the midst of this spectacular desert and mountain terrain that affords artists myriad opportunities for plein air painting.

A picturesque place in itself, the Tapatio Cliffs Resort has the look and feel of a Spanish Mediterranean-style village and the natural areas that surround the property are perfect for hiking, jogging, and biking. Best of all you can share this unique mountainside experience with your whole family.

The people-and-pet-friendly family packages at Tapatio Cliffs Resort, and it’s sister property, the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, are perfect for people who want to have time to themselves, but still be able to bring their loved ones with them.

Golfers can get even more inspiration when they tee off from the Tapatio Cliffs Lookout Mountain Golf Club, a beautiful 18-hole course that winds through desert canyons and hillsides. Surrounded by scenic mountain views and multilevel greens interspersed with blooming desert plants, the course can provide inspiration for painting—or putting—depending on you interests. In addition to the golf course, there’s also a golf academy onsite staffed by experts who can help you improve your game.

Shuttles run throughout the day and evening between The Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliff and Squaw Peak Resorts, enabling guests to take advantage of amenities offered at either property—such as the award-winning children’s programs, world-class spas, award-winning restaurants, tennis, golf, and much more.

Both resorts offer casual dining at modest prices. The more upscale Tapatio Cliffs features the award winning Different Pointe of View restaurant. Perched on a mountaintop 1,800 feet above Phoenix, it offers superb French-Italian cuisine, excellent service, and a great wine list of 800 varieties ranging in price from $35 to over $9,000 a bottle. Children can be part of the experience, or you can let them enjoy an evening at Coyote Camp.

Tapatio Cliffs Resort also offers the Falls Water Village--a three-acre oasis of swimming pools, waterfalls, and mega-waterslide for youngsters, plus complimentary children’s arts and crafts. If you’re bringing infants along, consult the resort’s concierge to see if baby-sitting services are available, prior to visiting.

For even more family-oriented attractions, you might think about staying at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. There’s the Hole-in-the-Wall River Ranch for dining, four acres of water adventure, a lazy river for families to go tubing together, a giant water slide, and the renowned “Coyote Camp” arts and crafts and cultural program for children ages four through 12. The teacher-supervised camp is open to children of all registered guests, but capacity is limited and advanced reservations are recommended.

Plan to spend at least one day visiting area galleries and art museums, Car rental is available at either resort at a moderate cost. Try driving at off-peak times, when it’s only about a 20-minute drive downtown to the Phoenix Art Museum and internationally acclaimed Heard Museum.

Famous for its Native American art, the Heard Museum hosts nearly 250,000 visitors a year, providing American Indian artists a showcase for their work.

Nearby is the Phoenix Art Museum where many pioneers of modern art are represented. Be sure to see The Art of Our Time collection of early 20th century paintings by artists such as Josef Albers, Milton Avery, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Stella, and others.

On October 21-November 19, this year at the museum will host its 41st Annual Cowboy Artists of America Exhibition & Sale. This unique major exhibition will unveil more than 100 new works, never before viewed by the public, by the members of Cowboy Artists of America.

After visiting the museums, you may want to have lunch in any one of a number of restaurants in the downtown Scottsdale Arts District, an area known as a mecca for art collectors. Home to more than 100 galleries, Scottsdale galleries offer a diverse array of work in a wide variety of media.

Many of the better small galleries are located on North Marshall Way or past the 7100 E. Block of Main Street. These boutique-style galleries are welcoming to newcomers and visiting artists. Each is unique in its own way, and each offers a collection of artists that range from well-known professionals to emerging painters. At the Duley-Jones Gallery on Main Street, for example, you’ll find the works of Oklahoma artist, Jean Richardson, who is best known for her colorful images of horses. Nearby, on North Marshall Way, you’ll see the colorful acrylics of Susan Rene, and abstract oils by Chris Britt showcased at the Naked Horse Gallery.

The Scottsdale Gallery Association’s signature Scottsdale Art Walks are a 30-year tradition. They are held every Thursday evening, year-round (except Thanksgiving) from 7-9 pm. You can park your car, hop aboard the downtown Scottsdale Trolley that runs from Scottsdale’s Fashion Square through a route that takes in city’s Marshall Way Arts District, Main Street Arts District, and Old Town. They Trolley runs every ten minutes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information on the Scottsdale Arts District call (480) 990-3939 or visit their website at www.scottsdalegalleries.com/artwalks.html

For more about what there is to see and do in Phoenix call (602) 252-5588 or visit the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.phoenixcvb.com/

POINTE HILTON RESORTS HOT SUMMER DEALS

Sizzling summer rates for people-and-pet-friendly packages start as low as $99 per standard suite per night July 1 through September 3. During this time, the resorts are offering a “Kid’s Eat Free” meal for every adult entrée purchased for children under 12 years of age. For an additional fee you are welcome to bring your doggie with with you on your desert excursion. Ask for the “Pampered Pet Package” where Fido gets a special gift bag that includes a feeding dish, doggy treats, a doggy leash, and more. Large and small pets are welcome, as long as they are housebroken, leash-trained, kid-friendly, quiet, and well behaved.

Note: You must book your own transportation from the airport to the hotel and back. There is no shuttle service, except between the two resorts. Depending on how much time you need to explore the Phoenix area, your best and cheapest bet is to use the car rental agencies at the airport. If you only need a car for the day, it’s more convenient to book it through the resort. The lowest rates for economy cars run about $20 per day through the airport car agencies, and about $50 a day at the resort, plus tax.

For more information on the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs and Squaw Peak resorts go to: www.pointehilton.com or call 1-800-876-4683 for reservations.

Shifra Stein and Bob Barrett are a photojournalist travel team whose stories appear in numerous print and online publications. For more information visit www.shifrastein.com to see her books in print, art, workshops, and seminars.