Most people know we are an aviation family. My husband has been a pilot for more than half of his life, and I was a flight attendant for over 10 years. Before we started a family we would wake up in the morning and fly to New York just for lunch. We always knew family vacations would be a part of our future together. Another way to get away with the family when you want to enjoy yourself and not go far is the STAYCATION. So when we had the opportunity to check out the Holiday Inn Scottsdale Resort we were excited. This was actually our first time doing a staycation.
Before you go to any resort you should always do your homework first. So the first thing we did was visit the website. This way you will know what to expect in terms of food and amenities, so you can pack and plan accordingly.
The resort itself is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Scottsdale. Our initial impression was that it looked like a small property due to the small parking lot out front. But upon further exploring, the property was bigger than we thought, and there were various parking lots convenient to whatever particular building you’re staying in, which is a huge plus. No lugging your luggage long distances through the lobby and through the common areas! The check-in process was very seamless and didn’t take very long at all. Afterward, we were helped with our bags to our room.
The Room
We were assigned a Signature 2 bedroom villa for our staycation. When I tell you this villa was the size of a two-bedroom apartment I am not lying! As soon as you walk in you step into the living room which is right next to the dining room, and a full-sized kitchen. Yes, a full-sized kitchen! Even though I knew there would be a kitchen, I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be as nice as it was. There was even a wine fridge in the kitchen!
As we explored the rest of this massive villa we found a washer and dryer. What I would consider the master bedroom had a bathroom in the room. Across the hall were the other bedroom and another full bathroom. We are a family of four and there was more than enough room for us. It was very spacious. I really did feel like it was a home away from home.
Camp WannaFunna
One of the highlights of our staycation was the summer campaign the resort is running. Camp WannaFunna is a variety of summer camp-themed activities for all the guests. The title might throw you off because you think it’s just for kids, but they had something for everybody. Some of the activities they had were:
Adult wine glass decorating
DIY canvas painting
Outdoor movie nights (perfect for families)
S’more Saturdays
they also had life-size games like Jenga
It was kind of nice having options available. Of course, if you don’t want to participate you don’t have to, instead opting to just relax or use any of the other on-site amenities.
Amenities
The Camp Wanna Funna is just going on for the summertime. However, the other year-round amenities are four outdoor pools, with spas, public grills, an activity center, a fitness center, the on-site restaurant the ArteZania Kitchen & Cantina, and The Marketplace. So near the office, was Splash Canyon, which I would consider the main pool with an arsenal of water features.
These features included 2 water slides that let out into a decent-sized pool. Then a shallow kiddy pool with some mini slides for your younger kiddos. There’s a huge bucket that rests on top of the slides and once it fills with water, it dumps water all over the pool. Plus there are the mini sprayers that the kids were playfully aiming at each other, so if you find yourself at this shallow kiddy pool, expect to get splashed from all directions! The good thing is there are three other pools spread throughout the resort, so if you don’t want to go to the main pool or if you want to just “freestyle” without all the attractions you can.
Food
The most important part of any of the vacations for us is the food. We love to eat. The first night we ate at the ArteZania Kitchen & Cantina. There are daily Happy Hour specials at the bar which seemed pretty popular among the guests because the bar was pretty packed upon our arrival. The food was good and the prices were comparable to any other restaurant. The staff is used to dealing with families so our waitress was really nice to our kids.
Attached to the restaurant is The Marketplace. It serves as a coffee shop and a mini-market. However, you can also buy little souvenirs there. When we looked at reviews of the resort online, we were led to believe that they didn’t serve breakfast, besides the microwave sandwiches at The Marketplace. I really didn’t feel like packing up the kids our first morning there, so I decided to pop in The Marketplace just to see what they had. Even though they didn’t have a sit-down restaurant option, they did have a to-go breakfast menu you could order from. So we ordered pancakes and breakfast tacos to enjoy in our villa. They were cooked to order and didn’t disappoint.
The next night we ended up going to Target, which was about a 10-minute drive away, to get food to cook. I really feel like I should have planned that a little better though. As I mentioned before I had no idea the kitchen was going to be such a nice kitchen. However, this was our first legit staycation. I will plan better next time. Usually, when we go on vacation we are so limited to what we can do and bring.
Final Thoughts!
Overall, I would have to say our Gulley Family Staycation was a success. We enjoyed ourselves. We swam every day. The staff was very friendly, and the property was very clean and well-kept. Even the other guests were really nice. Because they cater to families I didn’t have to really worry about my kids bothering anyone. We are very glad we were given this opportunity, because it was a good time, and we will definitely be back. If you are ever in the Phoenix area and are looking for a family-friendly resort check out the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Scottsdale Resort.
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