Winter Visit To Phoenix For The Holiday Season

Great Fun On A Winter Visit To Phoenix For The Holiday Season

We escaped to Arizona for a short winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.  Ahead of the Christmas holiday season we returned to British Columbia (BC) to see family.  We had over a month to visit before we needed to head home and beat the Christmas travel rush. 

We considered heading inland for a return spa visit to the Sparkling Hill resort.  But then decided we wanted to go somewhere warmer than Canada in December!  We initially looked at return visits to spots we loved along the California coast.  And recalled our first enjoyable visit to Arizona.  After looking at hotel availability and flight options we decided to return to the Phoenix area in Arizona.  And we picked a some great warm spots for our 10 day escape.

Great Savings With Points And Status Travel At Year End

We chased Elite loyalty status with Air Canada all year and reached our target 50K status before the year end.  So we planned our flights to BC and Arizona using Air Canada Aeroplan points.  And our status got us Priority Rewards which meant we travelled at 50% of the regular points required.  This got us some really inexpensive flights!

Our Air Canada Aeroplan status also gave us Upgrade Certificates.  We used these certificates to request an upgrade in the class of seats.  For our flights from Toronto to Vancouver in BC, we booked Premium Economy tickets.  And were so excited when our Upgrade Certificates got us upgrades to Business Class – in both directions!  For the flights between Vancouver and Phoenix, we found no flights with Premium Economy seats so we booked Economy seats and submitted Upgrade Certificates.  Unfortunately with few Business Class seats on these flights – and lots of people requesting upgrades – we were not successful at getting upgrades on the Phoenix flights.

We had also almost re-qualified for Ambassador Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy.  To get the final nights and dollars needed for Ambassador Elite status, we planned to split the trip to Phoenix into two stays.  On the first stay, we paid enough cash to nudge us over the Ambassador Elite requirement.  This meant we booked 5 days on points at a luxury resort for our second stay.  We learned when building points and status that using points for luxury hotels was always a much better bargain.  And when we booked 5 days with Marriott Bonvoy points, we used only 4 nights of points for a 5 night stay. 

But our Elite loyalty perks were not yet at an end.  We submitted Night Upgrade Awards certificates for our 5 night stay at the luxury hotel.  And were overjoyed when they were approved and we got upgraded to the best suite in the hotel for our entire stay!  

When we returned to Vancouver, we used three free night certificates we earned with Marriott Bonvoy.  So that saved us even more money on this winter trip.

It was great to maximize the value we got from points and loyalty status on a splurge trip at the end of the year.  Our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season was a wonderful treat at a great price.

British Columbia In The Holiday Season

We started and finished this trip in Vancouver.  Most years we returned to BC around the holiday season.  We always found lots of colour and decor to get us into holiday spirit.  Everywhere we looked around the downtown Vancouver core we found another colourful display.

We took the BC Ferries trip across to the Sunshine Coast for a family visit.  And we were delighted when we saw the ferries all decked out with Christmas decor too.

While it snowed at home in Toronto, we found sunshine on many warmer days on the Sunshine Coast.  We loved exploring the parks and waterfalls on the Sunshine Coast.  A wet Fall season meant the creeks we visited in Halfmoon Bay rushed over the waterfalls.

An afternoon hike on a sunny day took us into the Smuggler Cove Provincial Park.  We followed the forest path, trekked across boardwalks over the ponds and finished with a lovely water view.  It was hard to believe it was winter in BC.

We enjoyed lots of outdoor time on our stay in BC.  But we were excited to head south for a winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.

Picking A Spot For Our Winter Visit To Phoenix For The Holiday Season

On our first visit to Arizona, we stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in Scottsdale.  Then headed south for a week long stay in Tucson at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain Resort.  But for this trip, we wanted to try some different accommodations.

For our first paid stay, we planned to return to Scottsdale.  We wanted a hotel that was close to the old town so we could walk to local spots.  We ultimately booked at the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town for this stay.  It meant we did not need a car rental.

For our points stay we wanted a great resort property with a good spa.  After reading reviews we decided on staying at the Phoenician Luxury Collection Resort for 5 nights.  After 3 emails from the hotel warning us about dust and noise from construction on 2 pools at the resort, we decided to change our resort and visit the Phoenician on another stay.  We were happy that the resort was very open about the potential impact of the construction.  The points stay was cancellable but the Phoenician required the cancellation be done by a certain date to avoid a cash cancellation fee.  Luckily we changed our plans well within this date.

We went back and reviewed the many resorts around the Phoenix area.  We finally decided to stay at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort.  This hotel was out of town in the Chandler area.  The resort had an extensive spa and a Forbes Five-Star Restaurant.  Located on the Gila River Indian Community with a view of the Sierra Estrella Mountain Range, it looked like a great escape.  

We were excited when we finally booked the stays for our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.

A City Stay At the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town

When we flew into Phoenix, the swaying palm trees immediately confirmed to us that we made the right decision to head south to warm up.  While we waited for our Uber ride, we looked on with amazement when we saw our first driverless Waymo self-driving car.  The driverless cars navigated the busy Phoenix airport with no issue.  We really wanted to try one on our visit.  But sadly, despite several discussions with customer service we could not create an account with our Canadian credit card.

The Uber dropped us off in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale at the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town.  This was an all-suite hotel so we knew there was no upgrade potential with our Marriott Bonvoy status.  But we were happy when our room was ready well ahead of the normal check-in time.  We had a view of mountains far off in the distance and looked down on the big outdoor pool area.

We headed south for the warm temperatures and sunshine. So we planned a lot of time to just enjoy being outdoors.  We found spots by the pool every day.  And the outdoor patio was the perfect spot to enjoy the warm evenings with some food and local entertainment.

We enjoyed a very lazy few days in Scottsdale on our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.

Wandering Around Old Town Scottsdale

It was easy to wander in Old Town Scottsdale from our hotel.  We were intrigued by the great display of art we found on every street we walked.

It was easy to know it was the holiday season in Scottsdale.  As Canadians, we looked for snow for a white Christmas.  And we never really got used to holiday displays in warm climates.  But it sure helped us feel like Christmas quickly approached.

It was great to stay at a hotel that was a walkable distance to Old Town Scottsdale.  We found lots to see, places to eat and a lively scene when we walked.  It was a relaxing start to our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.

A Luxury Stay At Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort

From our stay in at Scottsdale Marriott Old Town we took an Uber out past the airport to the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort.  We made contact with the hotel in advance so they had our upgraded Governors Suite ready for an early check-in.  At every touch point, the customer service at this resort was excellent. And we certainly benefitted from our Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.

The Governor Suites were at the far end of the large hotel wings so we were warned about the walk.  But we were fully prepared for a walk for the lovely upgraded accommodations we enjoyed for 5 days.

Our suite had 3 balconies with views out over open fields to the Sierra Estrella Mountain Range and back to the large pool complex at the hotel.  We knew this was a spot we would enjoy night and day.

After we unpacked we wandered around the hotel.  We found an amazing ceiling art piece (“The Gathering”) that showed the people of the Gila River Indian Community.  And everywhere we found more festive decorations to keep us in the holiday spirit.  

The Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort was a lovely spot to enjoy on our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.

Enjoying The Outdoors On Our Winter Visit To Phoenix For The Holiday Season

We headed south to enjoy the warm and sunny climate.  Arizona was not really hot in December and the temperatures in this desert climate dropped a lot overnight.  But it was great to wander the grounds and enjoy the nice weather and the quiet spots to relax.

But every day we loved the chance to enjoy the heated pool and lounged by the pool in the afternoon sun.  There were 3 different pools with some shallow areas for children.  And even a big water slide for kids of all ages.

The Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort also included a good 18 hole golf course (the Whirlwind Golf Club).  We saw several of the golf course holes from our suite and watched golfers on the greens across the waterways.  Guided hiking was offered on trails around the property.  And there was even a water adventure area on the Gila River.  It offered paddleboarding, kayaking, hydrobikes, and pedal boats.  

For fun we booked a 90 minute guided horseback ride at the Koli Equestrian Center.  We were picked up from the hotel by our guide Robert.  After we were introduced to our horses, we headed out along the trails.  We were very happy we booked a 90 minute ride.  Because we had enough time to find the field of wild mustangs on our ride.  It was fun to get out and explore the area.  Even if we did hurt a bit after bouncing for 90 minutes.

We had lots of fun on our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season and loved the variety of outdoor adventures offered at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort.  

Enjoying All The Resort Had To Offer

We did not have a car for this visit to the Phoenix area so we knew we would likely eat most of our meals at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort.  But we were not worried about the variety we would find!

Free breakfast was included as part of our Marriott Bonvoy Elite status benefits.  The vast buffet at Ko’sin was available for breakfast.  But we also could choose from the a la carte menu.  This gave us some great breakfast treats to start the day.  

Several options were available for lunch and dinner.  We picked up a light lunch at the Hanyo pool bar one day.  We had another light meal at the Lobby Bar.  And Ko’sin offered a tasty mix of comfort food and local Native American specialties.  We never had trouble finding good food for our 5 day stay.

The hotel also had another high end restaurant we did not try on this visit.  Kai was Arizona’s only AAA Five Diamond Award and Forbes-Five Star Award-winning restaurant.  It offered a fixed menu that we could add wine pairings to.  This was definitely a big draw for the resort for both guests and others.

Also onsite was the Aji Spa in its own separate building.  The spa offered a great range of services.  We really wanted to book a treatment or two.  But we delayed in making our reservations and by the time we called there were no bookings available.  Sadly, without a booked treatment we could not even enjoy the great spa facilities.  A reminder that next time we needed to plan spa services in advance.

The Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort had everything we needed for a pampered and relaxing stay for our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.  We certainly left Phoenix feeling both warmed up and fully refreshed.  

A Relaxing Winter Visit To Phoenix For The Holiday Season

We were happy to visit BC late in the year.  And even happier when we escaped south for our winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season.  It was always a fun time of year to travel and be immersed in holiday decorations to jump start our festive mood.  

We enjoyed two great stays in the Phoenix area.  The sunshine and warm weather kept us outside.  And we found lots to see and do.  It was a reminder that Phoenix was an easy spot to visit for a relaxing escape.

Have you done a winter visit to Phoenix for the holiday season?  What else did you do on a winter stay?

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