This is where legends were made.

Shake, rattle and clink.

You'll take that on the rocks. Ice cold. It's hot out here by the cabanas, big Monte Carlo umbrellas puffed out and palm trees in full swagger. But it's a good hot. The kind that reminds your pores that the great big ball of fire out there in our universe means business, a dry desert heat that transforms the landscape into a prickly cocktail of natural wonder and beauty.

And you're here. Sitting at the Paradise pool. Drinking a tequila sunrise in the place where it was born nearly six decades ago. Gazing out at the sunset in the place where the horizon seems to stretch on forever and the colors of the desert paint watercolors in the sky.

When the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa opened 80 years ago, it set the standard for luxury, creating a brand so iconic the "jewel of the desert" has played host to every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover through George W. Bush and just about every American celebrity from Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jordan. Earlier this year, the Biltmore opened a new chapter of its history, unveiling the uber-exclusive Ocatilla, a 120-room "luxury resort within a resort" where everything is private and personal - from the lounge to the bath concierges to the pool.

But the Ocatilla would not be just another snobby boutique add-on. This is The Biltmore. This place is the stuff of legends. And legend is not something to be meddled with. After all, Frank Lloyd Wright was here. While he did not design the hotel per se, the Chicagoan was hired as a consulting architect for the project (with student Albert Chase McArthur, a brother of the founding owners). His influences on the end result - right down to the famous pre-cast Biltmore Block - are unmistakable. But the lesser-known back-story to all of this is that during that same era, Wright and his draughtsmen set up an encampment near Chandler in southeast Phoenix to design another "Biltmore-like" hotel for another client. That hotel never came to fruition. But the name, Ocatilla (after the giant desert plant Wright so admired) has been resurrected, representing an interpretation of the Wright vision that was never realized and honoring the great architect's contribution to a legendary property.

The 2009 version of Ocatilla blends the simplicity of the Wright aesthetic (clean lines, natural materials) with every modern amenity a sophisticated traveler could want (flat-screen HDTVs, iPod docks and designer bath amenities by Pascal Morabito).

And the pampering doesn't stop there.

Before your weekend is through, you will have enjoyed an "interactive dinner" experience in the historic Gold Room (with the famous Maynard Dixon tapestries), a private history tour and "dine around" at various points throughout the property (culminating in the restaurant, with special dishes prepared by executive chef Todd Sicolo), and a decadent brunch at Wright's that includes caviar and champagne.

Shake, rattle and clink. This is where legends are made.

The History

"There is a subtle mystery in moonlight, in desert fragrance, in ancient tradition - and when these are found in one of the beautiful spots of the world, in a place apart, and yet close by, the call is doubly strong. Such is the lure of Arizona - land of large horizons; an oasis where those who seek can find themselves. Here in this ideal winter playground, in the peace and quiet of the desert and the mountains, will be erected the Arizona Biltmore Hotel."

It's Feb. 23, 1929, prohibition is in full force and a pair of well-heeled Chicago brothers, Charles and Warren McArthur, have just opened their dazzling new Biltmore-Bowman hotel in the Arizona desert. Knowing their guests might enjoy a nip of the spirits now and again, the brothers set up a Mystery Room with a liquor cabinet that could be converted to a bookcase in the event of a raid. There, early patrons at the Biltmore could purchase a "set up," which included a glass, ice and mixers for bootleg liquor.

It was perfection, just like everything else at the Biltmore. No expense would be spared. No detail overlooked. The roof had a glittering copper roof; the lobby had a gold-leaf ceiling that to this day remains second only in size to the Taj Mahal. But such perfection comes with a price. By 1930, with the estimated $1 million in construction costs doubling and the stock market crash wiping out their assets, the brothers turned over sole ownership to Chicago chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr., who owned the hotel for the next four decades and established it as the iconic "jewel of the desert" for celebrities, presidents and dignitaries. Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned at the Arizona Biltmore, as did Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Marilyn Monroe swam here (her favorite was the Catalina pool), Marlon Brando slept here and in 1939, Irving Berlin penned his famous song, White Christmas while a guest at the Biltmore. The resort became such a celebrity hangout that in 1988, three famous musicians who happened to be staying at the same time treated guests at the piano bar to an impromptu concert. Those musicians were Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Liza Minelli.

New wings have opened and closed, historic sections have been restored and when a six-alarm fire caused major damage in 1978, the Taliesen Associated Architects were commissioned to reconstruct damaged floors and renovate the resort at-large. The result is an American icon that is both historic and modern in a "land of large horizons." The subtle mystery remains.

The Day Trip

Taliesen West No visit to the Biltmore would be complete without a pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West, the desert version of Wright's "architectural laboratory" in Wisconsin (Taliesen). As the story goes, Wright came to the Arizona desert in 1927 to consult on designs for the Biltmore and fell in love with the landscape. For several years he worked from his desert camp, Ocatilla, but by 1937, Wright wanted to create a more permanent winter residence in Arizona. He acquired several hundred acres of desert land at the foothills of McDowell Mountains near Scottsdale, and Taliesen West was designed "to look over the rim of the world." Regarded as one of his greatest architectural achievements, today Taliesen West serves as international headquarters for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and is also home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The Spa

As Frank Lloyd Wright once put it, "give me the luxuries of life, and I will willingly do without the necessities." With that mantra in mind, the Arizona Biltmore Spa draws on ancient cultures and the native tribes of the Sonoran Desert to create a luxurious, pampering oasis of wellness. With treatments that range from caviar manis and pedis to a desert heat therapy wrapped laced with copper and zinc, the spa is a must for any Biltmore experience. The ultimate, however, is got to be the 80-minute Dream Catcher Aromatherapy Massage, which marries heated stones and essential oils with a scalp, hand and foot massage, followed by a full body massage. Just say ah …

The Slope Side

As the slogan says, Beaver Creek is "not exactly roughing it." But if you want to experience the crème de la crème of alpine chic in a Colorado ski resort where even the sidewalks are heated, check in to The Osprey - the closest ski-in/ski-out hotel to a chairlift in North America.

So it's a sunny afternoon in February, and you've just finished shoe snowing up around Bachelor Gulch. You're famished, a bit thirsty, but it's not quite dinner time, not time yet to take the sled over to Beano's Cabin, not quite time for an après-ski mixology class back at The Osprey or even lobster nachos and cocktail in lounge. What it is time for is a picnic. A little something from a café/foodie shop called Dish! in nearby Edwards. Waiting for you, right at the top of the mountain.

A little fromage. A little proscuitto and pate. A plate of olives. Some mustard. Some cornichons. Some fresh bread. Two chilled bottles of white wine.

You know, something simple. Or as "simple" as living can be in Beaver Creek, Col., where the streets are heated, the food is a gourmet dream and random celebrity sightings are de rigeur.

Located about two hours west of Denver and 35 miles east of the Vail/Eagle County Airport, Beaver Creek has slopes that are legendary, boasting the only mountain in North America to regularly host the World Cup. In fact, the Audi Birds of Prey World Cup (www.bcworldcup.com) will be held in Beaver Creek next month, Dec. 4-6, as a prelude to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Equally legendary is Beaver Creek's Talon's Challenge, a competition offered all season through the Beaver Creek Ski & Snowboard School that gives experts of all ages the chance to earn bragging rights by taking on 13 of the resort's toughest runs. But as a local ski instructor tells you, skiing is just part of the experience. Because when you're off the slopes, it's escapist luxury all the way.

You're staying at The Osprey, a RockResorts property (formerly known as The Inn at Beaver Creek) that reopened last December after a $7 million makeover. The new space is swanky and glam, embodying everything Beaver Creek has come to stand for - excellent wine, innovative cuisine, a hip "see and be seen" vibe and environmental stewardship. (The Osprey's design incorporates locally-sourced stone, indigenous metals and Forest Stewardship Council FSC-certified wood.)

Breakfast is served, tapas style, in the fireplace-flanked lounge, which feels more like noshing at a friend's chic mountain manse than a hotel. Concierge service is available 24/7. There are even "bath concierges" to run a hot detoxifying bath for you in the evening. And if you need help with ski rentals or other activities (from tubing to snow shoeing) on the mountain by day, there are "ski concierges" on call to attend to your every need. And with a back deck located just 20 feet from the high-speed chairlift, they'll even help you warm up in between runs with hot cocoa.

Ah, the simple life.

The Scene

Real story. It's a Saturday evening and you're dining at Toscanini. Nice spot in the village with a view of the ice rink. Excellent wine. Fantastic Italian menu. The group is exchanging war stories from the slopes, near-falls and milestones on the Talon's Challenge, when a member of the dining party drops the fact that, the night previous, he happened to run into one Plain White T in the hot tub at The Osprey. Your ears perk up, knowing Hey There Delilah was all over the radio, knowing the band is from the Chicago area. Journalistic minds press further. Back at The Osprey that night, you learn that not only are the Plain White T's in the hotel, they are giving a private concert in the hotel's Peregrine Room for MTV executives and VIPs, also staying at the hotel. Suddenly the slopes are upstaged by the presence of rock stars, and you learn this is what the Beaver Creek scene is like. There are celebrities everywhere, but unlike Vail, the parties tend to be more low-profile. It's tiny, The Osprey. Everyone is, in essence, a VIP. Which is how, before the end of the night you have befriended the bartender and chatted up De'Mar Hamilton, the Plain White T's drummer, about his experiences playing in a band with boys from Kenilworth. The next day, after a long ski lesson, Kathy, a ski tester for Ski Magazine for 17 years, confirms your impressions of the Beaver Creek social set: "It's very quiet here at night. You make your own night scene," she says, adding: "Here, skiing is only part of the experience. A fine wine list is as important as a good run."

The Retreat

Get your calendars, girls. The Osprey at Beaver Creek will host female skiers and snowboarders of all ages for a three-day slope side "ReTreat" Jan. 6-9,featuring lessons by pro skiers and snowboarders, yoga on the mountain and a Boarding For Breast Cancer (B4BC) party with mini-spa treatments. For details, call 800/752-7920 or go to www.vbcrp.com