5101 N Casa Blanca Dr. #12, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

Not for everyone. If you're afraid of stairs, need a backyard, or are looking for a subdivided McMansion, take a pass on this one. If you'd enjoy the charm of a sparkling jewel-box of a house with a patio and enormous balcony that preside over a rose garden and overlook a minareted dome(!), have a look. This pied-à-terre in 1240 square feet presents the best available views in Casa Blanca, which began life as one of Arizona's finest resorts (the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were ready to winter at Casa Blanca until it was revealed to the resort's owner that they traveled with an entourage of of two dozen retainers and rarely paid their bills). The resort property was lovingly preserved, retaining its quixotic quirks, and converted to freehold properties, in the middle 1980s. This is a vintage Les Paul guitar, a Brian Ferry song, a Mapplethorpe lily, a suite at the Langham. There's lots of smooth jazz, Lawrence Welk, and monochromatic sofa-matches-the-soft-contemporary stuff out there. This isn't it. Please come and linger in our rose garden. Boring details: Two bedrooms, one and-a-half baths, excellent finishes throughout, and a very nice stove and stainless steel things.