Best Things Nearby:
There are numerous activities in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, from shopping to golf and desert sightseeing. The Tournament Players Club (TPC) of Scottsdale is just a quarter mile south of the resort. Sedona, in the middle of Red Rock country, is just 90-minutes north of the resort, and well worth the drive. There are lots of great hiking spots there. I would recommend a book,
Sedona Hikes, by Richard and Sherry Mangum. It lists 135 day\-hikes of all abilities, for the Sedona area.
Best Things About the Resort:
The Sheraton Desert Oasis has numerous activities going on all week, from kid’s crafts to wine tasting to Indian storytellers, water activities, and two welcome orientations featuring Krispy Kreme donuts. If you are at the main pool and want a cool refreshing spot to relax, take a lounge chair to the backside of the waterfall. It’s a perfect place to enjoy the backside of water. The resort has a second pool area they call the quiet pool. It is much smaller, but in a location away from all the activities and perfect for getting away.
Resort Experience:
We booked a week’s relaxation time at the Sheraton Desert Oasis, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Our time there is September 19 until September 26. This is a bonus week trade into a deluxe 1-bedroom unit. We called ahead to request a unit near the quiet pool area, and in an upstairs location. When we arrived to check-in, we found we were assigned a first floor unit at the large family pool. The clerk told us the rooms had already been pre-assigned the morning of our arrival. She did note we had made the request, but went on to tell us that there were no 1-bedroom deluxe units in the location we had requested. Since we were about an hour earlier than the allotted check-in time, she told us she would work on finding us a suitable unit and to check back at 4pm. To her credit, when we returned, she had us in a third floor unit far away from the family pool, as we requested.
It is a good idea to call the resort directly, prior to your arrival date, to check on routing to the resort. The Highway 101 Loop is completed now and the exit is just a ¼ mile from the resort. There is a lot of road construction around the area and some roads as well as some freeway ramps were closed. We used the direction found on-line at the resort web page, which were much better than what RCI supplied.
While we waited for check-in, we went shopping for the few things we didn’t bring with us. There is a very large shopping center just 2 miles east of the resort. There you will find among other things a Sam’s Club, a Wal-Mart Super Center, and a Costco. Both the Costco and Sam’s have gas stations, with very good gas prices. The Sam’s gas is open to the public, but, of course, you save a few pennies by using your club card at the pump.
The resort has buildings that have two or three floors. There are elevators available in the three story buildings. The units are reasonably sized and laid out well. The kitchen is a little cramped. In our unit, if you open the drawer next to the refrigerator, the refrigerator door would also open, it was so close. It is, however, well stocked with most all items you might need for a week’s stay. The resort supplies two small packets of dishwashing detergent, but did not supply any detergent for the clothes washer, which is also located in the kitchen area, in a small closet.
The bedroom is roomy and the Jacuzzi bathtub is located in a corner of the room. The Jacuzzi is nice and relaxing and has a very soothing, relaxing waterfall feature. The king-size bed is nice, but they do not supply fitted sheets, so if you do a lot of tossing overnight, things will be a mess in the morning. The bathroom has two sinks and access from both the bedroom and the forward hall/entry. There is a separate room containing the shower and a toilet. The shower has two showerheads, which is a nice feature.
Our patio deck is a little small, but adequate for two to four people. It contains a table with four chairs and a cushioned bench seat. Access is from the living room and the bedroom.
Upon arrival and check-in, you are urged to stop by the Concierge desk for your welcome packet and a weekly activities sheet. This is actually a time they try to get you to sign up for a tour of the property. There was no pressure to take the tour, but if you are inclined to do it, wait for a couple of days and they will up the ante. The first offer was for a 50% off at any of their properties, an RCI Bonus week coupon, and $40 in cash. A few days later, the cash price went up to $100, so it is in your best interest to wait a few days. If for some reason they don’t increase the cash price, you can always take the original offer with no penalty.
- Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
- Activities: Excellent
- Amenities: Very Good
- Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
- Family Friendliness: Excellent
- Service: Very Good