The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale

The honest review

The Phoenician sits on 250 acres on the southern slope of Camelback Mountain, at an elevation that gives it 10–15 degree cooler temperatures than the valley floor. The resort opened in 1988, and the combination of mid-mountain location, original desert landscaping, and consistent 5-star service has made it one of the most recognized resort addresses in the American Southwest.

For families, the honest assessment: this is a luxury resort with good family infrastructure, not a family resort with luxury touches. The distinction matters. The Fairmont Princess was purpose-built with families in mind — waterslide mountain, dedicated splash areas, child-first programming. The Phoenician was built for the premium travel market and has added strong family amenities over the years. This means it works very well for families with kids 8+ and is excellent for multi-generational trips where adult travelers have equal standing. For toddlers and kindergarteners who need non-stop pool play and structured drop-off care, the Fairmont or Hyatt Gainey Ranch fit better.

Pool configuration: 9 pools across the property, including a dedicated family pool with a waterslide. The pool areas are distributed across the resort's hillside property, which creates a sense of scale and discovery. The adult-oriented pools (Oasis Pool, Moon Pool) offer the quiet withdrawal option that high-end travelers expect. The family pool has regular programming and is the right pool to be at with kids.

Phoenician Kids Club (ages 5–12) offers daily supervised programming — desert ecology, pool activities, arts. Drop-off available. The programming is solid but operates on a smaller scale than the Fairmont or Hyatt Gainey Ranch equivalent. If kids club capacity and hours are critical to your trip planning, the other two properties have bigger operations.

The Centre for Well-Being is one of Arizona's best resort spas. 25 treatment rooms, a meditation labyrinth in the desert, a fitness studio, and treatment menus that take desert botanicals seriously rather than treating the "Arizona spa" theme as a gimmick. For adults on a multi-gen trip, this is a genuine half-day destination.

Dining is refined. Mowry & Cotton is the flagship — contemporary American, farm-to-table sourcing, reservation-essential in peak season. Thirsty Camel Bar handles sunset cocktails and casual dinner with views. Il Terrazo handles Italian. Multiple casual outlets for pool service and breakfast. Kids menus are available and thoughtfully done, not dumbed down.

Location on Camelback Mountain is the physical differentiator. Echo Canyon trailhead (one of Arizona's most dramatic hikes) is minutes away. The Praying Monk, a classic Camelback trail to the summit, is a legitimate hike for teens and fit adults. The resort's mid-mountain position means sunsets over the Sonoran Valley from your terrace, and the light quality at golden hour on the mountain face is legitimately beautiful.

Pricing is consistently high. This is a Luxury Collection property with pricing to match. The $65/day resort fee on top of $600+/night room rates in peak season makes the Phoenician one of the most expensive Arizona resorts on a total-cost-per-night basis. The delivery justifies it for the right traveler, but the right traveler isn't every family.

Who shouldn't pick this: Families whose trip is primarily about the kids' experience — see Fairmont Princess or Hyatt Gainey Ranch. Families on any budget constraint. Families with toddlers who need intensive pool supervision features. The Phoenician is for families where the adults are genuine equals in the travel calculus — premium spa, architecture, dining, and mountain experience, with solid but not maximized kids infrastructure.