Camelback Inn Resort - A Little Slice of Heaven on Camelback Mountain
Written: Nov 12 '01 (Updated Jan 20 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent Service, Exquisite Views, Perfect Weather, Beautiful Property
Cons: Very Expensive!
The Bottom Line: If you can afford to stay here I highly recommend a few days. The staff is fantastic, the rooms are luxurious, the spa is heavenly, the food is wonderful.
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| Tricia30's Full Review: Camelback Inn: A JW Marriott Resort and Spa |
I have had the pleasure of staying at the Camelback Inn twice. Part of my day job involves being the meeting planner/organizer for our annual national sales meetings. As part of this responsibility I get to travel to the meeting location for pre-meetings on details, and then travel again during the meeting itself.
The resort is located at the base of Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale and is laid out with single story buildings, 10-15 guestrooms to a building.
My first stay at the Marriott Camelback Inn was only for one night, I arrived on a Thursday evening and departed the following evening. As the taxi pulled into the resort I felt a change, it was peaceful, relaxed, as if the very air was telling me to sit back and enjoy. I was dropped off at an open-air bell stand where I left my luggage while checking in at the lobby. The front desk personnel were very friendly and welcoming and had me on my way in just a few minutes. I returned to the bell stand where they loaded my luggage into a golf cart and drove me right to the front door of my room. It felt like quite a long drive, but as I walked on the paths back to the lobby I realized it was just a quick walk.
During my first visit I was given the VIP treatment since I was there as a meeting planner. Since it was a weekday and they had suites that were not being used they put me in a one-bedroom suite. It was wonderful! The bed was the largest I've ever seen (I'm told that is a standard California King). I also had a sitting room, a small kitchen area with a dining table and chairs. There was a 1/2 bath near the entrance. The bellman took me through the suite and as his final 'tada' opened up sliding doors that I had thought were a closet and I found the bathroom of my dreams! The bathtub was HUGE, plenty of room for two in there (too bad the husband stayed home). There was a separate shower stall that again was HUGE and had 4 shower heads so you could be surrounded and sprayed from every side. The vanity was amazingly long and sported two fairly deep basin sinks.
I was so tired from my trip that the thought of leaving that room was not appealing. Although it was only 5:30 in Arizona, my body was on Eastern time and it felt like 8:30. I ordered room service and had a fantastic french dip sandwich made from sliced filet mignon. I also decided to really indulge and ordered creme brulé and it was the best I've had in a very long time! After dinner I decided I had to relax in that gigantic tub and soak away the day. It was heavenly! After about an hour of soaking and reading in the tub I got out and dried off with the fluffiest thickest towels I've ever gotten at a hotel and wrapped up in the complementary robe.
During my second stay I stayed in a standard King size room. The bed was still very large and very comfortable. The decor was beautiful. I had a smaller kitchenette with a refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave. There was also a desk, couch, coffee table and chair. Very luxurious, nothing standard about their standard rooms.
The resort featured a full service spa. I spent a day there receiving a Swedish massage, a European facial, and a relaxing day of sitting by the pool, I used the hot tubs, the steam room, and the sauna. The women’s area of the spa was very luxurious, the therapists were excellent and I enjoyed both my facial and my massage immensely! (Again not for those on a budget, my company picked up the tab but my spa day was over $250). I ate a light lunch at the spa restaurant called "Sprouts", of course they featured healthy items (no fried foods on this menu!) but I was surprised at how tasty they were as well. I took a strawberry banana smoothie and headed out to the pool for some sunning and reading.
There are two swimming pools other than the one at the spa and these two pools were open 24 hours a day. Both featured waterfalls and fountains a very nice pool. The one they call the Jackrabbit pool also has a children’s play area that was wonderful! There were large carved stone lizards that spouted water from their mouths, and several areas in the ground that burst water up at timed intervals. The kids were having a great time running through these bursts and fountains.
During my stay I had the chance to eat at their Navajo restaurant and the food was fantastic. The chicken tortilla soup was the best I have ever had. Most of our meals were pre-selected by the company and served buffet style but the choices were great and even on a buffet where it's hard to keep things totally hot and fresh it was wonderful! One evening we had a plated dinner and the dessert called Belgian Chocolate Torte was the single best thing I have ever eaten in my life! It was a small cake with a molten center of pure liquid chocolate heaven. I could have died happy after eating this chocolate dessert.
The resort also features a 36 hole golf club, a small putting range, lots of meeting space, ballrooms, etc.
This is the 5th such meeting I have planned and this was by far the most outstanding property we have ever been to. If you are looking for a place to have a meeting for a small or large group I would suggest it. If you are looking for a luxurious place to vacation and don't mind spending the money, I would definitely look into the Marriott Camelback Inn.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Tricia30
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Location: Canajoharie, NY
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 12 members
About Me:
Recently relocated back to my hometown from Cincinnati, Ohio.
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