We stayed here early June 2010 on an Interval trade. From check-in to check-out, the experience was almost perfect! We had a huge 2...
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We stayed here early June 2010 on an Interval trade. From check-in to check-out, the experience was almost perfect! We had a huge 2 bedroom unit (it was a lock-off, so the studio portion had a kitchenette that we didn't need). I ordered groceries from Safeway online before we left, so they were delivered to our unit (while we were at lunch by the pool right after check-in). They put the cold items away for us and left the other items on the counter - so we didn't even have to go up to the room when Safeway came.
I felt like this resort didn't try to squeeze money from the guests for little things, and the food wasn't too overpriced for us (we had lunch almost every day at the pool grill). The weather was so coorperative - hot but dry, and really nice! The full daily maid service was so nice!! They will even do your dishes :)
The gym was really nice by the residences, so we didn't use the hotel gym. We did meet up there one morning for the 6am hike - they even sent someone to pick us up at our unit to drive us over there at 5:45! Talk about service.
Also the kids loved the little treats around the pool every day - dibs, ice pops, smoothie samples, frozen grapes, etc...
I do agree about the kitchen being small (galley-style), but probably many folks aren't cooking a lot. We made breakfast daily, and I made simple things for the kids like hot dogs and frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, etc... which doesn't involve much. So really it was sufficient. All the dishes and pots looked almost new - I don't know if anyone had cooked at all in our kitchen prior!
I had asked for humidifiers in the rooms, and they were there when we checked in. Nice touch.
All in all, if I could go back, I would! My kids had a great time (they're 11 and 13) swimming, playing ping pong, eating at the grill (Ocotillo), and doing some sightseeing. My husband loved the gym, I did too, and the hike was fun (but it is hard if you're not in some shape!). The only thing I didn't give 5 stars for was the location - we felt a bit removed from our friends, who live near Kierland in Scottsdale, so did end up driving a lot. Not a big deal, though.