NewMexFlyer

I was here for a 1 night stay April 17. Reservation had been confirmed as suite, according to my reservation on SPG.com. At check-in no suite available, but a jr suite waiting to be cleaned could be had later, it was 1:30, so OK. I asked about another room that might be ready now, as I am alone the suite is no big deal. I was given a club floor king and the unwind coupon, which was unusable as the tiny bar where it is redeemable was packed and standing room only, a very large convention was taking place.
Breakfast in the club was very basic unripe fruit and pastries. The club was packed with what appeared to be one mom and several families of kids,very loud and uncontrolled, not a great experience,
The best part of this resort is the Kierland Commons mall next door. The Ocean Club and RA sushi are both really good.

thaliajen

I'm vacillating between this resort and the Westin Diplomat in FLL. I've been to the Diplomat and loved it, but for the 3 days I have off and the airfare being cheaper to Phoenix, I might just try this.

As a Plat, I'm curious about all the conflicting info regarding upgrades. I'd really love a suite UG and have always received them at the Diplomat. But either way, this looks pretty nice.

Anyone stay very recently who can comment on the rooms, the upgrade situation and what there is to do besides shop? How is the pool area? Do they serve poolside? Is the spa reasonable? I have to make my decision in the next few hours and I think it'd be fun to do something new.

How far is the ride from Phoenix airport? Is it cheaper to use the hotel's transportation or get a cab?

It looks nice, I just wonder if I'm better off staying somewhere I know. I'm thinking....

Wilbur

The K has a very good golf course. It is also a seven-minute drive from either of the trailheads up Camelback Mountain, or a fifteen minute drive from the trailhead to Pinnalce Point.

The pools are very pleasant, including a lazy river, and the service will include anything on the hotel's restaurant menus.

The K is fifteen to twenty minutes directly from Sky Harbor, or twenty-five from the Rental Car Center. Cab fare will run about $30-40.

SanDiego1K

You likely know this, but this is the time of year temps run over 100 degrees in Phoenix.

gregorygrady

You must get an awful lot of speeding tickets in that Ferrarri/Vipor/Lamborghini/Corvette of yours. That's some awful fast driving!!!

Wilbur

Ha!

You are correct, though - it is only a seven-minute drive at 5AM. Although with all the traffic lights the city has decided to install at every possible intersection in the last ten years, I may be under-estimating how long it takes in reality these days.

It may be somewhat longer if your particular poison is to climb desert mountains at noon.

thaliajen

Thanks for the info. I noticed that I'd been upgraded, which is nice. I wonder if they're not at full capacity when it's this hot? Then again, my flight gets in at 10am (I arranged for an airport shuttle) so I might be waiting a while if I want that suite. The time difference really messes with my head!

Am glad to hear the pool area is nice. I have a feeling that I'll be spending a lot of time there in the afternoons. I wonder if it's the type where they serve drinks like in Mexico or Vegas, or if it's the kind where you have to get your own drinks. I hope the spa is nice (and reasonable) as I have a 100 dollar credit I'd love to put towards a massage.

Anyone hear of a casino nearby? I can't find where I read about it but I was wondering if it was near enough to catch a cab without having to pay too much. Shopping is fun but since we had the baby, I've scaled way back. Either way, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

gregorygrady

That's a very good assumption. Hence the reason people were able to find $89 rates there this summer as well. ^

There's one that's very close that should be a cheap cab ride away. It's at Indian Bend Rd and the 101 Freeway.

babsjvd

[QUOTE=thaliajen;12211373]Thanks for the info. I noticed that I'd been upgraded, which is nice. I wonder if they're not at full capacity when it's this hot? Then again, my flight gets in at 10am (I arranged for an airport shuttle) so I might be waiting a while if I want that suite. The time difference really messes with my head!

Am glad to hear the pool area is nice. I have a feeling that I'll be spending a lot of time there in the afternoons. I wonder if it's the type where they serve drinks like in Mexico or Vegas, or if it's the kind where you have to get your own drinks. I hope the spa is nice (and reasonable) as I have a 100 dollar credit I'd love to put towards a massage.

the spa is nice, I did not have a good experience there though. I was asked if I minded waiting an extra 30 minutes for my appt- that was ok. It was obvious that someone who the therapist was with wanted additional treatments. The not so good was my massage still started late and ended early. When I was paying the manager asked how my massage was, I stated it was ok. Obviously he was expecting better and then asked me why. He discounted my massage by half (and truthfully it was not worth even that) but he did try to do right by me. The spa is expensive but nice.

thaliajen

babsjvd- Thanks for the heads up regarding the spa! I tend to bring my watch with me during massages and I will certainly speak up if I'm being cheated out of my bliss! My favorite spas have been the Bliss spa W Lakeshore and Le Meridien Cancun, but I've had so-so massages at many of the spas. I had to review a hotel and spa in Las Vegas once and it was one of the worst massages I ever had. Being fair-minded I decided to give them another shot the next day, but again, it was terrible. Hopefully your experience was a freak occurrence and everything will go well next time!

I'm going to see if I can find some prices before I arrive Thursday. I've noticed a lot of "deals" lately in different spas, maybe this one will bend to the economy and offer something reasonable.
BTW, it was nice of you to wait for your treatment- I don't know if I would've been as nice about it. In situations like that, I always wonder why someone else's time is worth more than mine. But at least they tried to make it up to you.

gregorygrady- thanks for the info about the casino- I hope they have blackjack!

thaliajen

Just to update the thread a bit...

I checked in at 11am and the wonderful "Mike" at the front desk told me I just had to wait and my 1 bedroom suite would be ready. I remembered reading about "casita suites" and asked about them. He was happy to UG me to one of those instead, and thought I would have a wait, but 10 minutes later it was ready. He also told me that most Plats don't care for them b/c of the walk.

The thing about the Casita suites, is that they ARE quite a walk from the hotel. My suite was on the ground floor and the patio area wasn't all that I expected it to be. Still, I got an upgrade and I was happy. The decor was a bit startling (above the fireplace was a cattle brander and a piece of cow flesh with xxx on it) but then again, it is Arizona. I wonder if the fireplace is ever used?

They do have kitchenettes, but really it's just a sink and a fridge. The cabinets are empty and there's no microwave. The living room was smaller than the parlor suites but had a new flat screen, as did the bedroom. It was quiet, too, which is important. But I didn't like being so far away from the hotel and I asked to go back to the hotel after the 1st night. They were kind enough to get me back into the original parlor suite and that was very nice.

The parlor suite has a large living room, a sink, and a half bath. The AC works very well, which is usually a problem for me. Double doors lead to the bedroom, which is also nice. The bathroom was exactly the same as the Casita suite- a glass walk-in shower and a separate tub.

The problem I had was that some sort of construction was being done above my bedroom and started at 7am Saturday morning. For several hours I fell in and out of sleep until it became so annoying I just got up. I don't know what it was or why, but I didn't sleep well at all. If they had to do that kind of noisy work, they should've done it later in the day.

The Deseao lounge was closed so I had been given coupons for the bar/grill where I had an amazing specialty pizza. I'm not a big eater but I really did enjoy it. Between that and the smoothie I had, the bill was less than the $25 credit I'd been given. I only needed to leave a tip, which was nice.

The pool area was quite lovely. It was much busier Saturday than Friday but I still enjoyed sitting on a lounge chair and jumping in and out to cool off while listening to the Penguin Club girls entertain the kids with cannonball contests and watermelon eating challenges. I admire the activities they arrange and found the pool area to be one of the better I've been to. I do also like the free pitchers of ice and cups that were handed out- in that heat it would be a disaster to forget hydration. The waitress I had, though, was NOT happy to be there. She was not friendly, and when I stopped her to order (she had passed by me 3 times w/o looking at me) she was quite grumpy. Maybe they need more wait staff by the pool. I'm just sayin...

The spa is still a mystery, as I was shocked at the prices. I've paid that much once or twice before but in this economy, I couldn't justify a massage. They were about $50 more than the average, some even more.

The nearby casino was fun, but I was VERY ticked off that I couldn't get the complimentary shuttle. You need to book it through the concierge and he didn't seem that interested in pleading my case when he was told that there had to be more than 1 person going. It was their loss as I would've gone all 3 nights, but that's that.

Also, when I checked in I got a message from the concierge saying they had a welcome gift and packet for me. I assumed it was the info on the timeshare deal, but when the concierge heard I was there without my husband, he didn't even offer me the opportunity! He just handed me a beach bag and said "Thanks for being a Platinum Guest." What's more, he treated me as sort of a nuisance when I went back to ask about the shuttle. I guess solo travelers aren't as important. And I would've gone to the presentation about the villas. Just b/c my hubby wasn't with me doesn't mean I couldn't make a decision. I got a kick out of the same concierge as he took care of the next people in line (a couple) and gave them the same beach bag I'd received, then launched into his timeshare talk. I wonder if the female concierge across the way would've treated me the same way?

In any case, the resort is nice, the views are gorgeous and if you're in the area it is not a bad place to stay. I highly recommend the parlor suites and suggest that you stay on weekdays so as to give yourself more room at the pool. It wasn't the greatest resort I've ever been to, but it was nice. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5.

SkyTeam777

How much is a taxi to/from the airport to this property? How long does it take to reach the airport?

asforza

I recently stayed here with 6 of my friends for our 40th birthday (year) weekend. We flew in from New York, and chose AZ for the warm weather...didn't want to chance a hurricane in the Caribbean!

I received an email prior to my stay from my "resort ambassador" to inquire if I needed anything upon my arrival. I asked if she could put our three rooms together, and she gave us two connecting and one across the hall, which was perfect. I really appreciated her prompt replies back to my emails, and she even sent us a platter of fruit and chocolate-covered strawberries to congratulate us on the joint 40th!

The resort is lovely, and the pool area was gorgeous. There were plenty of chairs and the area did not feel crowded, even though it was Columbus Day weekend. The staff was very attentive as well, even with our constant orders of food and drinks. They weren't even put out by 6 girls (well, ladies) who were moving our chairs all around the pool area. The lazy river was a great surprise for us - we spent hours drifting around and chatting.

The restaurant, Deseo, was another great surprise - we went there on a whim, and were all really, really pleased with the quality of the food and of the wait staff. It was probably our most delicious meal in Scottsdale.

We didn't use the spa, as it was VERY expensive, even with the gratuities included.

My only complaint, if this could be one, was the convention that was taking place at the far end of the resort. During the day it wasn't a problem, but at night we were inundated at the bar/lounge with drunken business men who were harassing us and cursing loudly. I travel frequently so wasn't really put off by it, but my friends were taken aback at the men who were really, really drunk and bothering us constantly, whether we were at the shuffleboard table or sitting by the fire pit.

I think we expected it to be more of a resort/spa (which it was) but the convention people really were annoying. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time and my friends loved it!

MarshKing

The drive usually takes me about half an hour. Not sure what a cab would cost, but a private sedan service from ExecuCar goes for $49 each way after using one of their $5 off coupon codes (such as 72MMA, a code for AmEx cardholders).

ryno

Just had a one week stay here during a business trip. Yes, it was hot. Very hot.

The gym here is great, as are the pools. The bagpiper in the evening is a little strange, but after I settle into the swing of resort life I started to really enjoy it. No upgrade, but that's fine. The rooms are your typical westin rooms.

Club lounge was under construction while I was there. I did get the coupons for the bar or restaurant, one per night. That was a fantastic little perk, and much appreciated.

Deseo is an amazing restaurant that specializes in ceviche and fresh fish. Surprisingly it is priced right if you do one of the tasting menus.

A new H&M just opened across from the commons, a big deal for us left coasters.

Staff was very friendly and accomodating, overall it was a great trip and I look forward to going back.