Francisco Grande Resort
Arizona Golf Resort

Francisco Grande, the legendary Arizona golf resort, is located halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, and is just 45 minutes from the Phoenix airport and an hour drive from Scottsdale. The Francisco Grande: Arizona Golf Resort offers its guests luxury accommodations, superb food, outstanding golf, and excellent value. This traditional 7400 yard Arizona golf course is one of the most historic in the Southwest and is overseeded every winter and has over 1500 mature trees and three lakes in a parkland setting.

The Arizona golf resort has recently undergone an $8 million renovation and offers 107 newly renovated hotel rooms and spacious suites with golf-course, poolside or garden views. Every guest room in the tower is oversized and has a large, inviting balcony with expansive views of the golf course and the mountains in the distance. The resort's restaurants, and watering holes provide a variety of casual and upscale dining and entertainment options.

The Francisco Grande: Arizona Golf Resort is like an oasis in the Arizona desert and is the ideal place for vacation getaways, retreats, weddings, conferences, conventions and corporate events. The Arizona golf resort has nearly 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual production and presentation facilities.

Francisco Grande Resort
Arizona Golf Resort

This unique Arizona golf resort weaves a rich tapestry in Arizona tradition, playing host to celebrities and sports stars and accommodating visitors for more than 40 years.

No expense was spared in recapturing and updating the glamorous and unique style of this unusual golf resort, once frequented by movie stars like John Wayne and Pat Boone. You can experience its personality and history in every room.

The Arizona golf resort offers 107 large guest rooms and spacious suites with golf-course, poolside or garden views. Amenities include king or queen-size beds, study areas, coffeemakers and wireless high speed internet access.

Each room has been refurbished in captivating detail, including custom-designed imported carpets, original art works, and charming antiques. Gracious amenities such as granite countertops make Francisco Grande attractive to the vacationer, conventioneer and business traveler alike.

The year was 1961. JFK was president. Jack Paar was the king of late night. Frank, Dean and Sammy were swinging out live in Las Vegas. And farther out in the desert, another legend was born.

The Francisco Grande Hotel and Golf Resort.

A sparkling oasis built to pamper professional athletes and provide a hideaway for film stars and jetsetters of another day, this rare and special resort has been fabulously refurbished and meticulously restored for you to enjoy today.

Experience Francisco Grande and return to a legend.

Timeless. Matchless. Exceptional. There simply aren't many places like Francisco Grande left. But lucky for you, we're here. So make your plans to visit us soon, and discover for yourself what the stars have long known.
 

The resort is only 45 minutes from Phoenix, but the environment and surroundings creates an atmosphere that takes visitors to another time and place.

The Francisco Grande was originally built in 1961 by the owner of the San Francisco Giants, Horace Stoneham, as a spring training home for his team. Stoneham created a then posh resort with a stylish hotel an extremely long golf course and state-of-the-art baseball fields.

The nine-story hotel tower had open viewing terraces, winding staircases and the overhang on the north side of the tower was built to resemble the brim of a baseball cap. The heated swimming pool was built in the shape of a baseball bat. All, to create the feel of a major league baseball stadium.

Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, the resort became a popular spot for visiting celebrities including John Wayne, Pat Boone, and Dale Robertson.

The Giants trained at the facility from 1962 to 1981. From 1982 to 1984 the facility was utilized by the California Angels.

After decades of use, the facilities were purchased by new owners and in April 2003 the Francisco Grande Resort was closed in order to undergo an eight million dollar renovation/restoration project.

The goal, and it was indeed successful, was to turn the resort into an upscale, luxury, boutique golf resort with world-class European-style service. The hotel reopened in November 2003 and has been quietly making a new name for itself in the way of unique and in-demand lodging facilities. Now stars like George Clooney visit the hotel while shooting feature films nearby or just for short vacations.

The hotel complex comprises a total of 107 rooms. Sixty-four of these rooms are in the main tower, which underwent extensive renovation, while preserving the history and original ambiance of the hotel. There are still 43 courtyard rooms, which are well suited for value-minded travelers, and that have yet to undergo renovations.

Every tower room has a balcony or terrace overlooking the golf course or surrounding mountains. Each room offers king or queen size beds, high-speed internet access, cable color television, in-room coffee-makers with Starbucks coffee service, imported carpets, antique furnishings, and marble/tile baths.

The goal was to create a four-star, four-diamond level resort with a colorful Southwestern Motif. The goal was easily achieved.

In addition to such luxurious and comfortable guestrooms, the resort also features four dining options, a cactus garden, a fire pit that makes a wonderful gathering area to enjoy the multi-colored, spectacular sunsets, and last but not least, the famed baseball bat shaped swimming pool.

Today instead of focusing on spring training, although the location is great midway between Phoenix and Tucson to take in a number of games, the main focus is on golf.

In 1961 course architect Ralph Plummer was charged with creating the longest course in Arizona to accommodate players like Willie Mays. In order to do so, he created a course that encompasses 135 acres and measures 7600 yards from the back tees. Not to worry, from the middle or front tees the yardage ranges between 5224 and 6941 to accommodate golfers of all skill levels.

The park-like golf course, which has also been renovated, features over 1500 mature trees, three lakes which come into play on five holes, wide fairways and generous landing areas framed by natural desert terrain.