When we were trying to find a place to stay for our little weekend jaunt to Arizona, Ian took it upon himself to find a comfortable, nice, and not-too-expensive place to stay. Unfortunately, I think that being a hotel and restaurant management graduate makes me very picky when it comes to hotels. Or maybe I'm just spoiled from staying at nice hotels throughout my childhood. Either way, I am extremely choosy when it comes to where I lay my head for the night, and luckily Ian likes to scour the depths of the internet until he finds fantastic off-the-beaten-path deals.
After extensive comparison and Trip Advisor reviews, he found the Smoke Tree Resort. Twenty minutes away from the airport, and right down the road from the wedding venue. Nothing but perfect reviews, and affordable for our two-night stay. Perfect!
After our traveling adventure on Friday, we arrived in Scottsdale at 11pm (which due to the time difference felt like 2am to us) and we drove our Mustang up to the resort, not able to appreciate the amazing scenery in the dark. We drove up to the resort and was surprised by a giant vacant building (which turns out used to be the resort's restaurant. It has been between leases for several years now). The office was right around the corner but was dark, so we called the number on the door. Who I'm assuming to be the owner or manager came out of his apartment and greeted and let us in to be checked in. It was a nice break from your usual checking in to a hotel by employees with fake smiles. This guy was genuinely kind and happy to have us there.
He took us around back to our bungalow down the road and recommended some local restaurants before saying goodnight. We fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow, but the next morning I went around and snapped some more photos of the place.
Our ride in the daylight.
Our bungalow!
I could see families in the 1950s coming here every summer. Too bad it was too cold to sit by the pool.
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What a view!
This place was seriously awesome and totally unexpected! If you happen to be going to Scottsdale for any reason in the future, I highly recommend the Smoke Tree Resort. To some, it might not hold up to today's "resort" standards of all-inclusive restaurants, beaches, and amenities, but it was a beautiful, tucked away, and quiet spot to enjoy the weekend. Pretty fantastic by my standards.
i like the fact that it is tucked away and somewhat "stuck" in the 50s. it looks beautiful! i'm glad you had fun!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute resort. I too am kinda picky when it comes to hotels. I just want it to be clean and nice and reading reviews always confuses me because some hate it some love it and then I don't know what to do. Glad you found a gem.
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ReplyDeleteBrenda, how perfect that you found a clean, cozy, budget friendly spot. Pictures are beautiful..hope all is well. dawn suitcase vignettes xo
ReplyDeleteSmoke tree resort is one of the ideal and favourite place for staying weekend or go for vacation. The location of the resort is suitable for the person who are expecting piece.
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Cool! I don't anticipate going to Scottsdale soon, but maybe next winter I might need a quick sun break! I really do appreciate quiet, private, unique spot.
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Looks awesome. Those views!
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