"We have a marriage proposal here just about every day," said Debora Bridges, the spokesperson for the spectacular Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. And it's no wonder that people frequently choose some spot here -- usually the five-star signature restaurant, Mary Elaine's-- to pop the question. This 250-acre famous 5-star hotel is just brimming with romantic options for proposals, weddings, honeymoons, and marriage renewals.

ROMANCE EVERYWHERE

Not surprisingly, some of the most romantic spots are connected with food. Besides Mary Elaine's restaurant, the Phoenician has another uber-romantic hideaway, a Renaissance-style dining salon called "The Praying Monk." More about that later.

The Phoenician also arranges intimate outdoor dining trysts at two venues, one at their "Garden Retreats." These are not sandwiches-in-wicker-picnic-basket lunches. You are transported to an idyllic private garden spot to dine on the best of the dishes from their top restaurants, served on the same fine linens, crystal and china.

Similarly, you can also arrange a romantic meal for two right on one of their golf courses, at the "Tee Box Eight." From this elevation-- the highest point of one of their three courses-you'll see a panoramic view of the city and mountains of the Valley of the Sun.

You also get a view of your personal tuxedoed-clad waiter-but you won't get any view of golfers. This program is only available at night (or sunrise), or you'd be ducking to avoid a golf ball whizzing by your head. This is a popular resort for golfers.

You don't have to go up that high up, though, to have a romantic view. Almost any place on the grounds is spectacular because the Phoenician is nestled directly under the majestic Camelback Mountain. The claim of many hotels to be at the foot of a mountain is often base-less, but here you often have to twist your head up to see the mountain peaks.

Situated to take advantage of this extraordinary view is the Phoenician's own two-acre Cactus Garden. It contains 350 varieties of multi-colored cacti (no, they're not all green or brown), ranging from a few inches tall to 20 feet high. At night, it's all lit up for unparalleled romance.

The other extraordinarily romantic (OK, sexy) features of the Phoenician are their beds and their tubs. The beds all have those oh-so soft cotton Frette sheets, atop mattresses with special cushioning. You can also arrange for an in-room couples massage on those beds, and then slip into the tub for two in the marble bathrooms.

WHERE TO WED

The Phoenician, which is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection, has its own on-site wedding coordinator, who'll help you choose one of the many places to tie the knot. The most obvious spots are in their lush gardens, convention center, or romantic restaurants.

For a very small wedding, you might consider the Tea Box Eight, the Garden Retreats, or even the Cactus Garden. At the last site, a small party can gather in one of the secluded enclaves tucked amidst the exotic foliage and grand statuary in a romantic oasis.

You can also take over the Praying Monk restaurant for a group of up to 16 people. There, not only are you guaranteed exquisite food, but also an unusual atmosphere in a working wine cellar, with its brick archways, barrel ceilings, and opulent antiques, artifacts and furnishings.

For a mid-sized wedding, take over the entire Canyon Building, which is a boutique hotel within the Phoenician. Also directly under the dramatic Camelback Mountain, it has 30 suites, its own heated swimming pool, and an unusual five-tiered fountain at the entrance. It also has a lounge with a fireplace, comfy as well as romantic, since it often gets mighty chilly at night in Arizona.

ROMANTIC LODGINGS

All rooms are unusually large, with 32-inch TVs, and luxurious touches like Frette bathrobes and all-wool Berber carpets. They also have super-sized Italian marble bathrooms with double vanities, along with those romantic oversized tubs for two.

The 654 available rooms are available in four locations, and break down to 581 guest rooms, 62 elegant suites, 4 presidential suites, and 7 villas, The main building, centrally located near the pools, restaurants and meeting rooms, have rooms that average a spacious 600 square feet, many with private balconies, where you two can sit together and watch the incomparable Arizona sunrise or sunset. You can instead choose the casitas with private entrances, or Villas, which offer even more privacy, or the Canyon Building.

DELIGHTFUL DINING

Six restaurants and lounges offer award-winning cuisine, from modern French classics, to Southwestern delicacies, to healthful choice selections.

Mary Elaine's is one of the few Five-Diamond and Five Star restaurants in the U.S. The Chef de Cuisine, Bradford Thompson, is the former sous-chief at the reknowned Boulud restaurant in New York.

Here, with a breathtaking view of Scottsdale at night, he offers outstanding modern French cuisine and wines from their $3 million wine cellar. While dining you can watch the romantic fire pits light up the starry night on the terrace, while soft jazz serenades you in the background.

Windows by the Green houses Southwestern-style pottery and painting that is part of the hotel's 8-million dollar museum-quality art collection. Here, Southwestern grill cuisines are complimented by sweeping vista views of the resort's lush golf course. You could have a wonderful meal just on the unusual varieties of breads and butters, but then you'd miss the imaginative Southwestern selections that follow.

Terrace Dining Room: Traditional meals are served here, on Sundays, and an expansive (and OK, expensive) awe-inspiring brunch. Try dinner on the covered patio, facing the gardens, pools, and croquet lawn. Select a table next to roaring fire pit, which shoot flames up high enough to light up the entire terrace - and the sky.

Tea and Snacks: Each afternoon in the lobby Tea Court, they serve a traditional English tea on the finest Herend china with classical music in the background. Informal meals and snacks are also available at the Café & Ice Cream Parlor, by the (fabulous and also fabulously expensive) hotel shops, at the Oasis and the Canyon Pool Grills, or the 19th Hole golf snack bar.

PLENTY TO DO

The Phoenician offers three 9-hole golf courses on 150 acres of fairways that are so green, you'll think that you're in Ireland. They also have 12 tennis courts in the secluded tennis garden, eleven lighted for night play on four different types of playing surfaces.

There are nine swimming pools (including a separate one for children). One has a bottom made from mother of pearl! That's impressive, but what I liked best here is just one of the touches that rightly made this resort Number 5 for the Best North American Resorts in Conde Nast Traveler. Surrounding the pools are wooden chaises covered with comfortable thick pads you can sink into, not those crummy uncomfortable plastic chairs so many hotels now buy to save money.

There's also a 165-foot water slide and a fountain-studded "Desert Spa" whirlpool with four cross-shaped cut-outs. There, you can have privacy in the corners, away from the other guests in the whirlpool. Speaking of spas, the Phoenician's "Centre for Well-Being" has several outstanding features. But what I liked best was the stunning and extraordinarily relaxing Meditation Atrium, where two can quietly find peace together.

For the more active, there's also a manicured croquet court, a basketball half court, lawn bowling, and specialized tours, such as art, or stargazing at Arizona's shimmering night sky.

If you want to go off property, there's outstanding shopping in Scottsdale, at places like the Borgata, which is an upscale mall recreated to look like an Italian village. Or spend a (long) day going to the Grand Canyon, driving back in time to pass Sedona's famous Red Rocks at sunset.

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© Paulette Cooper
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Last Updated: February 5 2003