4th day of our road trip, a full day of driving to and back from the Grand Canyon, then a 5000 ft drop in elevation in the 1 ½ hr drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix - through some of the prettiest country I had ever seen. By the time we got to Scottsdale I was dead tired and pretty grubby. In the morning I had chosen the top 3 TripAdvisor picks to check out for the night and through Expedia I had one of them that was just too good to believe and went to check it out. Easy to find, especially late and in the dark for someone who didn’t know the area – just by following the little blue dot on my iphone ( 3 not a 5 ) I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled up – I literally drove down the long driveway, round past the entrance, out front again to check the address before driving back to the entrance. Now lots of places I have stayed at call themselves ‘resorts’ …but this was a RESORT. When the valet, doorman, concierge – whoever he was – greeted me at the door – again I asked if I had the right place and he assured me I did. He was my first impression when I walked in the door and throughout my whole stay here –every member of the staff treated me with the utmost respect and consideration – as I am sure they do for the more ‘refined’ clientelle that walks through the door( hey, I’m just a working class hero) This is always the first step in a memorable stay. Of course we both agreed it would be best if I parked my dirty little white truck with the blue motorcycle in the back – by myself – for no charge.
This place was incredible; I am simply not proficient enough with words to describe it adequately. It was gorgeous.. expansive, warm, cozy, impressive, unpretentious while still being overwhelming at times. It was all lit up in Christmas lights,ornaments, displays, trees, anything to do with Christmas- everywhere. It was so impressive that from the moment I walked in I was happy my Sweetie wasn’t with me this trip - we would be there still. And of course it was beyond clean, beyond spotless, it smelled like Christmas. It only got better from there. My room had two of the nicest queen size beds I have ever slept in, everything I had come to expect by now on this trip – iron/ board/hairdryer/ gorgeous flat TV with a great package, deadly fast wifi with an excellent desk setup, and plugs,plugs,plugs. And a few new things - the terry cloth robes hanging in the closet, over the room safe. The bathroom was marble, 2 sinks, killer water pressure – princess pressure for sure – plenty of toiletries and, once again, the phone by the toilet…………….must be the princess phone. This room was beyond spotless – high quality carpet, furniture, bedding, down pillows, artwork, it didn’t have just a clean smell – it smell like it had never been used. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I didn’t get the key for the minibar – for obvious reasons – and there was no microwave – again for obvious reasons. Of course everywhere was smokeless. I cleaned up, pressed my best pants and shirt, put my grubby runners back on and went for supper in a very elegant dining room. I knew it would be expensive- and it was- as any good restaurant will be – but again well worth the experience. Excellent serving staff – the Matrie’D was a bit taken back when he asked what kind of wine I would like and I ordered Corona ( beer is the new wine yaknow) but at no time did I feel out of place or unwelcome. Excellent service, excellent presentation, excellent meal ( the tenderloin was almost as good as back home in Alberta ). I also had breakfast here and again it was expensive. Other meals I simply drove out the entrance to Scottsdale Blvd, turning left and driving into ‘Old Scottsdale’. Plenty of choices. This was just an excellent stay at an excellent Inn. I stayed here for 2 days – would have stayed for more if I could have. It will always be my first choice in Scottsdale – one of the neatest little cities I toured though. Late one night I strolled through the empty halls and shot tons of video of this place – as I do for all the places I review. It’s my way of giving back to my fellow travellers. It’s true amateur video but as one of the community – you know it’s real and it doesn’t hide anything. This one is long and I left a lot on the floor but I put the room at the beginning, the rest is to try to give a feel of the place inside and out – and at night in a torrential downpour , which just capped off the experience. Those manicured trees along the entranceway – they were hanging heavy with grapefruit. But you have to check this place out yourself because you won’t believe it without seeing. Oh yes, the best part of the stay – the room cost $86 – less than anywhere else on the trip. There was a $20 resort fee – but with a golf course, tennis courts, pools, workout room , etc. this was definitely THE BEST deal in one of the nicest places I have ever stayed in. Ever. On a scale of 1 to 10 this deal was a 20.
Do yourself a favour - Check it out.
Video I shot is @ yolotraveller.com http://youtu.be/M74pBS3f80E
location @ googlemap @ yolotraveller.com
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.