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| - The Wife and I stayed at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa this weekend for her birthday. We live in Phoenix and are aware of the great deals the resorts have out here for the summer so we decided to give it a try this year.
All I have to say is. . .Wow! We should have done this waaaaaaaay sooner.
Friday afternoon we roll up to the valet parking in our dusty, dirty Mazda SUV (complete with bird poop) in our street clothes obviously looking out of place. (NOTE: We are primarily Motel 6/Holliday Inn types so the "Resort" thing is a bit new to us.) The valets didn't bat an eye. Courtesy and service was top notch all weekend long. Steve at check in was helpful in explaining some of the activities, dining and attractions and encouraged us to call him if we needed anything. He offered us a valet to bring our bags up, but we declined.
The Room: Very nice. We got an upgraded standard room with a single king size bed and a view of the golf course. The room had a small balcony with a table and two chairs. The bathroom has marbled countertops and the shower was stand up only, but all in all very nice. Living in Phoenix, I happen to like the Southwest décor. The woodwork is a dark espresso color and the couches and chair upholstery are leather and leather weave. The table chairs and sidebar are all in a sort of modern mission/shaker style.
My only complaint, and this is my complaint with every hotel I've stayed at lately is. . .What's up with all the pillows? First off, I only need one, and out of the 5 or so on my bed, none of them are comfortable. I pack my own pillow and throw the rest on the floor. The AC worked very well (I took it down to 50 and kept the place like an icebox all weekend long) Internet access was free for the first 24 hours which was ok since I was only staying the weekend and if we really needed it, there was a Starbucks across the street to glom off of.
The Hotel: Impressive to say the least. Lots of artwork and marble, water fountains and fire pits all over. There's plenty of little nooks with chairs and tables to sit down and relax all over the place. The golf course looks beautiful (we don't golf) There appeared to be 3 restaurants on the premises, maybe more and plenty of Bars to get a drink if you're so inclined. I liked just strolling around the property and enjoying the view. Everywhere we went we ran into some staff member who greeted us and asked if we needed anything. They have 2 pools. The "fun pool" with a Lazy River and kiddie area and a spa pool. If you're looking for some peace and quiet, go to the spa pool. We wanted to float around the lazy river which was nice about every two laps or so. Occasionally you have to hang on the side and let the large groups of obnoxious kids float on by. Our obnoxious group happened to be from New York (they mentioned this several times) and had no problem harassing the life guards and other patrons but I suppose it comes with the territory. We spent most of the day lounging by the pool and ordering beers and Pina Coladas. People watching here is fun. I expected the crowd to more of the "Upscale Scottsdale" type but it's mostly families.
Agave, The Spa: I'm a mechanic. I don't do spas. The Wife went and got a hair treatment, blow dry and style and her nails done. She said the staff was very friendly and accommodating and her hair and nails looked great when she came back.
Overall: I have to say I was really pleased with our stay here. We're not complete hicks from the backwoods of Alabama but we were obviously out of our element, which was apparent with the questions we asked ("Sorry, I'm supposed to tip you, right?" and "Is this complimentary?" stuff like that) and by our appearance (I buy my "fancy" clothes off the discount rack at Kohl's) So I was expecting a snooty or condescending attitude from the staff and got none of that at all. They were very friendly and polite, everyone asked if we were enjoying our stay or if we needed anything and were more than gracious when answering our questions about etiquette. We're all ready planning to take another "In Town" vacation next summer and I will definitely consider the Westin as our destination.
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