Every year we try to sneak away and enjoy a night at a local hotel without the kids.  We live in Phoenix and are spoiled with the number of resorts in the area.   That’s why every time we get away we like to stay at a different hotel to experience something new.

A few months ago we decided to stay at the Sanctuary resort for our one night staycation.  Friends of ours had stayed there and spoke highly of it.  Plus, I saw it had recently been voted one of the top luxury hotels in the U.S. by TripAdvisor.  Needless to say, we were pretty excited to try it out.

Where Is It

The Sanctuary is located in the upscale Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley.  It’s only about 15 minutes from the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport (PHX) and is easy to get to.  The hotel sits back on the north side of Camelback Mountain so the views of the valley are spectacular.

While you are centrally located, I would recommend renting a car if you stay here.  Paradise Valley is a residential area, so there are no additional restaurants or shopping located within walking distance.  Both Old Town Scottsdale and the Biltmore area are just a few miles away and have plenty of entertainment and dining options if you decide to leave the resort.

Booking Tips

The Sanctuary Camelback resort isn’t part of any of the large chains, so the option to use your credit card points are somewhat limited but possible.

Using Points – There are a couple of ways you can use your points to stay here.  There are a few credit cards that allow you to redeem your points at a flat rate for travel purchases.  If you have the card_name or the card_name, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase travel portal to stay here.

The card_name card also allows you to redeem your points for a statement credit on travel purchases.  First, you need to book your hotel with the card.  Then log into your Capital One account and select the purchase using your points.  In both cases, you won’t get the most value out of your points.  However, if you just want a no-hassle way to redeem your points, this is it.

Other Programs – When I stay at a hotel that isn’t part of a major chain, I typically like to book my room with Hotels.com.  Their reward program gives you a free night after booking 10 nights.  Just be sure to check the rates offered directly with the hotel first to see if they have any specials.  If the rates are the same, I’d book with hotels.com for the rewards.

Maximize Your Purchase – If you’re paying cash for your stay be sure to use a credit card that gives you a bonus when making travel purchases.  A couple of my favorite options are the card_name, card_name and the card_name.

Check-In, Parking & Fees

Check-In – We were so excited to get away for the evening that we arrived a couple hours before the 4:00 p.m. check-in time.  The gentleman at the front desk was genuinely nice and very helpful.  He said our room wasn’t quite ready but they said they would text us once it was.  The lobby is just a small area right inside the front door, so we decided to take a walk around the property while we waited.   About 45 minutes later, but still before the official check-in time, we received a text saying our room was ready.

Parking – The Sanctuary offers free valet parking at the entrance of the hotel.  However, the rooms are spread out over several small buildings so you’ll typically want to park your car closer to your room.  The hotel does offer a golf cart service that will take you to and from your room if you prefer to leave your car by the lobby.

Resort Fee – I have a strong disdain for resort fees because I think they’re misleading and because they’re mandatory.  However, they are commonly charged at the Phoenix area resorts.  Just be aware the Sanctuary Camelback charges a $39 resort fee per night.

Pets – This hotel is also pet-friendly, so you’re welcome to bring yours along for an additional fee.

The Room

The Sanctuary Camelback Mountain resort is made up of 109 casitas and suites.  The suites offer more room with a relaxing living area. They also have a 2 bedroom suite option if you need the extra space.  If you really want to splurge, they also have 7 luxury villas.  We decided to go with the 1 bedroom suite and it was fantastic!

The rooms are arranged in a condo-like set-up which allows for a little more privacy and quietness.

When you enter the suite, you are welcomed into a large living space.  The entire suite is beautifully decorated in a mid-century modern style.  There’s a big screen and a fireplace on the wall.  This is perfect for relaxing and unwinding at the end of the day.

Just off the living room is the bedroom. The bed was actually one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve slept on in a while. Opposite the bed is another large screen TV perfect for watching sports…or the latest home renovation show if my wife grabs the remote first.

The bathroom in the the suite was large and spacious.  It had a dual sink vanity, a walk-in shower and a large bathtub.

The shower is larger than normal and has all of the toiletries you’ll need during your stay.

There’s a balcony off the living room and the bedroom.  How could you ever get tired of these views?  We visited the Sanctuary Camelback at the tail end of the summer, so we didn’t spend too much time out there during the day.  However, sitting on the balcony was a perfect way to both start and end the day.

Dining

The Sanctuary Camelback hotel has two main dining options.  Both are located in the main building of the hotel complex just past the front desk.

Jade Bar – The first is a contemporary restaurant called the Jade Bar.  It offers a more casual environment and a very large menu.  They have selections that can be ordered all day, as well as specific lunch and dinner options.  There is an extensive list of drink options as well, so can find something to fit anyone’s taste.

Elements – The second option is the gorgeous Elements restaurant with breathtaking views overlooking Paradise Valley.  We had dinner here and it is a perfect place to celebrate a special evening or if you simply want to enjoy a fantastic meal.  They are known for their pork chops and I would highly recommend it.  I’ve never been a huge pork chop fan but when they say they’re famous for something, you have to order it.  It was phenomenal and I would order it again every time!

Amenities

Pools – The Sanctuary Camelback Resort has three pools to choose from.  The large infinity pool is a fantastic place to relax on a warm afternoon.  There are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas to keep you comfortable throughout the day.  If you’re traveling with kids, be aware the pool is only open to those 16+ on Fridays thru Sundays.  If you are traveling with kids, there are 2 other smaller pools within the hotel complex.

Spa – If you’re looking to pamper yourself while you’re on vacation, you have to stop by their spa.  We didn’t have time for spa treatments on this trip but we took look inside and it was super luxurious.

Fitness Options – If walking up and down the hills around the hotel isn’t enough exercise for you, the hotel also has fitness center, as well as tennis and pickleball courts for your to use.

Final Thoughts

There are so many wonderful resorts to visit in the Phoenix area, but the Sanctuary Camelback really is a step above the rest.  The resort isn’t geared towards kids, so I wouldn’t recommend staying there for a family vacation.  However, if you’re looking for romantic or luxurious getaway with your significant other, this is the place for you.

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Booking

The Great Wolf Lodge is an independent hotel chain with 18 locations in the United States and Canada.  Great Wolf has its own loyalty program, so you aren’t able to redeem points with other major programs for a free night here. While it’s not the best value, you can use points you have earned with credit cards that have the “price erase” feature.  Cards like the card_name give you the option to receive a statement credit towards travel purchases at the rate of 1 cent per point.  For example, a $100 statement credit would require you to redeem 10,000 of your points.

When I stay at hotels where I can’t earn points with major hotel or airline partners, I will book my stay using Hotels.com.  Their reward program allows you to earn free nights on virtually any hotel stay.   Hotels.com’s reward programs gives you a free night after you book 10 nights directly with them.  The free night you earn is valued at 10% of the cost of the 10 nights you booked through them.

Regardless of where you decide to book your stay, you’ll want to maximize the number of points you earn on your vacation. Be sure to use a credit card that gives you bonus points on your travel purchases.  My favorite is the card_name.  You can read all about why I love this card here. If you travel a lot, you may also want to consider the card_name or the card_name.

Hotel Location

The Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim is actually located in Garden Grove, right on the border of Anaheim.  It’s 3 miles directly south of Disneyland on Harbor Boulevard.  If you’re planning to go to Disneyland, they do offer a free shuttle to the parks.  However, when you’re at the park I would strongly recommend staying at one of the many other options in the area.  Not only are they closer to the parks but you can redeem your points for free nights at many of them.

The closest airport to the Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim is the Orange County Airport (SNA) which is about 11 miles away.  Another great option that’s just a little bit further, is the Long Beach Airport (LGB).  It’s a lot less crowded and I’ve usually been able to find reward flights there when there’s no availability to Orange County.

While there are several dining options at the Great Wolf Lodge, there are numerous fast food and other restaurants close by as well.  This can be really beneficial if you’re on a budget, have picky eaters, or just want to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.  If you’ll be renting a car, take a look at this easy way to save money on car rentals.

Check-In

As you probably guessed from the name, the Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim is decorated to have a mountain lodge feel.  The lobby was incredibly spacious and had a giant sitting area opposite the front desk.

The day before you arrive, they will email you to give you the option to complete the check-in process before arriving.  If you do this at least an hour before arriving, you can bypass the front desk and collect your wristbands for the water park when you arrive.  Check-in is at 4pm but you can arrive as early as 1pm to begin using the water park.  We arrived at noon and hand no problem getting our wristbands a little early

The adults’ wristbands also double as your room key.  Once your room is ready, they’ll text you your room number.  When you’re ready for a break from the water slides, you can head up and unpack.

One great feature that I really liked about the Great Wolf Lodge is that you can use the water park the entire day you’re leaving.  While you have to be out of your room by 11am, you can ride the slides and play until the park closes that night.

Fees

One thing to be aware of is that the Great Wolf Lodge charges a daily resort fee when you stay there.  While it varies by location, the resort fee at the Anaheim location was $34.99 per night.  There are several reasons why I hate resort fees but there two big ones.

First, they’re not optional.  If you don’t plan on using the “services” included in the fee, you still have to pay for them.  Second, the services typically include in the fee are for things you won’t ever use.  A few examples are the ability to use the hotel fax machine or making local calls from the phone in your room.  Does anyone even do that anymore?  And the one thing almost everyone does, which is park your car, isn’t included in the resort fee.  That will cost you an extra $20 per night at this location.

The Rooms

While each location varies in size, the Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim has over 600 rooms.  They had both standard hotel rooms with one or two beds as well as larger suites that are perfect for families.  I have a family of 7 so we booked a themed suite that could accommodate up to 8 guests.

The room had a queen sized bed, a sofa bed, as well as this fun little room with bunk beds.  My younger kids thought the bunk bed room equipped with its own TV was the best thing they had ever seen.

While the little “kid’s cabin” was a fun touch, the rest of the room was pretty average.  Each room comes with a microwave and a mini fridge that can be useful if you’re staying for more than a night.  There’s also a small table in the corner as well as a flat screen TV mounted on the wall.  The bathroom was basic and very similar to what you would get at a larger chain’s hotel that caters to business travelers.

Dining

There are 9 different dining options inside the Great Wolf Lodge, so there was something for everyone.  At the high end is their signature restaurant Lodge Wood Fired Grill which serves everything from steaks to macaroni and cheese.

You also have several casual dining options to choose from.  One option is the Loose Moose Family Kitchen which serves buffet-style meals throughout the day.  There is also a pizza parlor, an ice cream shop and a donut store for breakfast.  If you don’t feel like leaving the water park to eat, the Buckets Incredible Craveables is located right inside.

The prices for each dining option were typical for what you would find at most resorts.  If you book your room directly through the hotel, you have the option to purchase a meal plan at a reduced rate.

Water Park

The biggest amenity and the reason why everyone visits the Great Wolf Lodge, is the giant indoor water park.  Entrance to the water park is included in the price of the stay for all registered guests.  If you have family or friends who would like to join you at the water park, you can purchase a day pass for an additional charge.  The prices will vary each day but when we were there, a day pass was $55 per person.  At this price, your friends would be better off staying at the resort with you.

The water park has 14 slides, four pools and other activities, so there’s something for everyone.  They keep the inside of the water park set at a warm 84 degrees all year.  While you definitely won’t feel chilly, it can get a little humid.  They also provide free life jackets for your children if you need them.

At the center of the water park is a large water fort that looks like a treat house.  Designed for younger children, there are water slides and other activities that will keep them busy for hours.  They also have a designated area for children under 48 inches where they play in pools and on small slides designed just for them.

In the back corner of the water park is the tower leading to all of the larger slides.  About half of the slides require inner tubes that range from 1 to 4 passengers.  These can be a lot of fun to ride as a family.  They even have a slide that’s more of a thrill ride.  You start by standing in a tube and the bottom falls out from under you to get you started.  This was a couple of my kids’ favorite slide.

They is also a lazy river, a wave pool, and a boogey board wave rider.  My youngest especially loved the wave rider.

Other Amenities

The Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim had several other amenities you can enjoy during your visit to the resort.  They have activities for the kids, a miniature bowling alley and a large arcade.

If you have any energy leftover after a day at the water park, there’s a fitness center on the second floor.

Final Thoughts

The Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim was definitely a great experience.  Everyone loved it and by the end of two full days at the water park, we were all exhausted.  While the rooms were average, when considering the use of the water park, I thought it was a good value for the price we paid.  Personally, I wouldn’t stay here any longer than I thought we could enjoy the water park.  After that, I think you could find a better value elsewhere, especially when redeeming your points.

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We chose this hotel because it was different from all of the rest.  Being a smaller boutique hotel, we were hoping the Hermosa Inn would provide a unique experience.  Let me tell you, it definitely delivered!  Here’s what our stay was like.  And just for the record, this was not a sponsored stay.

Booking

The Hermosa Inn a small, independent hotel.  It’s not part of any of the major chains’ loyalty programs, so you can’t book a stay here using points.  We chose to book our one-night stay using Hotels.com so we could still earn credit towards a free night. 

Regardless of how you book the room, be sure to maximize the points you earn by using a credit card that gives you bonus points for travel purchases.  One of my favorites is the card_name.  You can read my full review of the card here.

Hotel Location

The Hermosa Inn is located in the quiet, upscale neighborhood of Paradise Valley, Arizona.  If you’re looking for a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, this is the place to be. The hotel is about a 15 minute drive north of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, so it’s easy to get to after a long flight.

While the hotel is close to several great restaurants and shopping, none of them are within walking distance.  If you don’t have a car with you, you’ll definitely need to take an Uber or Lyft to get to where you’re going. The Biltmore Fashion District is about 2 miles to the west and Old Town Scottsdale is 7 miles to the east.  Either way, there’s plenty of things to do close by if you decide to leave the hotel.

Check-In

The lobby of the Hermosa Inn was cozy and decorated to give the look and feel of a Southwestern ranch with a large fireplace in the middle of the room.  We were greeted warmly by the front-desk agent and the check-in process was fast and easy.

Once we were checked in, the valet walked us to our room.  I loved that we were given vintage room keys instead of the plastic key cards you normally see.

The Rooms

The Hermosa Inn was once a guest ranch so the hotel is made up of 43 hacienda-style guestrooms. Outside of each room you had your own private patio that you could enjoy.  Because we stayed there in the middle of summer, we didn’t get a chance to enjoy the patio.

We booked a deluxe casita that was about twice the size of a typical hotel room.  The room had wood floors, a cozy fireplace in the corner and filled with Southwestern decor.  The room had a sitting area with comfortable leather chairs and a canopy bed which you don’t see very often.

A flat screen TV was mounted on the wall and could swivel so you could watch it while in the sitting area or from the bed.  A nice touch was that each TV gave you the ability to cast from your own device.

The bathroom was larger than most hotels and had beautiful stone counter tops.

Opposite the sinks, there was a beautiful clawfoot bathtub to relax it.

Or you had the option to enjoy the large walk in shower.

Dining

The Hermosa Inn has one highly-rated restaurant on property called LON’s.  You can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner here daily.  LON’s is a nice upscale restaurant and the prices on the menu reflect that.  Breakfast will cost you about $20+ per person, while dinner will average about $70+ per person. You can enjoy your meal inside in the dining room, or on the patio outside, which is beautiful when the weather is nice.

Amenities

The grounds of the hotel were meticulously kept and the landscaping was gorgeous.  The casitas were separated into two wings and each was connected by beautiful open-air walkways.

Next to the lobby there was a small fitness center that had a limited number of free weights, as well as three exercise machines.  While it’s not the best fitness center, it does the job if you’re looking to get a little exercise in while you’re on vacation.

The pool was located in the center of the hotel complex so it was easy to get to no matter which room you were staying in.  With this being a boutique hotel, I didn’t have high hopes for a fancy pool.  While the pool itself wasn’t anything special, there were plenty of padded lounge chairs around the pool and each one was covered by an umbrella.

This was essential during our summer visit when the temperature was well into the triple digits.  You could also rent cabanas but with each chair having its own umbrella, I didn’t think this was necessary.  One nice amenity which really came in handy, was the small refrigerator in the pool area that was stocked with free bottles of water.

Final Thoughts

This hotel in Flagstaff really delivered on the unique experience I was hoping for.  The room far exceeded my expectations and the hotel itself was a perfect getaway without the kids.  While you won’t find the size and quantity of the amenities of a large hotel, the amenities they do have are of an excellent quality.  If you come in with realistic expectations of what to expect from a boutique hotel, you won’t be disappointed.  I would absolutely love to come back and stay here again the next time we’re in need of staycation.

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