Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows

May 14th, 2021

Euroute:

You have gotta give credits to the algorithms on social media. As reluctant as I am to admit, I became infatuated with Scottsdale ever since I saw hotel ads on Instagram of their pools nestling in the majestic backdrop of the Camelback Mountain a couple years back. While I’ve visited several cities on the West Coast, I haven’t visited anywhere more interior.

Scottsdale seemed like the perfect destination for me and one of my girlfriends to spend a relaxing weekend sitting by the pool and living our best retiree life, after both of us had spent the past few months studying and working hard.

I booked the room through Hyatt Privé, which came with the normal suite of perks such as free breakfast and resort credits. The paid rate was $489/night, and the taxes and resort fees were another $110, so the total came out to be a little under $600. Obviously that’s quite a sum of money to pay for an Andaz in a city, but Scottsdale had been trending since Covid because of its outdoor nature, so there were visitors from all across the country driving up demand.

Check-in:

I landed at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport shortly after 1pm and was in the lobby of the Andaz within 30 minutes. The resort itself, and much like all the other upscale resorts in Scottsdale, is actually blended into this affluent local neighborhood called Paradise Valley. Prior to booking, I was apprehensive that this area would be too residential, given the hotel was within walking distance to a strip mall with a Trader Joe’s. In retrospect, we did not feel like we were surrounded by a Neiman Marcus and a Range Rover dealership, thanks to the expansiveness of the hotel compound and landscaping.

I was dropped off in front of the guest house, which was the lobby with an attached restaurant.

As you’d expect from a desert oasis, the resort was consisted of numerous casitas. Inside the lobby immediately was the reception area. Andaz doesn’t technically have a front desk. Instead, it just has this social area where front desk agents roam around and check you in on their iPads. I’m personally indifferent to this concept, while I know others have stronger opinions.

Check-in had a minor hiccup. Since I was traveling with my friend, we needed two queen beds. My travel agent was able to confirm an upgrade at the time of booking from the standard resort queen room to the retreat section of the property, which was supposedly a more tranquil part of the hotel that had its own pool with only a couple dozen rooms. I say supposedly because we didn’t end up getting a room in that section. Apparently there was a wedding block that had taken over the retreat section for the entire weekend.

While I understand it made sense to accommodate the whole wedding block in the same area, a confirmed upgrade was also an advertised perk of booking through Hyatt Privé. The agent was kind enough to offer an upgrade to a suite, however, the hotel didn’t have any rollaway beds and a pull-out couch was obviously too off-brand for the posh vibe. Given the inflexibility of my situation, I suggested maybe just a few goodwill Hyatt points, which was granted after he rang his manager.

From there I was shown to my room by the friendly bellman Scott, as the hotel was quite vast.

Unpack:

Our room was 31B, which was on the outer perimeter of the hotel.

Before we unlock the door, I would say that I have mixed feelings about the rooms here. The room was fairly sizable. To the left of the entryway was the bathroom, which featured a frosted sunroof.

Ok so here’s the thing. At least the vibe I’m getting from this place is like an upscale celebrity rehab, with a focus on wellness, so what’s with the non-spa-esque bathroom? I’m expecting dual vanity with a soaking tub? It’s not like space is the primary restraint when you build a hotel on top of an already paved parking lot? Also, what’s with the non-branded toiletries? Seems like a lost opportunity for collabs.

To continue with the room tour, there was a carved-in closet outside the bathroom. There were two pairs of bathrobes and slippers, which were nice.

Across from it was the TV Wall and the minibar, which was supposed to be stocked but not this time because of Covid. If i remember correctly, during normal times the snacks and soft drinks are complimentary at Andaz hotels.

There were, however, two reusable aluminum water bottles in the fridge, which I consider to be acceptable as far as water bottle goes, as opposed to this hotel in Honolulu.

Inside one of the drawers was the not-Nespresso and not-illy coffee thing.

Next was the two queen sized beds that were really comfortable. The duvets weren’t tucked all the way in as hotels normally do, which I thought was interesting.

I like the rustic feel of the room. Unfortunately, our room didn’t have any views, as it was just facing the service road of the hotel.

Overall the room was okay. We didn’t spend too much time in the room since the 3-hr time difference from the East Coast had us out and about early.

Unwind:

The Andaz has three pools that were available to all guests - one main pool, one spa pool and a retreat pool. I do have to give the hotel credit for the perfectly manicured horticulture. Everywhere you look was all green and groomed.

Now about that Instagram ad I was talking about…

Isn’t this the most mesmerizing hotel pool you have ever seen??? Well, aside from different kinds of infinity pools. I guess I’m speaking as someone who’s never been to Palm Springs but this is what I imagine Palm Springs would be like.

The spa pool had an equally astonishing background.

We tried to book treatments at the hotel spa, but with the wedding party, you know how that went. The hotel did offer a day pass to the spa facility for a mere $20/day, which was beyond reasonable. The spa had its private jacuzzi, as well as showers and a steam room (that was in service during Covid).

Overall the hotel had a great splash set-up. The main pool is mostly for the party crowd, which we did spend our first afternoon in. And with cocktails that came in pitchers, fun was guaranteed. There was also two other pools where you can find your zen, so you’d find whatever your mood strikes.

Refuel:

Surprisingly the hotel only has one dining venue, which is the Weft & Warp Art Bar & Kitchen that sits right behind the lobby. The space itself was nicely appointed with outdoor seating overlooking the main pool. We had breakfast every morning outside so we could soak in the gorgeous view of the mountains.

Whilst the options were limited due to only one restaurant, the quality of food and beverage was top notch. On our first morning we started with freshly squeezed orange juice, iced coffee and some date scones with whipped citrus butter.

I went with the dirty hash that had green chili roasted pork, and my friend ordered the chilaquiles verdes. Both dishes were perfectly executed and full of spice and attitude. Mexican for breakfast is such a genius idea that luckily more and more hotels are adopting. It’s 2021 after all - say goodbye to unseasoned Buttigieg. Oops, I meant chicken breast. We want her seasoned, and we want flavors😉.

The next morning we went with American to brand ourselves less liberal and shared pancakes with berry compôte and a big juicy brunch burger.

On one evening, we had gotten lazy being by the pool all-day, so we decided to just have a casual dinner on-site at the hotel. My expectations for hotel dinners are generally low, but this place was a delightful exception.

We started with a round of drinks which were outstanding. I won’t go into detail about the cocktails, but when I tell you these were craft cocktails, I designate them as such sparingly. Also I forgot to take any pictures because I was day drunk from the pool.

To pair with the libations, we ordered some sliders, chips and guac and truffle fries. And yes, you are looking at mayo in our fries because we can’t have you not know that we studied abroad in Europe. The sliders had kombu in lieu of lettuce, which sounded odd but was in fact quite harmonious.

Following a round (or five) of drinks came our main courses, which were Spanish pulpo with chorizo and potatoes in a smoked tomato sauce and wild mushroom risotto with poblano crema.

Much like the antecedent servings, the main courses were both beautifully presented and utterly delicious.

Consistent with the hotel’s effort to promote “meaningful connections” or whatever buzzwords Madison Avenue is coming up with nowadays, the restaurant bar also dubbed as an afternoon mixology classroom, which we obviously had to partake because why pay $20 for a cocktail if you can’t make it yourself?

I wouldn’t say I walked out with the confidence to open my own Dear Irving, but it was a fun way to find out that my attention span could last as long as 27 minutes!

Depart:

The Andaz made for the exact weekend getaway we had envisioned - it was soothing, aesthetically appealing and had the right amount of desert rustic charm which is so different than all the beach vacations I had been taken in the past couple of years. While I wouldn’t travel across the country to stay there again, I loved Phoenix/Scottsdale as a city, and there’s undoubtedly huge utility for an urban staycation resort that excels at all the basics.