Boy it was hot! 117F but it was so dry you hardly noticed it. We went on July 4th having had to delay our holiday until our daughter had finished her 1st year law exams. As a result the flights cost us £750 more than they would have done had we gone out 4 days earlier. Tapatio Cliffs made up for it though. I'd stayed there earlier when working in Phoenix and took my family out there to see what it was like. There are two Pointe Hiltons in Phoenix - the other at Squaw Peak. The rooms are built in complexes over a huge site. Typically American, they are good value, large suites in effect with bedroom with 2 kingsize beds, a huge bathroom and lounge area too with TVs everywhere. The blocks are based around pools and we had a secluded one (see photo) towards the front of the complex and close to the the Pointe In Time bar/restaurant where all sorts of food is available at reasonable prices. Swimming under the inky black Arizona sky at midnight when it was still 90F was so therapeutic, talking of which Pointe Hilton is famous for it's Sonoma spa treatments (a little expensive but well worth it if you can afford it). Great drives all around. 5 Hour drive to Las Vegas across the Hoover Dam, 2 hours to Sedona - one of the reddest places I've seen, an hour ro Old Tuscon (film set). Great place to stay
ProsTypical AMerican good value for money - the suite cost about £60 a night over 11 nights and included an excellent breakfast at the Pointe in Time. Spa, desert/mountain backdrop, Phoeniex city for malls and cinemas, historic Glendale, friendly locals.
ConsThe Monsoon - which didn't strike while we were there but causes havoc when it does come. Caused by the weather breaking down when the daytime temperature and the dewpoint hit cetain levels sometime during the beginning of July - take care
