The Willow Stream spa at the Fairmont Princess is sensational

And the day Air Canada introduced regular scheduled flights from cities like Toronto and Montreal to Phoenix/Scottsdale, many easterners joined them.

Of course Canadians - we make up the largest portion of the state's foreign visitors - are made to feel right at home here by welcoming Arizonians and two Scottsdale resorts that proudly fly the Maple Leaf flag at their entrance.

Fairmont Hotels and Four Seasons Resorts, Canada's most recognized global hotel brands, pitched their tents in the Arizona desert many years ago. And wow, what tents they are!

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is fit for royalty and the over the top Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort at Troon North is king of all Scottsdale properties in our opinion.

Fairmont's Princess was the first of the Canadian properties to open in 1987. Now 24 years old, the Princess just keeps getting better with age -facelifts are always being done at this ageless beauty.

The Four Seasons is much younger, opening in 1999, and trying to find it can be a bit tricky. That's because meticulous care was taken during the planning and construction of this Canadian icon so the resort would blend in naturally with the high Sonoran Desert landscape that surrounds it.

The views from the Four Seasons’ rooms is breathtaking

The hospitality at both resorts is pure Canadian - lots of smiles and thank yous. I swear I heard one of the Four Seasons staff end a sentence with "eh."

The two properties mirror each other in many ways. Both have exceptional golf courses - the TPC Stadium Course was my favourite of Fairmont's two layouts - and Four Season's Monument Course at Troon North ranks right up there with my favoured golf experiences on the planet. Troon North's Pinnacle layout was pretty impressive, as well.

The accommodation at both resorts is equally impressive in terms of amenities, electrical gizmos and elbow room. Princess' oversized bathrooms tipped the scale in her favour in that category but the overall edge goes to Four Seasons because of the breathtaking sunsets over Pinnacle Peak one is afforded from its spacious rooms.

Both are pleasure palaces when it comes to spa offerings. The Four Seasons' 12,000 square foot, 14 treatment room facility is ranked among the best in North America and who are we to argue with the likes of Forbes magazine, which gave Scottsdale's Four Seasons' spa a coveted four-star rating in its America's Best Hotel and Resorts category. The casita-style spa offers majestic views of Pinnacle Peak and that in itself is reason enough to reserve a treatment.

Like the Princess' outstanding Willow Stream spa, the Four Seasons' spa designs its treatments using natural elements from the desert, which Native Americans relied on for centuries to keep them healthy and looking young.

However, few spas anywhere in the world can hold a candle to Fairmont's Willow Stream at the Princess.

The Princess' spa is actually the mother ship for the entire Fairmont chain and what is first tried and proven here usually ends up in Willow Stream spas in Bermuda and Shanghai and anywhere else Fairmont hangs its shingle.

The pool areas at both Canadian properties are very inviting

Eating at both Canadian properties is a treat. The Princess' LV Bistro located adjacent to the sunny South Pool offers excellent choices and the Bloody Mary prepared at our table was bloody good! Not to be outdone, the Crescent Moon restaurant over at the Four Seasons offers tequila 101 classes. By the end of this class, you usually pass - out!

Of course, both have lots of dining options - the Princess' Bourbon Steak room, which overlooks at 18^th hole at TPC Scottsdale, really impresses - and each resort puts an emphasis on preparing lots of southwest and Mexican dishes in their kitchens.

Families might like the Fairmont Princess a bit more, thanks to its abundance of pools - five in all. But Four Seasons is a kid-friendly place as well, offering lots of programs catered to the younger set.

The two Canadian resorts work closely with local adventure tour companies to organize everything from hikes through the desert outback to romantic sunset or sunrise balloon rides over the Sonoran Desert.

The Willow Steam spa’s cascading waterfall in refreshing

When it comes to recommending which of these two great Canadian properties you should stay at when visiting Scottsdale, may I suggest you flip a loonie - heads you stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and tails you reserve a room at the Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North.

Either way, you come out the winner.

The Canadian flag flies high at two Scottsdale resorts

·        Air Canada offers daily flights to Phoenix from Toronto - the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the Four Seasons Scottsdale are just a short drive away from the Phoenix airport.

·        It's always best to rent a car when you go to Scottsdale - and like Florida, cars here are fairly inexpensive to rent.

·        Go to www.fairmont.com.scottsdale for information on the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.

·        Go to www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale for information on the Four Seasons Scottsdale.