ellen_griswold

Can you suggest a resort in Scottsdale that is cool for teens but is moderately priced? We'll be there this summer for two nights as part of our 3 week road trip; I don't want to pay $250plus for the five-stars.

And I'm really surprised the rates are so high this summer! Two previous summers recently, we were able to get The Pointe and The Princess for a SONG! Does anyone know why the rates are suddenly so much higher? I mean WHO wants to go to Scottsdale in the summer.....besides road trippers like the Griswolds? LOL

So if anyone can suggest a NICE place with cool pools etc that won't break the bank, please let me know!

THANKS SOOOO MUCH!!!!!

Postal

My daughter and I want to spend two nights in July in Scottsdale for the "relaxation/no touring" part of our road trip, so I've been doing a lot of research on hotels there. Aside from the obvious Priceline and Hotwire deals, which are great but of course you don't know what you're getting before you pay, the Radisson Resort and Spa, four stars and an excellent reputation, is offering standard rooms for $44.25 in July THRU EXPEDIA ONLY. They are $85 on the hotel website. Expedia also offers several other 4 star hotels/resorts for $75 per night, such as the Millennium Reort McCormich Ranch and Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort.

bigtyke

You should be able to get cheap rates this summer as travel is down and there will be (or have been) 2500 rooms added in the area.

An article this week on the Chapparal suites (their 50th anniversary - altho the original rooms are long gone) indicated their bookings were way down. They have a nice location in Scottsdale, convenient to downtown and Fashion Square.

giro

Don't have any specific info but I would look around before settling on Chaparral Suites. It is ok but certainly not a resort. Double tree Paradise Valley is much more of a resort.

MFNYC

Those deals postal mentions sound great and are worth looking into. You can also try priceline for resorts in the area. We landed the Millenium McCormick at goodprice and were even upgraded to a 3 bedroom townhouse (although I think it was just luck, the regular rooms were booked). For more info on Priceline go to Biddingfortravel.com

nina

Luxurylink.com has the Biltmore, Princess and Hyatt Gainey Ranch for about $100-$150/night in the summer. the rates drop tremendously starting in mid-May for all the resorts throughout the summer.

ellen_griswold

Thanks for the replies!

Rhis is a two-night R & R stop within a 3.5 week road trip, so we would like some luxury, without the big bucks

Doing a search here, Sunburst Resort sounded reasonably priced and also fun, with a waterslide and lazy river...any opinions on that?

Also, which is the nicest of the two Doubletree Resorts-- La Posada or Paradise Valley?

Thanks again for your replies!

nina

Ellen, What price did you get for Sunburst? I think they're selling nights on luxurylink too. These aren't the auctions but look under the best buys section, you can get one or 2 nights. I know because I was hoping to get those rates for our trip next week but they were only for summertime. Great, great rates at really deluxe hotels, check it out!

ellen_griswold

Nina, on their web site, i found a standard room for $99. Compared to what it offers, would that be a good deal?

I will check out luxurylink, too! Thanks!

nina

I think Sunburst is well worth $99, but if you could get Hyatt Gainey Ranch, Princess or Arizona Biltmore for $25 more, that's an even better deal. Gainey Ranch's rack rates are $400 and it has an amazing pool area. I know 3 people who've stayed there and raved about it. The Princess is supposed to have a great pool area too.

nina

Ellen I just checked luxurylink. It looks like the summer specials at Gainey Ranch and Princess are gone! They still have the best buy at the Biltmore for $151/night.

Maybe they'll come back with more?

ellen_griswold

Thanks for checking, Nina. I just spent the last 1/2 hour exploring the site and couldn't find them either. However, i'm glad to learn about this new site (to me, its new). Thanks for the tip! And yes, hopefully they'll offer more closer to july.

In the meantime, can you tell me the differences between the two Doubletrees in Scottsdale? Which has the better pools, location, etc etc.

Thanks in advance!

nina

As far as differences in the Doubletrees, I spoke with a reservations agent in Scottsdale who has stayed at both properties when I was looking. She said that La Posada was perfect for kids - It has a million gallon, beautiful pool, ping pong, video gameroom, etc,. More to do for kids. Also the rooms have queens instead of doubles.

Paradise Valley is more elegant, she described it as a smaller version of the Biltmore. Double beds instead of queens. Frommers gives La Posada a star for a great kids resort, and gives Paradise Valley a star for being a find. I've read great reviews on both, and both are in good convenient locations.

The only reason we didn't stay there was because I got Tapatio Pointe Hilton of less on Priceline, and I really like the idea of 2 room suites at Tapatio. It also has cool pools.

If you want a sure thing with a cancellation policy though, it doesn't seem like you can go wrong with the Doubletree.

Alisa

Hi,

Check out the Boulder's resort if you want relaxation. I got a great rate there last summer.

First-class and beautiful.

The_Banking_Scot

Hi,

I like the Pointe Hilton Resorts ( Squaw Peak and Tapatio Cliffs)

Squaw Peak has a lazy river while Tapatio Cliffs has a water slide and two large pools.

Both have suites as standard and in June I can get Tapatio for $79 so I would imagine you could get a similar price in July.

Regards

TBS