Nestled in a quiet corner of McCormick Ranch beneath and surrounded by rolling golf greens, the Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center is an idyllic southwestern hacienda. My mother and I decided a quick, spontaneous staycation was imperative this weekend, and with sweet summer deals, the Scottsdale Resort, on a weekend of what we describe as beautiful drizzling rain and relieving, cool temperatures was the perfect choice.
I had never been to the Valley treasure, with its adobe walls and grand maple staircases and quaint, four-star eateries. We had choices like the Palm Club Restaurant or Vista Verde, but we wanted to relax, so we headed to roomy, comfortable lounge Sangria’s, which has thick, cognac leather chairs, huge pool tables, tall bars for big groups and a romantic patio. Due to the 80-degree temps and tolerable humidity we enjoyed a sunset dinner on the porch, which under tall trees softly sits next to where the golf course slopes to the edge of the facility. We took advantage – no shame here! – of the $5 happy hour Sangria’s has from 3 – 6 p.m. daily, sipping on sweet white sangria and margaritas.
I haven’t waited a half hour after eating before swimming in years, so we headed to the lengthy lap pool in the resort courtyard with the ivy and magnificent, crawling shade trees (excuse me that the names of these trees slips my mind) for a dip before the sun went down. It was a little warm in the hot tub, but honestly, I never say no to a jacuzzi, so after a lap or two we relaxed in the whirlpool with a drink (hey – it’s summer) in hand.
As the sky grew dark and more clouds moved in, we settled back in our homey room on delicious feather pillows. The rooms are warm and inviting, like one is nesting in an uncle’s chateau somewhere deep in the desert, maybe deep in the past, but nothing is dated or dark. Obviously, it sounds like I like to relax, so relax is what we did, and I admit I may have fallen asleep pretty early (blame in on the drinks). In the morning, light sun streamed through the wooden shutters, masked by those ephemeral trees in the courtyard below. I had to head to work (here I am!) but I sincerely want to visit again.
Oh, and there was a Hershey’s convention going on the whole time. It.was.awesome.
Interested in staying at The Scottsdale Resort? Click here.
