Topic Wiki

Trip Reports


2014 - Mgarfin's 2014 trip to Arizona-Delta glitch
2014 - VacationLover's Sedona and the Grand Canyon TR
2015 - PBaruch's Dreams of Flight - Hummingbirds and Arizona
2016 - Pbaruch's Motorhome Adventures in Utah and Arizona
2016 - drewsky9's Arizona Trip Report
2016 - MahRabuMasecha's Vegas Zion Page Grand Canyon Sedona TR
2016 - ShlockDoc's Midwest Roadtrip - Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming
2017 - Davidmal's Phoenix & Scottsdale for 5 Hours
2018 - Ikelunious99's Arizona Trip Report

Utah has it's own master thread and wiki at https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=15858.0

Activities


Phoenix

Arizona Cardinals (NFL Football)
Arizona Coyotes (NHL Hockey)
Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB Baseball)
Phoenix Suns (NBA Basketball)

Camelback Mountain
Desert Botanical Garden
Encanto Park
Goldfield Ghost Town
Japanese Friendship Garden
Lost Dutchman State Park
Nordstrom Last Chance - one of the few in the world.
Octance Raceway- Extremely fast Go-Karting
Scottsdale Old Town

Arizona Science Center (Indoor)
Museum of Musical Instruments (Indoor)
Queen Creek Olive Mill (Olive farm and mill, with Olive 101 'factory' tour)
Arizona Boardwalk (entertainment complex, with aquarium, butterfly conservatory, etc. www.azboardwalk.com)
Children’s Museum of Phoenix (for kids under age 10, they claim to be top 3 Children's Museum in the country).

Sedona, AZ
Stunning red rock formations and scenery viewable throughout the small city with unique views along the many hiking trails (including Devil's bridge, West Fork Trail, and Sugar Loaf Loop)
Off road jeep tours (e.g. Pink Jeep Tours)
eclectic outdoor shopping
Slide rock state park: Natural water slide in creek (just north of Sedona)


Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
There are two trails from the south rim that go down into the canyon (and all the way to the canyon floor, which is a strenuous multi-day hike). You can experience a taste of it, by turning around at any point.
  • South Kaibab Trail - One of the top rated trails for the GC (trail descends into the canyon, uphill climb on return)
  • Bright Angel Trail - Also one of the top rated trails for GC (trail descends into the canyon, uphill climb on return)
There are also trails along the south rim (called Rim Trails) that don't descend into the canyon, and are relatively flat. These offer views of the canyon and are dotted with various scenic viewpoints. Some areas of the rim trail are paved others are not. These may be more suitable those with young children or those fear of hiking near the edge of the canyon cliffs. The National park shuttle buses also transport passengers to various points within the park, along the south rim.
A PDF map of grand canyon national park south rim is at https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/upload/sr-pocket-map.pdf
Grand Canyon National Park Lodges

Nearby attractions outside the National Park include:
  • Skywalk
  • Bearizona Wildlife Park - Williams, AZ

Page AZ
Lake Powell (popular lake for boating, with kayak, motor boat, pontoon boat, houseboat rentals, Jetski, boat tours, and swimming). Lake and surrounding canyon walls are uniquely scenic together (it's actually a huge artificial reservoir surrounded by canyon walls, resulting from the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam
Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the Glen Canyon Dam (Free museum about the Glen Canyon Dam)
Horseshoe bend (popular scenic overlook of a 180 degree bend in the Colorado river)
Antelope Canyon (beautiful slot canyons with stunning photography opportunity, controlled by Native Americans with entrance fees and guided tour, advance reservations are needed. Fees were recently increased to $60-$100/pp)

Tucson

Saguaro National Park

Kosher Restaurants

See the following for up to date info:
--http://www.kosherphoenix.org/index.php/kosher-food-in-phoenix/restaurants/
--https://www.ahavastorah.org/restaurants.html 


Phoenix

Cafe Chenar
LaBella Pizzeria and Restaurant
Manhattan Pizza & Subs
Samarkand Restaurant Glatt Kosher

Scottsdale

Fresh Mint
Kitchen 18
Milk+ Honey Espresso Bar & Eatery

Groceries


Imperial Market & Deli

Shuls


Ohr Hatorah Congregation- Located in Phoenix Map
Chabad Jewish Center of North Phoenix Map
Ahavas Torah:The Scottsdale Torah Center Map


Chabad of Flagstaff AZ (Kosher meals available), Minyanim in the summer and chol hamoed (1 hour south of the Grand Canyon National Park)

« Last edited by Yr18 on October 02, 2023, 08:46:50 AM »

Author Topic: Arizona Master Thread  (Read 381459 times)

Offline shiframeir

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #840 on: February 14, 2018, 10:28:17 AM »
Westin Kierkand Villas are great for chilling and relaxing (that is basically all we do when we go to AZ) and close to the Scottsdale shul and restaurants. :)
my fav option there, look upthread for more info.

Offline Mutty

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #841 on: February 14, 2018, 01:34:06 PM »
Westin Kierkand Villas are great for chilling and relaxing (that is basically all we do when we go to AZ) and close to the Scottsdale shul and restaurants. :)
We were also there twice and very happy. Just keep in mind, for Shabbos, it's a bit of a walk to shul.
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline CS91

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #842 on: March 04, 2018, 06:14:46 PM »
Going to AZ this week. Itinerary is as follows:

Scottsdale
Arrive Tuesday afternoon. Staying at the Phoenician until Sunday morning. Plan to mostly relax in Scottsdale. Open to suggestions for activities to do at night.

Sedona
Driving to Sedona first thing Sunday morning. Not sure what to do activity-wise. Traveling with a 2.5 yr old so not sure if Pink Jeep tour or Our Africa is the better move. Also, is there an easy hike that I can do with my kid? She's too big for a carrier.

Grand Canyon
Driving to GC from Sedona on Monday morning. Same question as for Sedona - any easy hike that I can do in GC with my kid? Any specific spot that I should go to?

Thanks!!

ETA: Booked pink Jeep tour for 3pm on Sunday. Seems like a lot of money so hope it’s worth it. So now just looking for a few hour activity for late morning until the Jeep tour and maybe something at night (if there is anything to do there).
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 07:01:38 PM by CS91 »

Offline tzifanya54

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #843 on: March 05, 2018, 09:53:49 AM »
Going to AZ this week. Itinerary is as follows:

Scottsdale
Arrive Tuesday afternoon. Staying at the Phoenician until Sunday morning. Plan to mostly relax in Scottsdale. Open to suggestions for activities to do at night.

Sedona
Driving to Sedona first thing Sunday morning. Not sure what to do activity-wise. Traveling with a 2.5 yr old so not sure if Pink Jeep tour or Our Africa is the better move. Also, is there an easy hike that I can do with my kid? She's too big for a carrier.

Grand Canyon
Driving to GC from Sedona on Monday morning. Same question as for Sedona - any easy hike that I can do in GC with my kid? Any specific spot that I should go to?

Thanks!!

ETA: Booked pink Jeep tour for 3pm on Sunday. Seems like a lot of money so hope it’s worth it. So now just looking for a few hour activity for late morning until the Jeep tour and maybe something at night (if there is anything to do there).
Im a cheap guy. (Aren't we all?) and I found Pink Jeep to be worth every cent. I took my son then age 6 and my wife stayed back with the younger ones. (She thought it would be to wild for them, it would've been fine.) We both had a great time.

Offline saw50st8

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #844 on: March 05, 2018, 10:54:56 AM »
Pink Jeep tour is amazing. They have car seats for kids under 5.

There aren't really super easy trails at the grand canyon. There's the rim walk which is beautiful. You do need to be careful because there are places with no railing. 

Offline jomaster28

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #845 on: March 05, 2018, 11:08:24 AM »
Going to AZ this week. Itinerary is as follows:

Scottsdale
Arrive Tuesday afternoon. Staying at the Phoenician until Sunday morning. Plan to mostly relax in Scottsdale. Open to suggestions for activities to do at night.

Sedona
Driving to Sedona first thing Sunday morning. Not sure what to do activity-wise. Traveling with a 2.5 yr old so not sure if Pink Jeep tour or Our Africa is the better move. Also, is there an easy hike that I can do with my kid? She's too big for a carrier.

Grand Canyon
Driving to GC from Sedona on Monday morning. Same question as for Sedona - any easy hike that I can do in GC with my kid? Any specific spot that I should go to?

Thanks!!

ETA: Booked pink Jeep tour for 3pm on Sunday. Seems like a lot of money so hope it’s worth it. So now just looking for a few hour activity for late morning until the Jeep tour and maybe something at night (if there is anything to do there).

Heading there this week as well. Getting to Scottsdale Tuesday evening. going to GC & Sedona Wednesday. and Thursday - Sunday evening staying in Scottsdale.

Look into this plane ride at the South Rim GC...I Heard its a great plane ride

https://www.scenic.com/tours/south-rim-airplane-tour#/.Wp1si66nGUl

Offline CS91

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #846 on: March 05, 2018, 04:45:46 PM »
Im a cheap guy. (Aren't we all?) and I found Pink Jeep to be worth every cent. I took my son then age 6 and my wife stayed back with the younger ones. (She thought it would be to wild for them, it would've been fine.) We both had a great time.
Pink Jeep tour is amazing. They have car seats for kids under 5.

There aren't really super easy trails at the grand canyon. There's the rim walk which is beautiful. You do need to be careful because there are places with no railing. 

Awesome. Good to know it’s worth the money.

Heading there this week as well. Getting to Scottsdale Tuesday evening. going to GC & Sedona Wednesday. and Thursday - Sunday evening staying in Scottsdale.

Look into this plane ride at the South Rim GC...I Heard its a great plane ride

https://www.scenic.com/tours/south-rim-airplane-tour#/.Wp1si66nGUl
Don’t think my wife would be down for the plane ride, though looks great. Where you staying in scottsdale?

Online mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #847 on: March 06, 2018, 12:23:57 AM »
I went with a 11month old
Pink Jeep wouldn't take him, we found a Hummer tour that was really enjoyable.

You can drive up to airport road for nice view. Also we did a short hike too around bell...

GC just take the bus through all 11 stops. You can skip one and walk between one. That alone will take a long time.
There are 2 other lookouts you can almost drive up too.

I wrote a TR somewhere on DDF.

Offline jomaster28

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #848 on: March 06, 2018, 08:43:02 AM »
Awesome. Good to know it’s worth the money.
Don’t think my wife would be down for the plane ride, though looks great. Where you staying in scottsdale?

Staying at the Fairmont in Scottsdale and at Kimpton in Sedona for Wednesday night.

Offline meir1234

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #849 on: March 10, 2018, 11:58:24 PM »
Can I see the grand canyon and Sedona in the same day I will be staying over night in kingman

Offline saw50st8

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #850 on: March 11, 2018, 06:32:37 AM »
Can I see the grand canyon and Sedona in the same day I will be staying over night in kingman

Yes but you won't see much in either place.

Online mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #851 on: March 12, 2018, 12:02:27 AM »
Can I see the grand canyon and Sedona in the same day I will be staying over night in kingman
You need minimum a day at each including driving.

Offline emak

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #852 on: March 28, 2018, 10:36:36 PM »
DW & I are headed to Arizona for a week, we wanted to do Phoenix for 3-4 days, then Sedona for 2. Hope to drive to the GC for a day. We wanted to stay around Sedona for a day or two. What are the best hotel options? Can't find anything decent. Would love to use points but I don't see many options. Best I saw was a Courtyard Marriott and a IHG hotel. Should we stay around Flagstaff instead? We're with a baby so we wanted a big room. We've never been there before, so any advice is appreciated.

Online moka

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #853 on: March 29, 2018, 12:14:08 AM »
DW & I are headed to Arizona for a week, we wanted to do Phoenix for 3-4 days, then Sedona for 2. Hope to drive to the GC for a day. We wanted to stay around Sedona for a day or two. What are the best hotel options? Can't find anything decent. Would love to use points but I don't see many options. Best I saw was a Courtyard Marriott and a IHG hotel. Should we stay around Flagstaff instead? We're with a baby so we wanted a big room. We've never been there before, so any advice is appreciated.
hilton sedona is nice and has great views all around

Offline Joe4007

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #854 on: March 29, 2018, 01:37:47 AM »
DW & I are headed to Arizona for a week, we wanted to do Phoenix for 3-4 days, then Sedona for 2. Hope to drive to the GC for a day. We wanted to stay around Sedona for a day or two. What are the best hotel options? Can't find anything decent. Would love to use points but I don't see many options. Best I saw was a Courtyard Marriott and a IHG hotel. Should we stay around Flagstaff instead? We're with a baby so we wanted a big room. We've never been there before, so any advice is appreciated.
There's a Hyatt in Sedona. Haven't been there though.

Offline saw50st8

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #855 on: March 29, 2018, 07:29:01 AM »
If you want to explore Sedona, don't stay in Flagstaff. Flagstaff is a great place to stay if you want to go to the Grand Canyon and see Sedona (in which case I stayed at a great residence inn in Flagstaff - cheap, new, beautiful and great hotel staff). 

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #856 on: May 23, 2018, 02:13:30 PM »
Anyone been to the Miraval Hotel,

I'd like to hear how accommodating they are regarding kosher food

Offline Ikelunious99

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #857 on: June 18, 2018, 08:09:14 PM »
See my Arizona Trip Report (Scottsdale/Sedona/Grand Canyon/Vegas)

https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=93368.0

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #858 on: July 09, 2018, 02:09:45 PM »
i see so many people go in august yet the heat is crazy. quite a few of the trip reports are from the hottest months. anyone been there that would give a suggestion if its worth it to go now? i know hotels are cheap this time of the year and there is alot of points availability.
#TYH

Offline ludmila

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #859 on: July 09, 2018, 08:47:53 PM »
See my Arizona Trip Report (Scottsdale/Sedona/Grand Canyon/Vegas)

https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=93368.0
Thanks.
I was the Best,still the Best, and will always be the Best.
Pele Good,Maradona Better, George Best.