Arizona Biltmore

[MikeBW]

Has anyone been to the Arizona Biltmore? Would it be difficult to get a ressie for Easter week in Aprill 2006? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wintergreen]

We stayed there on points this year the week before Easter. We had no trouble getting reservations. I think that I made them 7 or 8 months out. Lovely property. We very much enjoyed our stay. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[MikeBW]

Would you consider this a kid friendly resort? We are thinking about staying 3 or 4 days.

 

[wintergreen]

Very kid friendly. The pool has a good slide, there are lawn games. There is also a "dive-in movie" at the pool, and other kids' activities. We had dinner in two of their restaurants. Even the fancier one was very welcoming of the children. The rooms are pretty big by hotel standards, and very comfortable. The grounds are beautiful. Nice location in Phoenix.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I just made my reservations (on pts) today for a stay end of August/beg. of September. I looked over the Biltmore's website and took some virtual tours. I'm very impressed with everything I've seen and read. Good luck with your booking!

 

[linco711]

I've never stayed there, but have been tempted. It looks beautiful. When you get back, please write a review for us. Ilove reading about the other options for DVC. Have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[MikeBW]

Thanks to all for their input. I think we will give it a try.

 

[drakethib]

Has anyone been to the Arizona Biltmore? Would it be difficult to get a ressie for Easter week in Aprill 2006? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The wife and I stayed there last year and the place is awesome. Nice pools, golf course, etc.

I will tell you to bring your checkbook if you plan on eating at the resort. Big time $$$ to eat there.

Walk the neighborhood surrounding the resort. Nice homes there and a great way to exercise.

Possibly make the trip to Sedona. Well worth the hour or so drive.

 

[icydog]

My sister and I went for a week and of course it took a lot of points. The first night they put us into what must have been their "dvc" room. It was small, and even though near a pool, very dark. I think it was 184 pts at that time. I remember telling the manager that we paid in points the acquivalent of close to $2000 for the room. She very kindly moved us the next day to a much larger and brighter room with a frig, beautiful patio, couch, table and chairs. Very much like a studio would be with a couch and two queen beds multiplied by two. In fact the bathroom was about the size of our first room. We only ate one meal on site and it was only because we didn't feel like driving. The food is outrageously priced and I think set at those prices because most of their guests are outrageously rich or are there for a business meeting with a corp credit card. We found a wonderful french bistro place which served all meals, was cheap by comparison to whatever else there was around, and was delightfully decorated. They always put out fresh bread and butter for anyone to help themselves. We loved the baguettes (free) with jelly and butter for breakfast. We would order eggs and potatoes and meat and my sister would eat the bread and bacon on a sandwich and I would eat the eggs and potatoes. We both bought coffee and juice so we didn't look like total mongrels.
The pools are so beautiful that they defy description. Most pools have those mattress pads on the chairs and loungers. The gardens and grounds are some of the best in the world. I don't play golf but everyone raves about their courses. While you are there take the tour of the resort that is offered for free. It is so interesting considering Frank Lloyd Wright designed it. Even the furniture, although copied and replaced after all these years, was designed by Wright. As I said the tour is free, the tour guide even pushed my sisters wheel chair around, but tips are greatly encouraged.

My biggest and probably the only problem we had, after the room change early on, was the lack of parking. If you gave your car to the valet you could wait up to half an hour for it to come out and the valet lot near the front of the hotel was a hefty hike especially for a handicapped person like my sister. About two days before we left for home we figured out that if we left the car by the tennis courts, which said NO PARKING, we could park there with our handicapped card and nobody bothered us. We found this out by following a day user and parked next to him....By the way the staff is as nice or nicer than at WDW! They exist on tips there so if you tip big you will get wonderful service. I started the week with a medium tip for all the people we would encounter like the maid and bellman etc and for the rest of the week a dollar would be sufficient since we saw them all so much. They wait for you to tip them so brings lots of singles.

I hope this helps a little. If you have any questions please email or pm me.

Marylyn