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| - Spent two days here just before heading over to The Phoenician for 4th of July. If you come, plan to either stay on property or have a car. This is a self-contained resort and there's really nowhere in walking distance to go other than the El Chorro lodge for drinks (though they have a car service that will whisk you over there for $3 if it's 114 degrees as it was the day I went).
As you pull into the property, you'll notice all the mature landscaping and the entry sign that says Camelback Inn: In All the World Only One. And there's a legend printed over the lobby as well above a stopped clock: Where Time Stands Still. Both are so true. The lobby has been recently renovated and the front side is mostly taken up by a large, high-ceilinged great room with various seating configurations. The check-in area is small and set off to one side; on the other side is the concierge area. The back side contains the two restaurants (BLT Steak and Rita's Kitchen/R Bar) as well as a small sundries store.
Both restaurants are fine. R Bar serves the Rita's menu and is a congenial setting with an outdoor courtyard, a bar with about 9 seats, and floor seating at various-sized tables. The chicken soft tacos are great and come with a variety of salsas and sauces. BLT Steak has a huge bar and offers a pretty nice $35 prix fixe menu in the summer. It's also a good place to use one of the resort fee perks--each room gets a free appetizer each day with an appetizer purchase. I was solo here, so I got two appetizers for the price of one. These along with the giant, delicious gruyere popover they serve make a good-sized meal. Service at both was friendly and efficient. They're not the most creative culinary spots in the world, but there's enough variety to hold you for several days.
The rooms are exceedingly comfortable. They're arranged in two-story units of about 16 rooms each; if you have a car you can park it essentially right outside your door. Each block of rooms has its own ice machine. At about 550 square feet plus an outdoor patio, there's a gracious plenty of space. The kitchenette has a mini-bar, an empty mini-fridge for personal use, a microwave, a coffee pot, a sink, and several dishes plus cabinet space for your own food. The beds are comfy and there's also a leather arm chair with ottoman and a sleeper sofa. The desk is smallish, so I don't think it would be very work-friendly, but I pity you if you have to work here. It's worth noting that a lot of care has been taken in design detail in the rooms--there are wood beams set into the ceiling, attractive patterns in the bed accessories, and a leather cornice around the windows. If you can, get a corner room, which has windows on two sides. The bathroom is long and a touch narrow with a separate WC, separate shower, and a tub with opaque glass blocks to let in light. It's smallish for soaking. There are two sinks with plenty of counter space and the closet is adequately-sized. All in all, the accommodations feel more like studio apartments than hotel rooms. If you're an early riser, the outdoor patio is a great place to watch the quail and hummingbirds busily feeding while the sun comes up.
The pool has plenty of lounge chairs with sun and shade options. It's free-form and really more for lounging than actual swimming. There's no separate adults-only pool, so it can get crowded with kids, though there's a separate play area for children that takes some of the stress off. The mango-passion fruit daiquiris will relieve any remaining stress.
Since there's been a hotel here since 1936, the grounds are wonderfully mature and the resort is positioned to take advantage of views of Camelback Mountain, which is my favorite natural formation. On the back side of the resort, there's an ersatz "ghost town" with building facades and a central area that I presume is used for group gatherings/cookouts. Beyond that are a couple of hiking trails that go a little ways up the base of Mummy Mountain. The Red Trail is shorter and doesn't go quite as high. The Blue Trail takes about fifteen minutes to hike and would be doable for anyone in reasonable shape. At its peak is a log-seat observation area with an amazing view across the resort and Paradise Valley to Camelback Mountain.
All in all, this is a complete resort in a wonderful setting. You could spend several days here and never leave the property without feeling you were missing a thing. It's well set-up to be completely relaxing and it's obvious they've given a lot of thought to making it as easy as possible to enjoy the property. Summer packages and specials are outstanding, so if you can stand the heat it's a great time to go.
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