Valentine's Day plans - subject to the vagaries of winter weather in most of the nation - are seldom snowed out in the Grand Canyon State.
Because cacti are more common than snowflakes in Arizona, the state makes an ideal vacation destination for the mid-February holiday. Beyond the benign climate, there's a long list of attractive alternatives:
• The Verde Canyon Railroad Chocolate Lovers Festival Feb. 11-12 features
appetizers and beverages with a chocolate slant, including coffee, cocoa, candies, and assorted desserts in the desert - plus the scenic train ride
• A hot stone massage helps aching muscles relax after a horseback ride through the Sonoran Desert at Rancho de la Osa of Sasabe, in the southern part of the state
• The Valentine's Day Romance Package at the Log Cabin Bed & Breakfast in Prescott includes a fozen roses, champagne, and a box of candy
• At the Phoenician in Scottsdale, a weekend package plan with the same name includes dinner, two spa treatments, and a massage package that includes chocolate truffles, a rose, a scented candle, and massage oil, Feb. 10-12 and Feb. 17-20
• Couples that want to be sure their Valentine's Day plans fly can try All Out Aerial, a Scottsdale-based helicopter company that offers sunset dinner packages, featuring a Valley of the Sun tour at dusk and dinner for two at one of three area restaurants: Ranco Pinot Grill, the Terrace Dining Room at The Phoenician, or the Chart House
• Grand Canyon Airlines, the world's oldest air tour company, allows visitors to see the canyon from the air, the river, and the rim the same day (via plane, raft, and jeep, respectively)
• The canyon is also featured in two five-day "Hillerman Country" itineraries, created by a company called DETOURS, that visit the settings of Tony Hillerman's novels.
For further information, contact the Arizona Office of Tourism, Suite 155, 1110 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007 [www.ArizonaGuide.com].
---Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is president of the North American Travel Journalists Association, and a frequent contributor to AAA Traveler and USAirways Magazine.
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