The top-of-the-line Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (800-950-0086, www.arizonabiltmore.com) has 72 villa suites with one or two bedrooms and full kitchens; eight pools, including a 92-foot waterslide; and a covered playground. A bike path runs 40 miles in each direction of the hotel and parallels a canal; a few miles away, another trail bumps along a mountain preserve. The resort rents bicycles ($10 an hour), including tricycles and adult bikes with a carriage. The Kids Korral is for children ages 5 to 12, but on-site babysitting is provided for $10 an hour. This pampering costs, though: In March, suites go for $1,325 a night ($650 after May 24), but if you can do without the kitchen, high-season rates for standard rooms start at $425.
For somewhat tighter budgets, the Legacy Golf Resort (888-828-FORE, www.legacygolfresort.com) has studio suites (with kitchenettes) and condos (full kitchens) from $249 to $489 a night. It also has a pool, a playground and a delivery rental bike service. The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (877-CALL-PHX, www.visitphoenix.com) lists dozens of other options.
I want to experience outdoor dances in Mexico, with bands and people in full costume. Where can I see these and when do they happen?
John De Fabbio
Silver Spring
The music -- and dancing -- never stops in Mexico, with performances held year-round and countrywide. "Every state has its own dance and each one is different throughout the year," says Maria Garcia, director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Los Angeles. "Everything is not mariachi music." The dances, complete with flamboyant costumes and hip-swinging music, honor everything from saints to political events to Mayan gods.
The Mexican Folklorico's Web site (www.alegria.org) displays a map with the Mexican states and information on their dances, regalia and history. For example, the site explains that the townsfolk of Morelos, in southwestern Mexico, performs the traditional two-step, el salto, at the annual pulque party in September, which celebrates Tepoztecatl, the god of drunkenness and fertility. A calendar also lists performances stateside.
For an authentic experience, the Mexican Tourism Board (800-44-MEXICO, www.visitmexicopress.com) provides a year's worth of events, such as Carnaval, held nationwide Feb. 3-8. Garcia recommends the Guelaguetza festival in Oaxaca (July 25 and Aug. 1) and the parades and dances in the northern regions on Nov. 20, for the Mexican Revolution.
Send queries by e-mail (travelqa@ washpost.com), fax (202-912-3609) or U.S. mail (Travel Q&A, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071).
