Fairmont Scottsdale Princess review – The Points Guy

As home to the best-attended (and possibly most exciting) event on the PGA Tour, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess might seem simply to be a hotel for golf lovers. With two championship courses, a dedicated golf concierge and an enviable clubhouse, the hotel definitely fills that bill.

But this luxury resort is much more than that.

In fact, golfing wasn’t on the agenda during my stay. Instead, I visited the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with my husband and three children and found it to be the perfect Sonoran Desert retreat for my family.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan a perfect visit.

Related: These family hotels take kids’ activities to the next level

What is the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess?

The 65-acre Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is a fairly new property, open only since 1987. Since then, the resort’s guest rooms and several of its public areas received major renovations, making it feel even younger than its relatively young age. The resort’s hacienda-style architecture allows the mountain vistas and lush gardens to take center stage.

In addition to being home to TPC Scottsdale’s two renowned golf courses, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has 750 sophisticated guest rooms, five award-winning restaurants, six pools, a full-service spa and salon, a kids club, and more.

It is the attention to detail and level of luxury within these offerings that make this resort so memorable.

How to book the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Room rates at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess start at around $420 per night for a standard room in the hot summer months and can climb to between $800 and $1,000 in the spring and fall. In addition to standard rooms, you can book a private suite at the Fairmont’s Privado Villas. Rates at this “hotel within a hotel” start at around $950 per night and go up to $1,700 per night.

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess does participate in The Hotel Collection by American Express. Those with The Platinum Card® from American Express who book a stay of two nights or more through Amex Travel will receive complimentary daily breakfast for two; a room upgrade (based on availability); a $100 property credit to spend on dining, spa or resort activity charges; 12 p.m. check-in; and late checkout (when available).

If you are a member of the Accor Live Limitless program, you can redeem any points you’ve earned toward all or part of your stay. You can redeem 1,000 points for about $42 (40 euros) off your stay and enjoy any elite benefits.

Convenient location in the heart of Scottsdale

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is in North Scottsdale. The resort is just six minutes by car from Scottsdale Airport (SCF), though most travelers arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), which is closer to a 25-minute drive. The resort sits on the outskirts of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, close to some of the area’s best hiking trails and panoramic desert views.

From the hotel, it was only about a 12-minute drive to the preserve. But we were also less than a 20-minute drive from other local attractions like Old Town Scottsdale, the Desert Botanical Garden and the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.

Upscale rooms with thoughtful amenities

My family stayed in the Privado Villas, the Fairmont’s “hotel within a hotel” that allows access to all of the resort’s amenities, plus extras like a private lobby with complimentary snacks and drinks, complimentary valet parking, chauffeur service, a private pool, and complimentary access to the spa’s fitness and relaxation facilities.

Our 850-square-foot, one-bedroom villa had a bedroom with two queen beds, a large living area with a sofa bed, and a furnished balcony. The kids were particularly excited that the sofa bed faced the gas fireplace, which we were able to turn on and off with the flip of a switch.

I can’t speak to the comfort level of the sofa bed, but the crisp sheets, lightweight comforter and fluffy pillows made my bed feel like sleeping on a cloud.

Our room felt bright and airy, and not only because of all the natural light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. The furniture and sophisticated Southwest decor integrated light colors, natural materials and a minimalist design that yielded an open and inviting space.

The bathroom featured natural materials like marble and quartz, the latter of which comes from the Sonoran Desert.

I appreciated the dual vanities, which gave us even more space to get ready than a standard side-by-side double vanity. We enjoyed Le Labo toiletries, true to Fairmont form.

The bath amenities included travel must-haves that many properties neglect to offer, like lip balm, a shaving kit and a dental kit. I’m pretty particular about bath products and don’t usually take hotel toiletries home with me, but what was left of the eucalyptus shower mist definitely made its way into my suitcase.

What impressed me most of all, though, were the thoughtful touches and amenities throughout the villa. The space included complimentary boxed water (and glass bottles for an additional fee), as well as Nespresso pods for making my morning espresso. A minibar was also available with a selection of snacks and drinks.

There was also a walk-in closet with plenty of space to store our belongings in an organized way. The bathroom housed a hamper and full-size clothing steamer.

Fine dining to poolside cocktails

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has five on-site restaurants plus a grab-and-go shop that serves Starbucks coffee.

Toro Scottsdale

Most of the restaurants are located on-site, but Toro is on the 18th hole of TPC Scottsdale. You can access Toro via the resort shuttle, or private car transportation if you are staying in the Privado area.

Toro serves pan-Latin dishes for beakfast, lunch and dinner. During our visit, we tried a little bit of everything. We started with the tuna ponzu guacamole with plantain chips ($22), which even the kids enjoyed.

We shared a few more dishes for our meal, including the churrasco ($125), which included New York strip steak, lamb chops, chicken and chorizo, and is designed to serve two to three people. We added a sushi roll ($20) and a half-dozen oysters ($19) and it was more than enough food to feed our family of five.

Everything we ate was cooked expertly, and the service was above and beyond what I expected.

Other on-site dining options

Closer to the hotel (within walking distance or a golf cart ride away), you can also dine at Bourbon Steak, a contemporary American steakhouse; La Hacienda, a Mexican fine dining restaurant; Ironwood American Kitchen, an all-day eatery near one of the main pool areas; and The Plaza Bar, an indoor-outdoor lounge.

Although we weren’t on the property long enough to try the other restaurants, we made a couple of stops at Provisions for coffee. This spot serves all of your Starbucks favorites, and we were also able to grab breakfast sandwiches and snacks to fuel up before an early morning hike.

Pools and activities for every type of traveler

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has six glimmering pools to choose from. During our visit, we spent most of our time at the Sonoran Splash Pool. This pool was quite large and was surrounded by cabanas (for a fee) and loungers (complimentary). The pool has two 200-foot twisting slides that I enjoyed as much as my kids did.

We also visited the Sunset Beach pool area because I knew my kids would love playing on the sandy beach. During our stay, I learned that the sand is imported from Florida. This 9,000-square-foot pool area also has a splash pad and a zero-entry area for younger kids.

If you prefer to swim sans kids (or want to sneak in a few laps), head for the adults-only Sonoran Landing Pool. This pool has designated lanes for lap swimming, floating bean bags and some much-needed peace and quiet.

There is also a private pool for Privado guests, the Princess Pool overlooking the TPG Stadium course, and the Well & Being Rooftop Pool for spa guests.

In addition to swimming, guests also have access to a variety of shops, fitness classes and a Trailblazers Kids Club. You can pay a daily rate to drop your child off for supervised activities or visit as a family in the afternoon; activities include arcade games, table tennis and pool.

A spa you might want to live in

Often when I go to a hotel spa, I feel like I just do my spa treatment and then move on with my day. However, this was not the case at the hotel’s 44,000-square-foot Well & Being Spa — which was without a doubt one of the best spa experiences I’ve ever had. I felt pampered from the moment I stepped into the space. With interior decor inspired by the Grand Canyon’s Havasupai Falls, I could’ve spent the entire day luxuriating in the resplendent facilities.

I had just enough time before my treatment to don one of the spa’s cozy robes and head to the side-by-side whirlpool and cold plunge. I started in the cold plunge and was able to walk just a few steps to the warm, soothing whirlpool.

For my treatment, I chose the 60-minute Desert Oasis Detoxifying Wrap ($215). This included an herbal clay body wrap and a turquoise sage arnica body lotion to help with muscle fatigue. The treatment felt indulgent and relaxing, and the therapist was friendly and very helpful when I needed to get to and from the shower modestly to rinse off my body wrap.

The spa offers a full menu of services, including facials, massages, body scrubs, prenatal treatments and salon services like manicures, pedicures and hair styling.

With my spa treatment, I could have stayed in the spa as long as I wanted to enjoy the private rooftop pool, sauna, Swiss shower, inhalation room and cafe, but, alas, my motherly duties called me back to my family.

Reasons the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess might not be for you

As much as I loved my stay, there are a few reasons the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess might not be the right fit for your Scottsdale vacation:

• The price: Rooms at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess start at more than $400 per night. If you prefer budget-friendly properties, you may want to look elsewhere.
• If you are traveling with a large family: Standard rooms at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess sleep four guests. If you usually stay in a room with two beds and a sofa bed to accommodate your family, these rooms may not work for you unless you opt for a suite.

Accessibility

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant property. As such, the hotel offers several rooms and room types that are wheelchair accessible. The hotel’s public areas — including the lobby, restaurants, pool areas, spa, fitness center and meeting rooms — are also wheelchair friendly.

The only area of the hotel that is not wheelchair accessible is the Privado section. You need to climb stairs to access the Privado Villas.

Checking out

I think I can safely speak for my whole family when I say we enjoyed our time at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and we hope to return in the future. It’s the type of resort where you feel thoroughly pampered from the moment you step through the door.

While I may never become an actual princess, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess sure made me feel like royalty.

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