Only thing I missed was the prickly pear lemonade
By Eileen Ogintz
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — I missed the prickly pear lemonade. The prickly pear cactus with its pink fruit is a popular addition to drinks here, alcoholic, and nonalcoholic. But that’s all I missed at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Well & Being Spa.
We’re spending the weekend at the huge—65-acres, 527 guestrooms. The resort is not only Arizona’s largest AAA Five Diamond hotel but boasts the largest spa in Scottsdale, which is spa central with more than 50 spas.
The spa has 44,000 square feet and before my wonderful massage, I enjoy the steam, cold plunge pool, rooftop adults-only pool, sauna, waterfall hot tub (love the way the waterfalls feel on my back!) The showers even have spritzers that provide eucalyptus aromatherapy. Nice! Especially a nice way to celebrate my birthday. I meet a group of young women here from California to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday. They’ve spent the day at the spa, including a terrific lunch, they said.
There is also a Sisley-Paris Spa, only one of 27 around the world, which offers a super luxe spa within a spa experience. I loved the small French pastries on offer!
I’ve been to a lot of spas around the world, and this is one of the best. So is the breakfast at the Gold Lounge that we learn is not only kid-friendly but dog friendly.
There’s an assortment of fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, eggs and bacon, bagels and lox, muffins, and pastry. Kids and parents love at these lounges (usually well worth the extra fee) because they can choose what they want to eat without waiting. (There are happy hour snacks as well—enough for kids’ dinners in some cases.) Families are playing Clue, Scrabble, and Chess—a very comfortable place to get out of the sun.
It may be Labor Day weekend, but it is hot here and sunny. (Scottsdale boasts 330 sunny days a year!) There are six pools including Sonoran Splash with 200-foot water slides and Sunset Beach, the resort’s larges with 9,000 square feet, sand, and a giant splash pool. The Princess Pool has two hot tubs. As we don’t have any kids with us we opt for Sonoran Landing, the adult-only pool that adds to my birthday relaxation.
There are many families here this weekend, taking advantage of summer discounted rates and lots of special activities—everything from dive-in movies, a fishing derby, kids’ club, a meet and greet with The Cowpoke and Bixby at the Frontier kids area, mini golf, a family rodeo, twilight tales, and at the Sonoran Splash pool, Cowboy duck races, River Rapids Relays, lasso toss and more. Did I mention the Saturday night fireworks we could see from our room? (Starting Sept. 11 and lasting until Oct. 31 there will be Pumpkin Fest with a pumpkin patch, trick or treat, rides, games and more. The Fairmont Princess also goes all out for holidays.
The resort now has Privado villas with complimentary daily access to the spa, a private pool and hot tub, private Concierge, larger rooms and more.
Scottsdale is a great bet for a fall getaway with or without the kids. Many come for golf (there are more than 200 courses) hiking (once the weather cools off, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the largest in the country with 30,500 acres is terrific also for mountain biking and horseback riding, as well as an ADA-accessible Bajada Nature Trail) off road desert tours, weekly Art Walks, nearby museums , hot air balloon rides, the quaint and quirky historic streets in Old Town and chef-driven restaurants.
For architecture fans, Scottsdale was Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, and you can tour Taliesin West, a UNESCO heritage site. Ther is Scottdale’s Museum of the West, a Smithsonian affiliate Museum including the Abe Hays Family Spirit of the West Collection, the fantastic Musical Instrument Museum, the world’s only global musical instrument museum. High-tech headphones and multimedia displays immerse you in the music while the hands-on Experience Gallery enables musicians young and old to try instruments including guitars and gongs.
We love the Desert Botanical Garden with thousands of arid-land plants. Even the pickiest eater will enjoy Scottsdale restaurants—there are 800 to choose from whether you are seeking burgers, global tasting menus, The Thumb, a gas station, and car wash which served excellent BBQ, sushi, pizza, Native American and Mexican dishes and much more. Locals love Hula modern Tiki (go for weekend Brunch of Happy Hour) offering a modern twist on classic tiki bars (maybe a luau pork plate, spicy Thai Fish Cakes, Poke, shrimp rolls. The menu is huge!)
But for the weekend, we opted to stay at the Fairmont. We were surrounded by families inside the restaurant La Hacienda, which served tableside guacamole and a huge plate of enchiladas large enough to share.
There is Bourbon Steak, James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Mina’s only Arizona restaurant with a focus on the best cuts of beef, poultry, and fish. (Make sure to try the truffle mac n cheese and the beignets) The all-day Ironwood American Kitchen overlooks the Princess Pool and the Plaza Bar is a great bet with comfy outdoor patios and fire pits with unique craft cocktails.
Toro Scottsdale, in the Clubhouse of TPC Scottsdale, is the newest, in collaboration with celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, with a “suviche” bar—sushi and ceviche, wok dishes, small plates for sharing, and a beverage program that features a large selection of Japanese Whiskies, all with spectacular views at sunset overlooking the McDowell Mountains. They even have a special dessert for celebrations. I’m glad birthdays count!