Don't worry, there's plenty of parking up front just off street, and entire villa compound gives a very comforting feeling of serenity and peacefulness. How about afternoon tea and hors d'oeuvres after a hard day playing tennis or golfing? Want more of a work out? Try their on site exercise facility with, among other things, a treadmill and exercise bike and steam room. Lastly, toasty evening fires in numerous fire pits scattered throughout gardens on resort's grounds take desert chill out of air. They also give a primal feeling that is balanced by daytime water elements. All in all, overwhelming vibe at Andalusian Court is a soothing calm that again reinforced our weekend motto: R-E-L-A-X.

Our villa had a sturdy solid rough finished wood door to greet you as you entered gate into our private bougainvillea and ivy-covered courtyard. I kept expecting to see small lizards scurrying to and fro and climbing white stucco covered patio walls. Oh well, no luck in spotting any lizards bigger than one on pool BBQ.

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Don and Kim Tatera, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent– Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

Don and Kim Tatera, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

In 1928, governor Rose Mofford proclaimed April 25th as "Hotel San Carlos Day". The proclamation recognized importance of hotel as only property in Phoenix selected to join prestigious Historic Hotels of America, an exclusive affiliation based on historical character, architectural quality, and preservation efforts made by owners who are dedicated to maintaining historic integrity.

The Melikian family, owners for past thirty-one years, have been keeping this tradition alive: to commemorate Hotel San Carlos' sixty-fifth anniversary in March, 1993, San Carlos Hollywood Star Walk was inlaid on both Central and Monroe sidewalks adjacent to hotel with names of famous movie stars and big band leaders who occupied hotel while playing at Orpheum theatre, or Palace West theater, or Riverside Ballroom. In addition, suites on each floor of hotel were named in honor of famous visitors who slept in them.

Historic Decor -

Rich in design as well as history, Hotel San Carlos is visually reminiscent of Italian Renaissance period. The entrances are decorated with vertical ribbed, glazed terra cotta tiles.

Above entryway, at second and third floor levels, are neoclassical column ornamentations. Fabulous artwork by likes of Frank Weston Benson, Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, Thomas Moran, and Albert Bierstadt can be found gracing each floor, making walk to your room like passing through a famous art gallery.

Such an historic ediface is not without its tales of tragedy as well as fame.

"The Hotel San Carlos was first skyscraper, had first elevator, and first suicide," says history-enthusiast Dawna Higgins of Phoenix.

At 2:30 a.m. May 7, 1928, just months after opening of Hotel San Carlos, a 22-year-old woman garbed in a fashionable evening gown jumped from roof to her death in street below. Miss Leone Jensen left a note, explaining that she was heart-broken from being spurned in love by a bellboy who worked in another hotel. Today her ghost has been seen in a white gown, and Barnes says housekeeping staff will never go to seventh floor except in twos and threes. The entire hotel staff talks of paintings on seventh floor walls that remain crooked no matter how often straightened, and clock radios, turned off, that come on again by themselves. A woman's figure, in form of a white cloud, accompanied by unexplainable breezes, has often been reported.

There are also confirmed reports that ghosts of young children have been heard running through halls of San Carlos.

"Four Indian children drowned in well in late 1800s," explains Barnes. The San Carlos water well, originally built for schoolhouse in 1874 and still operating in hotel's basement, is believed to be center of countercurrent. "But they're happy ghosts. They laugh and cackle and giggle. Cynthia, head housekeeper, engineering staff, and even nearby store tenants have heard them.

"There's definitely phenomenon here," adds Barnes. A normally practical Australian, Barnes relates how psychics and psychologists of paranormal have visited hotel and come away convinced of ghostly presences.

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Carolyn Proctor, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent– Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com