Phoenician Hotel Scottsdale Review

The Phoenician Scottsdale is part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection of hotels. The Phoenician is tucked into the Sonoran Desert near the iconic Camelback Mountain. From the moment you arrive at the Phoenician, you’re greeted by exceptionally trained and hospitable staff.

My room was located on the third floor of the hotel and it was quite large and had a spacious balcony, with lounge chair, that over looked the gardens and pools. The hotel room had a king sized bed and very luxurious linens. There was a small living area with couch, chair and desk. The desk had a great view of the mountains. The bathroom was very large with a shower, sunken bath, two sinks and private toilet. There were two very comfortable robes and plenty of large bath towels in the bathroom. The shower had great water pressure and Remede bath products, some of my favorites!

There are 9 pools at the resort – which was great because I could always find one without splashing children. The spa – The Center for Well Being, and salon – Salon Mila – offer a variety of relaxing services (more on those later). There is a cactus garden – which had it not been 109 degrees I might have enjoyed – I did take a few touristy cactus photos for the collection. The Phoenician boasts a $25 million dollar art collection and if you take a guided tour of the collection, you will receive complimentary tickets to the Phoenix Art Museum or Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (if you’re trying to avoid the scorching temperatures outside, museums are a great way to do that. The hotel also has a 27-hole golf course and tennis complex.

In addition to the amenities the resort offered, there were 11 restaurants and lounges. I had the opportunity to visit a few. Relish Burger Bar, located above the golf club, is a casual restaurant with reasonable prices and amazing burgers. I had a Kobe Beef Burger with mushrooms and onions and a side of garlic fries. It was delish! The burger was cooked perfectly and the fires were perfect. The manager told me that the fried pickles were a house specialty, but I was too stuffed to try them.

Il-terrazzo is an American-Italian styled restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can choose from indoor or outdoor seating. I sat outside Saturday morning around 7am for breakfast and it was very nice, however, I made the mistake of sitting outside Saturday night in nearly 108 degree heat wearing jeans and long sleeves. Make sure you dress accordingly. The service at the restaurant is impeccable and everyone greets you by name.

I had a variety of meals at Il-Terrazzo – breakfast was always great. I tried the Pecan Waffles with bourbon syrup – very nice – the lox and bagels, deconstructed and very filing; and the American Breakfast (two eggs, potatoes and sausage or bacon) it was the most standard hotel-style food I had the entire weekend.

The most amazing meal came at celebrity Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten J&G Steakhouse (for those of your die-hard Starwood fans – you’ll recognize Chef Jean-Georges name from his collaborations with the Le Meridien hotels.) J&G sits on top of the Phoenician hotel and offers spectacular views of the mountains. The restaurant offers several dining options – the Neighborhood Menu – a price fixed three-course meal – offered between 5pm – 7pm, the standard price fixed menu and the a la carte menu. I choose the Neighborhood Menu and was taken on an amazing culinary adventure. I started with the Asparagus and Goat Cheese Salad with Grilled Shitake Vinaigrette. It was so tasty and a great way to start the meal. My main course was the Slowly Cooked Salmon over Warm Potato Salad and Sugar Snap Peas reduction with fresh horseradish. The meal was capped by a sinful and decadent Warm Chocolate Cake with Caramel Ice Cream on a bed of salt and powdered sugar. The meal was truly amazing and quite a deal at only $38 (plus taxes and gratuity). I highly recommend you visit any Jean-Georges restaurant around the world – you won’t be disappointed.

Join us for a travel meet-up in Scottsdale/Phoenix at the beautiful Phoenician Hotel July 24-26 2015. Click here for more info

I’ve visited Scottsdale many times and during different seasons. I got to witness first-hand a sand storm and temperatures that soared above 110! I would absolutely return to the Phoenician hotel anytime – the food was superb, the service exceptional, the spa relaxing and the pools were stunning.

The Mountains at the Phoenician