Between the price I paid for the room and the Hilton name I was expecting an outstanding property. It was nice but not anything special.

The good:
- Large room, with separate sitting area
- Good housekeeping
- Proximity to hiking trails.

The bad:
- Room was a bit shabby (scuffed furniture), had no view, and overlooked the parking lot
- Not much close by. You really need a car, although there's a Safeway and some shops about a mile north.
- 5 pools, none of which are big enough to do laps in
- Exercise room (for which a resort fee is charged) is underwhelming, with a limited selection of equipment
- Party destination, not a luxury resort, on weekends. I stayed there Thu-Fri-Sat. Thursday night was fine. Friday night the people next door dumped a whole bag of beer bottles off their balcony. Saturday night, the same room was occupied by a different group who were up doing shots and talking and laughing on the balcony. I called the front desk at 1:15 and 2:15 and it took 45 minutes each time before things quietened down. On checkout, front desk staff were relatively unsympathetic (and the ass't front desk manager was borderline rude), saying, "we have no control over who stays in our hotel rooms". True, but you do have control over how you respond to complaints, especially if your guests are paying over $125 night for your rooms.

Overall, it's OK. I guess I was expecting this beautiful luxury resort and it's kind of just an ordinary hotel with a few more swimming pools.

I stayed here a year ago for two nights. I would love to go back for the scenery and luxurious room.

I met up with a friend who was here on business. Through travel rewards, she managed to get a King Presidential Suite which provided beautiful, condo-like quarters with design touches like high wood-beamed ceilings, a stained glass window in the bathroom and a nicely furnished and inviting balcony off the bedroom. The room was appointed with a fully-functional kitchen with full-sized fridge.

When you walk into the room from an outside corridor, you enter into a great room with the high ceilings with wood-beamed ceiling. The decor was southwestern, and although southwestern decor is a little out of date and seemed so cliche for Phoenix, it felt fresh because it went nicely with the room's architecture.

The layout: To the right in the great room is a large living room seating area with huge sectional and chairs with large coffee table. To the left of the door was a desk near the front window, and straight ahead towards the kitchen was a gorgeous dining table that would have been suitable for a formal dinner party. A little overkill (who would throw a dinner party at a hotel???) but I'm not complaining. Then, from the front door past the dining table was a kitchen. Although the kitchen was definitely a separate room, it melded into the great room as there was a bar counter/stools behind the dining table, so of course you could see into the kitchen from the great room.

When you walk through the great room towards the bedroom, the kitchen is on the left, and then there is a nicely tiled, elegant half bath beyond the kitchen also on the left as you come up to the bedroom door. When you open the door, an expansive bedroom is revealed with large bathroom, double vanities and separate large changing area on the left. Bed on the right, and balcony straight ahead. Our suite faced west from the balcony and the colorful sunsets over the nearby hills were a real treat.

I definitely could have lived here, no problem!

The grounds were beautiful. It's set up like a Mediterranean hillside village with many small winding streets on the grounds. Walks were very nice, although some might find a leisurely walk a little arduous since it is so hilly. Near our building there was a waterfall in the cliff across the street. If you feel like a real hike you can actually meander your way into some open desert mountain terrain on the property.

There are several pools on the property some with outdoor bars which were very nice, though drink prices were kind of steep (and mine were kind of weak). There are also several dining options on the property ranging from casual to upscale. I didn't actually try these places out except for some appetizers at one of the outdoor bars.

There are also several well equipped gyms on the property too. The one I went to was expansive, had plenty of cardio, nautilus, and even an impressive array of free weights. It was probably around 1000 sq. feet, and I only ever saw one other person there. I may be mistaken, but I think you had to pay for gym access, but we were covered with my friend's travel rewards.

Annoyingly, you had to pay for internet access which was hardwired with the outlet at the desk. This was about a year ago, so hopefully they have come into the modern age and put in wifi.

Overall, I would definitely come back and highly recommend this place even though some of the costs are hidden.

Stayed here for one night on May 31st. Got an extremely good rate on hotels.com for $109, which made me rate this an excellent stay. Didn't get to enjoy too many of the property amenities, but the staff were courteous and professional. The two-room suite was very clean and the bed was very comfortable. I stayed in building 27, which was about 300 yards from the registration desk. You do need a map to get around this place. I never got to enjoy the large pool area, but the smaller pool behind registration was quiet, clean, and the poolside food offerings were very tasty. I played a round of golf at Lookout Mountain which is attached to the hotel property. If you book room and golf together, the round of golf only cost $50, which was a bargain for the upscale course. I will definitely stay at this hotel again on my future visits to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

I was here for five nights in early June attending a conference staying in two different rooms in the main building (first two nights by myself with a king bed and the remaining nights sharing a room with two double beds). I also visited the room of other colleagues in some of the other buildings. Pretty much identical layout for all standard rooms: living room (which included a sleeper sofa). short passage (with toilet/shower on one side and sink on the other) through to the bedroom. There are doors on either end of the passage so privacy can be had. As a standard room setup, this is great! Very comfortable beds. Flat panel TVs in both living room and bedroom. Wired internet in room. Lots of space. Good housekeeping.

First, the positives. As other have commented, it is a beautiful location. There are pools throughout the property (so one never far away) and the main pool complex is enjoyable (although describing it as a water 'park' is a bit much...the highly advertised slide is a fun (but short) experience). The views from Different Point of View are stunning. I didn't eat there, but drinks on the terrace at night were very enjoyable. The grounds are immaculate. The staff are very friendly and a problem with our billing was fixed quickly by reception. When I called housekeeping about a missing bottle opener, staff brought the replacement within a couple minutes. They are also flexible about allowing you to stay after official checkout.

As a meeting venue, it is fantastic. Event catering was good, the meeting rooms were configurable for different sizes of events and the AV setup was well-handled. The conference center is next to the main building, so very convenient for those staying in the main building.

Now, the negatives. It is pretty isolated. The hotel does provide a shuttle (for a fee) to get to the local shopping mall, but you really need a car to get to anything outside of the resort. Without a car you are a willing hostage. Internet is $12/day (although you can print out boarding passes for free and they do offer free printing in the business center from your own laptop). As for the food, I only ate at the Cantina (the Mexican restaurant in the main building overlooking the family pool). it was OK but not great and I could taste no alcohol in my drinks (and IMO was overpriced for what you got).

As others have noted, it is fairly spread out/hilly and for those with mobility issues, it can be a challenge. However, the free shuttle service is excellent (one of my colleagues was staying up the hill and the shuttle appeared 3 minutes after she placed the call) and the staff encourage use of the service. The layout is fairly confusing. There are a number of footpaths/bridges that provide shortcuts (so that guests don't have to walk in the roads) but they're not obvious. Again, staff are very good about telling you about them, but I think the signage to these paths could use some improvement. Signage for drivers was very good.

I'm not a golfer, but friends that are commented on the great course and facilities available.