As long time residents here in Arizona, my wife and will go out on occasion to find a bite to eat, but we soon found that we were running into a routine and going to the same old “haunts” over and over. We wanted to find a way to expand our search area of good places to eat around the valley. With the help of our Compadre Spencer, who works at Arizona Lodging Experts, the absolute best company offering rentals in Arizona and Scottsdale property management, we found a fantastic resource that has done just that! He turned us on to UrbanSpoon.com, which is a website dedicated to restaurant blogs from critics and food bloggers alike. These can be restaurants in your very own backyard that you never knew even existed! Thanks to Urban Spoon, my wife and I have found a wonderful variety of food in our general area that we wouldn’t have found on our own. We have tried Thai food and Vietnamese food recently, and we loved them both very much. We found a little café just minutes from our home that offers a great breakfast for a very affordable price. We have also taken the time to blog about the places we have eaten over the years, and if we enjoyed them or not. Urban Spoon is a great resource to expand your meals choices on your next night out on the town.

Pho Thanh

Saigon Crepe at Pho Thanh

Spicy Grilled Beef Salad at Thai House

Crispy Fried Shrimp with Sweet -n- Sour Sauce

My wife and I had lunch with our good friend Spencer at the Thai House Restaurant in Mesa, Arizona, located on the N/E corner of Power & Southern. Spencer and Lolis have had Thai food before, so I was the “Thai Virgin” I guess. I know I can speak for all three of us when I say we have a wonderful meal and we would definitely recommend the Thai House to everyone we know. The portions were very generous, the taste was authentic Thai and the service was very good as well. The Mesa location was rather small with 5-6 tables and a small bar, but well worth the stop. You can have a sweet and savory meal made with coconut milk, or try a spicy meal from level 1 to 5 with some amazing Thai spices, “if you have the guts”.

For dessert, we do recommend that you try the delicious Fried Bananas, which we all found to be unique and tasty treat.

Below is a short video we made, so you could see how delicious everything was.

Thai House YouTube Video

If you find yourself staying in a wonderful rental home in Mesa, Arizona, you might want to try the Thai House during your stay. It will be a wonderful experience for your taste buds. The Thai House has 3 valley locations, so there might even be a Thai House close to you..!

If you need assistance finding lodging from experienced Scottsdale or Phoenix property management, contact Spencer, Susan and Shea at Arizona Lodging Experts at 602-404-2982 and 866-785-2350. They have over 20 years of personal experience combined offering premier Arizona Home Rentals and they are ready to assist you today!

Mystery Castle

If you are a fan of touring unique and unusual place you would definitely be entertained with a tour of the Mystery Castle. It can be found near our Phoenix vacation home rentals. The history of this building is very enchanting. The Mystery Castle is located in the heart of the South Mountain foothills. This castle is no typical fairy tale castle but more of an odd shaped dwelling that was erected in 1927 by a man named Boyce Luther Gulley. Gulley built this entire castle out of recycled materials and this may even be the first recycled home ever built in Phoenix.  Gulley had built this eclectic structure as a gift for his daughter. The materials used to construct this building were stones, old auto parts, mineshaft rails and beat up telephone poles. The building was held together with goat’s milk, calcium and cement, which were made into a mortar.

The castle was made up of 18 rooms on 3 different levels. The daughter resided in this castle all the way until her death in November of 2010. The building never had any electricity or plumbing until the year 1992. The tour of this castle is incredible. You can tour this facility for very cheap and make quite a day out of it. This is a great excuse to pack a picnic lunch and have a picnic right at South Mountain Park Reserve. The price to view the castle is $5 for people age 8 and older. If you are under 8 years old the price of admission is free.

Mystery Castle Address:

800 E Mineral Road

Phoenix, AZ 85042

(602) 268-1581

The Arcadia Farms restaurant is nestled into the downtown area of Scottsdale and features a very French provincial feel. The owners name is Carolyn and not only does she have a flair in the kitchen but she has a real eye for detail as well. The interior has a design of an old French country theme done up with seating made out of wrought iron, chinz china and colorful pots and crocks.

Arcadia Farms is a great place for lunch from Monday – Saturday. On Sundays they feature a wonderful brunch with an additional menu if your appetite is on the lighter side. The additional menu features many different sandwiches and tasty salads as well as a complimentary pastry or bread selection. The menu is offered at 11am.

The springtime is a wonderful time to visit Arcadia Farms and have either a mimosa or also a kir royale to sip on while you look over the menu. The drinks with champagne are $6 each. They have a handful of sandwiches offered on the menu like a favorite is the herb roasted chicken n on top of a freshly made baguette roll which has been smothered with goat cheese, artichokes and pesto. The price of this selection is $12. You only have the choice of a couple sides but whichever you choose you will surely be pleased. You have a choice between the raspberry vinaigrette drizzled field greens or potato salad made with red potatoes. Some other favorite sandwiches are the ham with mozzarella and onion chutney atop of a fresh baked baguette for $11 or the Tuna salad sandwich which has been made with scallions, jicama, and pecans and smothered on sunflower wheat bread which is also $11, or if you prefer salad as your entree you cannot go wrong with the strawberry chicken salad for $13, the chicken cobb for $13 or the grilled vegetable salad for $13 as well. If you do not want meat in your meal you would be wise to choose the vegetarian tart that is made with goat cheese, mushrooms, and spinach and is served warm for $13.

In addition to the downtown Scottsdale location, (if you happen to be out looking for property management in Scottsdale, Az.) there is also a location in the Desert Botanical Gardens, The Phoenix Art Museum, and also The Heard Museum. All of these locations offer similar menus and pricing. The company also owns a bakery in downtown Phoenix called City Bakery where you can purchase many delicious homemade pastries, and a couple sandwiches decorate their menu. This is a great stop while on the art walk or during your museum tours.

Watch a vide here: Arcadia Farms

Locations:

Arcadia Farms Cafe

7015 E. First Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 941-5665

Arcadia Farms @ Desert Botanical Garden

1201 N. Galvin Parkway., Phoenix, AZ 85008 (480) 481-8106

Arcadia Farms @ Phoenix Art Museum

1625 E. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 257-2191

Arcadia Farms @The Heard Museum

2301 N Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 251-0204

City Bakery at The Bentley Projects

215 E. Grant St., Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 253- 7200

I think there are many of us who are happy to put 2010 behind us. It was quite a year indeed. I have a good feeling about 2011 already, especially with such a strong start at work as our phone are ringing off the hook with calls from people who want to enjoy a vacation rental in Scottsdale, Arizona. That’s where we come in! We are Arizona Lodging Experts, and we manage over 50 premier properties in Arizona in all the top areas, like Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Cave Creek. We have an experienced, knowledgeable staff ready to help you plan a wonderful Scottsdale Arizona vacation. We have been involved in Arizona home rentals for over 10 years now, so don’t waste time looking on your own, just call the experts today. If you want one of our Scottsdale rentals, or any other area in the valley that we might offer, we will do our best to find a great place for you to stay. “It’s what we do”!

We would like to remind all of our winter visitors that there are a ton of great activities and events to enjoy in town during your stay in a relaxing home rental in Arizona. Many people visit Arizona year-round due to the great weather, and many of these activities go hand in hand. You can enjoy the Insight Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, Barrett Jackson and the Arabian Horse Show, concerts and plays and so much more! They predict a warm winter for us, so we recommend you come and take full advantage of it. To begin, you need to contact the experts at Arizona Lodging Experts and find yourself a great property to rent. ALE (for short) offers Phoenix Arizona property management, rentals in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Goodyear, Anthem, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Mesa, Paradise Valley and Carefree. They excel in customer service and attention to detail to ensure you find a great property to rent. Call the experts today at 602-404-2982 and 866-785-2350.

I woke up to an unusual site today when I step out onto my patio early this morning. We had fog as thick as “pea soup” in Phoenix, which is very odd for the Valley of the Sun.

I bet visitors who are in town enjoying a winter rental in Arizona were a little surprised to see fog on the ground, and I bet they most likely booked their lodging through Arizona Lodging Experts, the premier Scottsdale property management with over 10 years experience in helping people to find great rentals in Arizona.

It was exciting to see the foggy conditions, because it’s so rare for Arizona, but it was also difficult to drive in the fog without feeling a little unsafe, you know what I mean. It all worked out well as the fog lifted at about 9am to reveal the clouds over the surrounding mountains, including Camelback and Mummy Mountain.

We are being told to be prepared for a warm winter, so we are expecting more visitors to make their way to Arizona, and we welcome them gladly. If anyone is looking for lodging in Arizona, all you have to do is contact Arizona Lodging Experts at 602-404-2982 and 866-785-2350. They will do their very best to find you a great rental from one of their Arizona home rentals, condos or townhomes. Call the experts today!

On the recommendation of two fellow employees at our office, my wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal, complete with drinks, appetizers and great company, at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. It was a wonderful dining experience in every way.

First, we arrived early on a Saturday afternoon, so we beat the late night crowd. We began with drinks at the bar while we waited for our table. Our table was ready within 5 minutes of our arrival, so great service so far. Once we sat down and had a few minutes to look over the menu, we ordered some appetizers. We tried the Fried Calamari, Coconut Shrimp and Crabfingers, which were delicious as each was served with its own signature sauce of some kind. The Coconut shrimp came with some coleslaw is a spicy red sauce, and it was a big hit! Next it was time to order dinner. Lolis ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Brochette (char-grilled bacon wrapped shrimp filled with Monterey jack cheese & a sliver of jalapeno and dirty rice), and she loved it! Spencer went for the Hudson Bay Platter (shrimp brochette, grilled scallops & Caribbean lobster tail, with fresh green beans & dirty rice), and he enjoyed it very much. I decided to have the Costa Rican Tilapia Lafayette (grilled tilapia topped with fresh lump crabmeat, shrimp, tomato’s, capers & basil in beurre blanc with fresh green beans and spaghetti squash), and I am very, very happy with what I ordered. To top off the meal, we each ordered some wonderful dessert which included Crème brelee and Banana wafer pudding. The entire experience was fantastic from beginning to end, and the service from our waiter Ryan was top notch.

I would recommend Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen to anyone who is in Arizona, whether you are a local resident or a winter visitor enjoying a relaxing Scottsdale rental, (or one of the vacation rentals in Phoenix Arizona) and experience it for yourself. I think you will be happy you did. Oh, and don’t forget, if you need assistance finding a wonderful rental in Arizona, then you can call the experts at Arizona Lodging Experts. With over 10 years experience and lodging in many areas in Arizona, they will do their best to find you the best lodging available. Call the experts today at 602-404-2982 and 866-785-2350.

I couldn’t help notice the amazing sunset last night as I stopped by my local Fry’s Grocery Store. It kind of reminds me that Christmas is just 9 days away!

I love the Christmas Holidays because I get to spend time with my lovely wife and my family, but I have another reason to love it so much; my wife was born on December 25^th, so we get to celebrate Christmas and her birthday together, which is a true blessing.

As we make our way to the malls this year to do our share of shopping, we are noticing a lot of snowbird plates in the parking areas, which is nice to see. I think people are seeing the unusual warm weather we are having in sunny Arizona and they are making their way to the valley to enjoy all the fun and festivities as they stay in a comfortable Arizona home rental. Many activities we enjoy each year are outdoors, so this great weather has done its job and brought everyone “out and about”.

If you are not sure how to find a great rental in Arizona, then contact the team at Arizona Lodging Experts. They specialize in property management in Scottsdale, Phoenix and many other areas in Arizona, and they pride themselves on customer service with premium rentals. Call the experts at 480-429-3844 and 877-976-1234 today!

It looks like all of our hard work this year has paid off because my wife and I made enough money to have a wonderful Christmas season, and still have enough money to buy a plane ticket so my honey Lolis can go home to Mazatlan and see our family for the holidays.

It is an annual trip that my wife makes each year when the money is available, and this year we made it happen! We are both super excited, although I will be lonely and bored while she is gone, like always, so I might have to pull out the old PS2 and keep myself distracted until she is home again.

There are a lot of snowbirds in town right now enjoying an Arizona vacation in one of many Phoenix vacation home rentals, and who can blame them with temperatures in the mid to high 70’s and low 80’s. If you are ready to escape the cold and snowy weather in your hometown, then pick up the phone and call the Arizona Lodging Experts. The Arizona Lodging Experts (ALE) offer premier lodging in many areas of the Valley of the Sun, such as a 3 Bedroom/2 Bath in Anthem, a 5 Bedroom/3 Bath in Goodyear and a 4 Bedroom/3.5 Bath in Cave Creek, just to name a few. If you would like to come and enjoy the above average temperatures we are having in December, call 602-404-2982 today!