My girls and I selected the Camelback Inn Resort and Spa for our 8th annual weekend trip. We met in business school, are in our mid-to-late thirties, reside on both coasts (San Diego, LA, SF, Baltimore and NY) and are in varying degrees of marital bliss (some married, some engaged and others single). Most of us of price agnostic, but we do have one sensitive person to be mindful for. That being said...
Let me tell you what we loved:
1. Superb service from: the guys driving the golf courts (they handed out free bottles of chilled water while they drove us from check-in to the spa and around the compound); the guys who came in to spray our rooms from bugs with the vanilla scented spray (when you leave the door open to bring in bags, bugs will come in to the cooler space); the responsiveness of the staff to picking up trash outside our rooms (not ever guest seems to know how to pick up after themselves); the complimentary sangria waiting for us in the room; and the follow up / confirmation that our needs were met.
2. An amazing and affordable spa package, including breakfast (I'm plant based / vegan and I had a couple of good and tasty breakfast and lunch options from Sprouts).
3. Great spa services with a beautiful venue. The treatments: Each of us had a positive experience with our 2 spa treatments. I was especially pleased with the deep tissue massage and natural toning agave wrap. I felt pampered, relaxed and rejuvenated. Was it the treatments, the facilities, the homemade tea, the fruit infused water, the herb satchel (which I still have in my travel bag) or the soothing ambiance from the quiet room that helped in my transition to a peaceful state. Probably all of the above.
4. Although we didn't use the bikes or walk up Camelback, we loved the idea and would use on a return trip.
5. Printed individual spa treatment itineraries for each of the ladies provided at check-in. I also appreciated the pre-reach out coordination. I spoke to someone on the phone when we first started planning who helped guide me to the packages and helped me figure out how to make it work for 5 people.
And lastly....
6. Comfortable rooms with adjoining doors, great showers with good water pressure, and the appropriate amount of turn down service (i.e. soft welcome home lighting and sound coupled with the "enjoy your sleep in this comfy bed" feel).
And here are a couple of things that could be improved:
1. More plant based / vegan options at the anchor restaurants (BLT and Rita's Kitchen). Sprouts (the restaurant associated with the spa) really nailed it.
2. Cooler weather in August?
I am confident that this place will continue to receive praise for all of their guests. They showcased excellent customer service. They even managed such high praise in the midst of renovations. Kudos to minimal disruptions during renovations and the continued pursuit of excellent facilities.