Phoenix, Arizona, is the gateway to the wide salty deserts that mark this part of the US. Phoenix itself though is a major metropolis, with steel-and-glass skyscrapers jostling for space with turn-of-the-century architecture and the occasional oddity.

Outdoor Attractions

The attractions of Phoenix are largely based on its wild natural landscape. The Desert Botanical Gardens, in Papago Park is, as the name suggest, devoted to desert flora. For amateur botanists, it is a fascinating alternative to the sweeping green parklands that comprise most Botanical Gardens. Papago Park is also criss-crossed with running tracks, some paved and some dirt that wind through the arid landscape.

Outdoor enthusiasts should also make time for Camelback Mountain. Although not particularly dangerous (it is relatively small and well patrolled), the hilly rocky country is a good challenge for any self-respecting hiker. Easier trails offer a welcome half-day stroll, with little more than a brown-bag lunch and plenty of water to keep you going.

For a more energetic taste of the outdoors, Phoenix has a few offroad drive tours that hit the desert. Open Road Tours have a few different routes and are unbeatable for Arizona knowledge. A favorite of visitors is the Private Hummer Day Tour. Thrashing across the desert in a Hummer is a kick, and the guides know their cars – and their country.

Off the Beaten Path

Getting off the beaten track in Phoenix isn't as hard as it sounds. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the salt air, but this city seems like it's always about to slip left of center. Mystery Castle is a prime example. Plenty of people build their own homes, but Boyce Luther Gulley was in a class of his own. Told by doctors in 1930 that he was going to die of tuberculosis, Gulley set about building a home for his daughter. Fifteen years later, it was complete: Eighteen rooms made of stone, adobe, car parts and petroglyphs, held together with a unique cement that is made of goat's milk, among other things. His daughter still lives there too – she usually guides the tours.

When the desert heat is beginning to feel like you have wandered into Africa, the safari right here in Phoenix isn't going to dispel that notion. The Out of Africa Wildlife park has safari vehicles to get you into the middles of the tigers, lions, giraffe and wildebeest. It's surreal, stepping onto the savannah within shouting distance of metropolitan Phoenix, but somehow it works.

Nightlife and Entertainment

To wind down, its going to take a seriously good bar, and maybe a massage (not necessarily in that order). The Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa can give you a massage, mud wrap, facial, pedicure, manicure, Reiki treatment, hot stones, gels, creams and exfoliants until you beg them to stop. Unashamedly overpriced, this is where to go to feel reborn. Take your pretty new self to the Amsterdam, a strange little bar that offers great drinks but very little conversation – it's a locals-only thing.

Hotels

The hotel bargains in Phoenix are unbelievable. Although average prices are in the neighborhood of $150 per night, there are dozens of clean, friendly small hotels where you can snap up a room for as low as $40 a night.

Use the Hotelsio Rate Finder to find top accommodation and cheap hotels in Phoenix.

(Photo:Fotolia/EuToch)

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