My wife and I are running away from our three yeard old twins for the first time since birth. We would like the ultimate in rest, relaxation and recreation. Can anyone please advise as between The Phoenician, Four Seasons Troon North and The Boulders? Are there others? Any constructive criticism of any of these would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Kurt,

My husband and I are taking our 3 year old twins to the Princess. I have heard it is absolutley wonderful, you just don't want to be near us. HA! The Four Seasons is a place my husband usually stays. Have a great time!

We haven't stayed at the Boulders resort itself but in a house on the property. We loved the peace and quiet that staying outside of Scottsdale provided. The grounds are gorgeous and are great for walking if you like that. We enjoyed the restaurants, the pools and the golf. I think it would be the perfect "adults only" location. The town of Carefree is charming with true old Arizona ambiance but there is not a lot to do there. If you like action you might prefer to be in Scottsdale itself.

Boulders: oldest of the three, most secluded, most privacy, most expensive (on average), more southwestern than luxury interior, small pool, most interesting/unusual surrounding grounds, service is 2nd best of the three.
Phoenician: most beautiful grounds, best location, service is worst of the three, standard rooms not quite as nice as the other two but still very nice, rooms vary tremendously in terms of view (a large percentage have poor views), best pools of the three.
Four Seasons: best service of the three, pools second best, worst location/ambience of the three, rooms are relatively new (hotel is only a couple years old) but southwestern and not as luxurious feeling as most FS I've been to, not much else in the area except housing tracts.

Depends on what you want Kurt. If you were willing to pay for an upgraded room at the Phoenician, that would be my recommendation. If standard rooms only, I'd recommend the Boulders. The Four Seasons left me least impressed overall though it's the newest with the best service.

My husband and I stayed at the Phoenician a year ago and loved it. It's right in Scottsdale, so you are closer to more shops, restaurants, etc. in Scottsdale and Phoenix. The grounds and pools are beautiful. We had a "pool-view" room that was the nicest hotel room we had ever stayed in. It had a HUGE bathroom and a lovely patio where I sat in the morning and drank my coffee while looking at Camelback Mountain.
The Boulders and Four Seasons are a ways out of the city and are more golf resorts. The Boulders has a very small pool, and unless you and your husband love to golf, you might get more bored there. I've never stayed at the Four Seasons, so I don't have as much information on it.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

Oops! I meant "you and your wife" when I was mentioning whether you liked to golf. Sorry!