Local Staycation at The Phoenician
By Randall Smalley (Golf As Religion, @golfasreligion)
There is something about staycations that bring great joy to our family. This is not our first, but this was likely the best all due to the amenities at The Phoenician in the heart of Scottsdale.
We are avid travelers and spend a lot of time in the air and the option to spend the weekend a short, 5 minutes from home at a AAA Five Diamond resort made this weekend very memorable.
We arrived Friday afternoon and checked into our amazing room that had 2 beds, a nice couch and lounging area, and a deck with views of the pool and beyond.
Our kids couldn’t be more excited as it was time for a full day of pool activities which would include the colorful Splash Pad, the exhilarating waterslide, swimming in the expansive pool, and of course, ordering poolside eats and frozen treats!
After an action-packed afternoon at the pool, we went to Mowry & Cotton for dinner. Kid-friendly, but exuding a great vibe that was both trendy and enjoyable for adults, this restaurant has a variety of food options to enjoy, and is located on the first floor of the main building.
We had a 6pm reservation, sipped on a few drinks and then enjoyed excellent dishes prepared by Chef Tandy Peterson. I indulged with the Chicken Pot Pie while my wife went a bit more healthy, and the kids went with the more popular chicken finger / grilled cheese and fries. All the entrees were splendid. We will come back to Mowry & Cotton since we only live a few miles away and the restaurant is open to the public.
After dinner, we returned to our room to watch the sunset over a glass of wine.
On Saturday, I played golf in the morning while my wife and kids did some activities around the resort and hit the pool.
Before we knew it, it was time for our spa appointments. My wife left the kiddos with our babysitter and we met at the entrance to The Phoenician Spa.
Talk about luxurious amenities — this spa opened in 2018 and is absolutely amazing. We started at the rooftop pool, enjoying some cocktails and a bite to eat before our 80-minute massages. I had the Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita and she had Champagne. We need to get the recipe for the Watermelon Margarita – it was so refreshing. After a nice swim, it was time for our separate appointments.
My wife and I both got the Phoenix Rising Scrub & Massage. They started with an exfoliation of the skin and used spa products to scrub the entire body, preparing for a traditional massage.
Having 80 minutes was much better than the traditional 50 minutes as the long work week and active lifestyle called for all the attention to troubled areas.
After finishing our massages, we met in the relaxation area where we both caught a quick nap with herbal teas. We then could go to our locker rooms to shower, steam, and cleanup for dinner.
The most impressive aspect about this spa experience was how tranquil and stress-free it was. From the service to the treatment itself, it was so relaxing and the extra amenities just made it that much better. This is the best massage I have had in the Valley!
Later, we enjoyed tasty American eats with a family dinner at The Phoenician Tavern. After our meal, we enjoyed the live music from the energetic performance during the Tavern’s Dueling Pianos.
Sunday, we woke up to beautiful weather and went to The Marketplace inside the resort for a quick bite, coffee and juice before checking out from this desert-oasis paradise!
This is what a staycation is all about!
When you have a young family, you want to experience all the amenities of a luxury resort, but also be able to enjoy some family-friendly activities with your kids. The Phoenician provides the perfect balance between those two.
However, if you’re wanting to have a date night during your vacation, The Phoenician also has the Night Owls program at the Funicians Club, and for the younger kids, they can provide information on babysitting services. Our kids are young, just 3 and 5, so having the pool amenities made this very special and better than other actual vacations we have done with the kids in the past.
At such affordable rates in the summer, this weekend itinerary will not only bring joy to your spouse, but ends up being an amazing weekend for the kids. Staycation replaces vacation in some ways and we will think twice about traveling to a destination when we have this option so close to home.
Next time you consider your vacation, think about this: a room for the family, a pool for the kids, a spa for the wife, and golf for the husband. As your kids get older, they can join Dad on the course and it gets that much better. We loved the spa with the attention to detail and treatment we received, but overall the pool was probably the most exciting for our family.
We can’t wait to return to The Phoenician to staycation again. It was one of the best weekends of the summer and the one of the greatest weekends we have had since moving to Phoenix two years ago. Plan yours now!
