Arizona Grand Resort + Spa - A Review
Coming off a fabulous weekend at the Arizona Grand, I am ecstatic to write a review. Everyone should visit this magical place, with or without kids.
From the moment we drove up, I was impressed. The place is aptly names as it sure is grand: it is HUGE!
Check in was easy and friendly. They made a mistake on our rooms: I requested adjoining rooms on a lower level, and this was not what I was booked for when I showed up. They made the change with no fuss at all, and gave us, what I believe, the best rooms at the resort! If you have kids, request a room in the Camelback building on the lower floor.
We were in room 242. These rooms face the Oasis Water Park, and are the only rooms that don't have a barrier blocking the patio on the lower level. If your kids get antsy, you can send them out on the patio to run around on the walkway. This location is also close to one of the hotel pools separate from the water park, if you still want to swim after the waterpark closes. And, it is just a hop, skip, and jump to the waterpark entrance!
The room itself was HUGE. All of their rooms are suites, which means there is a separate living room and bedroom. There is a sofa bed in the living room if you need more sleeping options. Also in the living room is a bar area with sink and fridge, and the ice machine and filtered water is by the hotel pool just down the hall. The rooms were a little softer than I prefer, but not a problem at all, just something to note. I am always hesitant to be on a lower floor as I have had some bad experiences with upstairs neighbors being very noisy. Not a problem here at all. I NEVER heard anyone upstairs or even next door, and we had an adjoining room with 4 kids!
Dining:
There is the lobby restaurant, which has a good buffet every morning, the coffee shop/cafe, which is good for a quick muffin, bagel, breakfast burrito and coffee. Also good to note, as hotel food prices are quite high, uber eats and Door Dash deliver here with plenty of options. :)
Oasis Water Park:
This place is AWESOME! It is huge and provides plenty of options for all ages. There is the main pool, which is also a wave pool that turns on every 20 minutes or so, a lazy river, three water slides, a giant hot tub, and a baby/toddler splash pad and wading pool. There are tons of options for all ages, and even after spending four days at the park, my kids never got bored. There is a bar, a walk-up cafe where you can order food to go: burgers, hot dogs, nachos, french fries, etc. Prices are high, and you are not allowed to bring in any outside food. If you are staying in the Camelback building, you can just pop up to your room for lunch to save money. There is also a snow cone/shaved ice stand. $10 for a small, $12 for a slightly larger size. I HIGHLY recommend bringing your own huge insulated water bottles and filling with ice and filtered water before entering the park (they do let you bring water in).
The water park stays open until 8PM on the weekends, and I must say, it was fun, and also beautiful, to play as the sky changed colors.
8 story water slides:
There are 3 water slides, and you must by 48" to ride all three. My poor 5 year old was just a touch too short, and he was very disappointed he couldn't ride any of them. The more mellow of the 3 is not an 8 story drop. It is a very tame twisty/twirly slide good for all ages. On the scare level of 1-10, I rate it a 3. The other 2 are a lot scarier. The free fall one, which looks like the scarier of the two, is actually the less scary one. It starts in an enclosed slide and then you DROP. The other one is not enclosed and you feel less protected, so definitely scarier than the free fall (my palms are sweating just writing about both). The scariest part of both, for me, was the anticipation. You are HIGH UP, and with no idea of what to expect, it's scary! But, both are EXTREMELY fun, and well worth the wait (wait times can be longer than 30 minutes, depending on when you go). Tip: clench your butt cheeks and be prepared for a wedgie of a lifetime!
(Me going down the FREE FALL slide)
This was a super fun weekend, and we all had a blast. The only downside was food and drink prices are a bit high, but it is a resort, so to be expected.
I give the resort/water park a 9/10. The only reason it is not 10/10 is the high food prices. The experience, otherwise, was top-notch! We look forward to going back!
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