Arizona day 1

After a few days of rest it was time to set out on our final adventure of the summer.  Actually this trip would be a lot about nothing!  The plan was to hang out and relax which doesn't happen very often when we travel.  There are some amazing hotels in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area that also come with an amazing price tag, but if you are willing to brave the hot Arizona sun in August you can score some amazing deals too!  I mean all we were planning to do was sit by the pool and relax so sounds perfect to me.  Our first hotel was The Arizona Biltmore Hotel by Waldorf Astoria.

I was excited about this one and our deal was a cottage with a fire pit and the all inclusive package!  I could not wait.  So we arrived and once again I used my credit card points for the free shuttle transfer which worked out perfect and only had to wait 15 minutes!  We arrived before our room was ready so we were offered an upgrade.  I had read some reviews that said they often offer upgrades that are not really upgrades so ask to check out the room first which is exactly what we did.  I booked a cottage and was given keys to a regular room overlooking the pool . . . it was nice but it wasn't a cottage and did not seem like an upgrade to me.  So we returned to the front desk and declined the upgrade and waited for our room which wasn't ready until around 5:00pm . . . which was almost an hour after the check in time.  We headed to our cottage . . .

Hopefully inside is just as charming as outside . . .

 Oh let's open those curtains . . .

Yes, there is the patio with the non working fire pit . . .

. . . I was glad we waited but also disappointed because I asked about the fire pit and she said since it is so hot they are not working.  I wasn't happy that I paid $20 more a night for it and it wasn't even working but went on my way.  Anyway, I was happy with the room even though it wasn't the same one I picked when I did the online check in . . . it is what it is and the location was good!  Colin headed straight for the closet and was thrilled to find robes!  This kid is super spoiled.  So I booked the all inclusive package which included 3 meals a day, parking, and the dreaded resort fee.  I am not a fan of resort fees!  Usually, you don't even use all that they are suppose to include but apparently hotels can get away with it so they continue to charge it.  I think top tier loyalty members should have that as an included perk!  Our meal vouchers were for breakfast ($50), lunch ($62), and dinner ($100).  Now we are talking about a hotel restaurant so the prices are a bit inflated but with this voucher it included any drinks and on top of the amount above they added tax and 15% gratuity.  The value of the vouchers was more than what I paid for our room/package per night so again I thought it was a great deal!  We did not use parking but also did not have to pay the additional resort fee of $28 per night!  So we settled into the room and headed out to dinner at Frank & Albert's.  I told Colin we had $100 for the two of us and of course he ordered steak.  I wasn't that hungry so ordered onion rings and a crab cake . . .

. . . Colin's steak was not that great, but he was excited about dessert!

. . . that would be table side s'mores.  Our bill was $92 so we did good!  We decided to go for a swim but there was a monsoon blowing in so just headed to the room to make use of the soft robes.