My stay at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort was complimentary. All opinions are my own.
When we started talking about a summer vacation, the thought of schlepping 2 kids and all of the stuff that is required to keep them alive on an airplane or even in a car for a long distance didn’t sound appealing. We’ve schlepped with 1 kid before and do you want to know what the most favorite part of any vacation is for my child? The hotel. Yup. This year we played it smart and decided to stay in Arizona and do a staycation at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. It was less stressful, budget-friendly and more relaxing. The resort was the perfect family getaway from the humdrum of our normal lives.
We started our staycation off with a trip to the i.d.e.a. Museum, which is about 30 minutes away from the Squaw Peak Resort. Whether you have a toddler or grade schooler, this place has something for everyone. My crafty and creative 4 year old was in heaven with all of the hands on art projects and pretend play areas. He went on a pretend safari, experienced a black light camping trip, played with glue and upcylced his little heart out. It’s one of our new favorite kid-friendly places in the Phoenix area! If you have a POGO pass, this museum was just added to it. The pass has other great options, close to the Squaw Peak Resort, that would also make for great staycation activities. But really, you don’t even ever have to leave the resort if you don’t want to because there’s tons of family friendly things to do!
When we checked in to the resort there was a small little mix up and we ended up having to switch rooms. Not a big deal, but my 4 year old was getting antsy and the bellhop that assisted us totally saved the day. I wish I would have gotten his name because he was fabulous and made switching rooms seem like the best adventure ever to a child. Don’t you just love awesome customer service that goes above and beyond! In switching rooms, I totally forgot to snap a few photos of our suite. What kind of blogger am I, right?! Trust me, it was fabulous. There was a sitting area with a television and couch that could turn into a bed. The bedroom (with the comfiest beds in the world) was behind closed doors, which is great when traveling with kids so everyone can have their own space. There was also a small balcony with a great view of the courtyard and pool (well, one of the many pools) right off of the bedroom.
Once we settled into our suite (and Logan claimed his bed), we headed to the Hole In The Wall restaurant for some good old fashioned barbeque. Any restaurant that serves their drinks in mason jars is a winner in my book! Amelia met a nice hostess who helped keep her entertained by playing peekaboo with her when she wasn’t busy with customers. The kiddos gobbled up some burgers and fries, while the adults experienced the Backyard Feast. The Backyard Feast (which was seriously a FEAST) was served family style and included a house salad (I recommend the jalapeno dressing if you like spicy food) , smoked chicken, BBQ ribs, brisket, choice of 2 sides (we tried the baked potato and veggies) and make your own s’mores for dessert (loved this!). Everything was soooo good and luckily our suite had a refrigerator so we could take our leftovers (and there were plenty of leftovers). If you aren’t in the mood for barbeque, the resort offers other dining options. Enjoy American classics with a Southwestern twist at Rico’s American Grill. They also offer a yummy breakfast buffet that we enjoyed (with menu options as well). The Slim Picken’s Cafe offers burgers, sandwiches and more right inside the River Ranch water park.
The Squaw Peak Resort offers a Coyote Camp for kids ages 4 to 12. Kids can enjoy swimming, gold panning, creating art projects, cooking and more while their parents get in some adult time. We didn’t utilize these services, but the program sounds like a ton of fun! I sadly didn’t get to experience the resort’s Tocasierra Spa, but their “Phoenix Delight” service that includes a passion fruit-guava body scrub is on my to do list! A spa weekend with my girlfriends at Squaw Peak needs to happen soon! My family spent most of our time at the 4 acre River Ranch water park, complete with several pools, waterfalls, a water slide, 3 tennis courts, 18-hole miniature gold and a basketball court. Oh and did I mention the lazy river that wraps around the entire park? It was heavenly! The resort offers daily poolside activities, Friday night dive-in-movies, a DJ and pizza party on Saturdays and much more!
Our family is already dreaming of another staycation at the Squaw Peak Resort! We had a fabulous trip and the employees went above and beyond to make us feel at home. Whether you are looking for a fun family getaway or a new way to explore your city, I highly recommend taking a staycation! And just to prove that I was on the trip too (don’t you love how moms never make it in front of the camera?), here are a few more camera snapshots from our trip:
Did you go on a staycation this summer? To learn more about the Squaw Peak Resort, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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