The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale AZ
One of the perks of my husbands job, which actually is also not a perk, he stays in hotels a lot and collects tons of Marriot Bonvoy points. We love being in this points system because they have resorts everywhere, even at Disney. My husband likes to hoard his points, so the fact that he used this many surprised even me. Now the average hotel room is around 25,000 points, and can go up or down from there. For The Phoenician rooms are about 70,000 points and can even go up to 100,000 for 1 night. To put that in perspective our stay at the Swan & Dolphin (which is beside Epcot in Orlando) cost us 50,000 points a night. So lets get into out staycation at this resort and why my kids loved it.
Our room was located on the North side of the resort. As you can see the resort is massive.
First off the resort is located right beside beautiful Camelback Mountain, and Scottsdale is located about 30 minutes from downtown Phoenix. I can only speak about the kids activities for this post since we didn’t get a chance to check out many of the other adult activities. There is a newly renovated spa, exercise classes, group fitness and more. You can find the link to the hotel website HERE. From the second we pulled up to the lobby we could tell this resort was special. Everyone from the valet to the welcome desk were all very accommodating and kind. Because we decided to use points on a weekend we were not able to get our usual Platinum Elite upgrade and our room was quite a hike. We have a 3 and 5 year old, and having to go up and down elevators just to get to the pool was not ideal. Also if we would of left anything in the room it would of been awful, but luckily that never happened. The map above will give you a more detailed look at the sheer size and magnitude of this amazing place.
One of the great parts of our location in the resort was we had to walk past The Marketplace each time we left our room. Take my advice and don’t drink the in-coffee, because it was maybe the worst I have ever had. It is a great place to grab breakfast in the morning on the way to the pool area.
We loved lounging by the pool area. They had poolside service.
I will post a youtube video at the end of this blog so you can get a room tour and also get a detailed look at the waterslide and splash pad area. You will be doing a ton of walking at this resort. It should also be mentioned that you can't use a day pass for the pool here, but you can buy one for the spa. Resort pass is a great website to check out in case you want to go to any resort for the day, but not stay the night. You can find their website by clicking here. With that being said, sometimes when you go to other resorts in the area, the sense of being exclusive is lost when people come and crash the pool because they have a day pass. So when you are at this pricey resort, you know others didn't spend less to take in these amazing amenities.
The pool area was probably the best part. If you are a parent of young kids, take my advice and grab the chairs right by the splashpad area and the end of the waterslide. It is not where all the action is, but no vacations will be by the action for awhile. They will bring you brings and food to the seats there, so you can still feel like you’re part of the party. Or if you like, you can send one parent to hangout there, while you grab a spot by the main pool. Keep in mind you can’t really see the splash pad area from that higher area, I wish it was all one level. I will say the pool area is stunning. The upper level one is for recreation, aka for kids. A more tranquil lower level pool, and then an adults only pool in the middle. Reserved seating is available for the family friendly and adult only pool areas, including cabanas. side note: you must be 42” or taller to ride the waterslide.
As far as on site dining goes, we ate poolside for lunch and dinner, then decided on Mowry Cotton for brunch. The poolside service was exceptional and it served a variety of dishes. I loved every cocktail and felt like the servers very polite and paid attention. I also liked the music that was being played around the pool area. I can't speak for the adult pool area, but I can image this being busier on weekends. Mowry & Cotton offers seasonally inspired dishes. The service was exceptional and I recommend the mimosa flight with sherbet in it. They do offer a kids menu and gluten free options. It should also be noted that they “usually” have a kids club called the Funicians, and due to covid I am not sure when it will reopen. Here is the website link. Before covid it was about $95 for the day with lunch and around $75 for a half day. My youngest isn't old enough, but I probably would of done the “night owl” program they had offered from 5-9 with a movie.
I hope you enjoyed this quick blog about this amazing luxury resort. It is very kid friendly, and adults and kids alike will have an amazing time.
Is there a resort in Arizona you would like me to explore?
