Posted on Sunday, 07.13.08
Many of the resorts in Arizona's Valley of the Sun have attempted to...
Many of the resorts in Arizona's Valley of the Sun have attempted to deny the harsh environment in which they're situated -- or at least to tame it. So they've created broad expanses of lawn and thick plantings of petunias. The FireSky Resort, which opened last year on the site of the former Caleo Resort, opted instead to coexist with the desert.
Fountains gurgle in the massive lobby, and waterfalls tumble from stone pillars into the pool, reminding you of how vital this resource is in a land of triple-digit temperatures. At night, fire leaps from caldrons atop those pillars, as if to stave off the chill of nighttime in the desert. Candles flicker, gently holding back the darkness. And just outside the bar, living room furniture has been set up in an area of bare, packed earth.
The 204-room FireSky is part of the ''anti-chain'' of Kimpton Hotels. The objective of the late Bill Kimpton was for guests not to find any semblance of continuity from one hotel to the next. And, true enough, you'll find little in common among Nine Zero in Boston, the Burnham in Chicago, Solamar in San Diego or the FireSky.
The FireSky's greatest asset is its lobby, a sprawling space whose big-beamed ceiling soars to 30 feet. Kimpton hotels are eccentric as a general rule, and this one has seating areas of mismatched furniture, with traditional pieces such as wingback chairs mixed in with bright-colored day beds, settees and pillows. In the middle of it all is a startling zebra-striped ottoman. And you can't miss those glass deer heads, lit internally.
Guests congregate here for morning coffee, a complimentary afternoon wine social and evening cocktails -- the bar anchors the lobby wall that opens onto the pool. But people are also drawn outside by several conversation nooks, the chairs arranged around mesquite-burning fire pits and under mature pepper trees.
The FireSky's restaurant, Taggia, serves coastal Italian cuisine featuring house-made pastas.
The FireSky's rooms are comfortably appointed, including leopard-print robes, Frette linens and elegant L'Occitane en Provence toiletries. One TV channel offers a continuous yoga session.
FireSky Resort & Spa, 4925 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale; 480-945-7666; www.fireskyresort.com; rooms from $199.
-- ERIC NOLAND
Los Angeles Daily News
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