Recently spent a weekend in the comfort of the Montelucia and was pleasantly surprised at the homey comfort feeling. Maybe it has to do with the recession, but the Montelucia is certainly more laid back and friendly than the prim and proper Phoenician, or the elegant and lovely Biltmore - both of which have their time and place, but for a lux hang-out weekend the Montelucia did the trick. Our room was standard sized but sumptuously outfitted, with a lovely back deck facing Camelback Mountain. The "adults only" pool is also an option near and dear to my heart, as I appreciate the lack of screaming tots and preening teens. The afternoon with friends was spent at the main pool - a rather chaotic but clean gigantic pool with an adjacent open air cafe and bar. We rented a covered cabana - a prerequisite for spending an afternoon in the Arizona summer sun.
The place is laid out a little wacky, resulting in an inordinate amount of time spent hiking between pool/restaurant and the room in the mid-afternoon sun. The restaurant situation needs improvement (see my review of Prado), and an indoor place to wait for the valet to deliver the car would also be appreciated. While the summer deals for locals are impressive and I was pleased with the accommodations, the cost of eating at the hotel will probably send me elsewhere for my next staycation.