Boulders Resort & Spa

From the front gate to check out, EVERY SINGLE employee we encountered was so pleasant, friendly and helpful. There is absolutely nothing about this resort we didn’t love. Daniel, our valet when we arrived, was so nice, offered a great recommendation for dinner, very welcoming.
We ate at The Spotted Donkey onsite, which was fabulous. I got the 4 taco plate and could only eat 2, large portions. My husband ordered a burrito with steak and shrimp, it was also very yummy. Excellent margaritas and chips and salsa trio (not free but worth it).
We ate at The Grill onsite at clubhouse for breakfast, also excellent. Yogurt parfait was to die for, we also ordered the simple breakfast and sonoran Benedict– both delicious.
Spent some time poolside before check out (which is 12 yay!) ordered a yummy drink and chips and salsa-​very good.
Front desk staff, reservation clerk Patricia, wait staff at all three locations we dined, every single valet… definition of resort customer service.
We can’t wait to plan another staycation.

We stayed at the Boulders after an extraneous trip hiking the Grand Canyon. Upon arrival, we were impressed with the bell service and the state of our room. The room was a spacious south Casita with a view of the golf course (347). The Casita was beautiful with stone floors, and modern décor throughout. We were very impressed with the room.
Sadly, we found quite a few bugs, in the form of giant cockroaches. We covered them with cups and housekeeping took them away (I hope). After these incidents we were thoroughly disgusted.
We used the bell service several times during our trip and at times we waited 15 minutes with no service and had to call again to get someone to come. A few of the bell service people were awesome, remembering us and conversations we had but not all were so friendly. A plus is we saw a baby bobcat while riding on the golf cart.
We were disappointed with the lady at the front desk of the spa. We were told since arrival to rent night vision goggles. We were very excited about this and asked to rent some at the spa (where they were supposed to be). The woman at the desk said they didn’t have any because they were out. We had the woman at the main lobby call back later to see if any had been returned and she was told they did not rent the night vision goggles anymore… what? No communication between locations ON THE SAME PROPERTY. Not only were we very disappointed by this, but the woman at the desk in the spa building could not answer some of our questions about the bike trails and seemed to not know what was actually going on. A person with that position should know the property in and out.
The concierge was excellent, she provided a ton of information for us to help us fully enjoy our vacation and provided tips to use the property. But even she didn’t know the night vision goggles were discontinued.
Overall it’s a good place to relax and have fun, but needs better pest control. Remember to plug your drains at all times.

I went to the spa café with my mother and her friend. The patio was quiet and relaxing. All three of us ordered the Thai noodle salad. We were enjoying our salads when my mom’s friend was chewing and chewing on a bite of her salad. She couldn’t figure out why it was so chewy. Then she pulled a long white string out of her mouth. We showed it to the waitress who took the string back to the chef. Apparently the string was used to tie the package of noodles and must have fallen into the pot along with the noodles. The waitress informed us that the general manager for the property was at the café yet neither the chef nor the manager apologized for their mistake. It wasn’t like an undercooked steak or the wrong kind of cheese on a dish, A STRING WAS SERVED!!!
Due to the complete lack of customer consideration none of us will ever be returning to not just the Spa Café but Boulders.

This is an exclusive, gated, secured resort. It was bought by an investment group about a year ago. Unfortunately that is not good news. Usually they come in and double the prices of the services that are attracting people and don’t put any money back in to fix faulty equipment. The four stars is for the the exceptional massage and resort location. I truly hope the investment company listens to public opinion and brings the spa up to working condition.

While I appreciate the response from The Boulders, it fails to address a single issue mentioned in my review below. I did not mention the treatments and that is all they commented on, probably because there is no realistic explanation for the antiquated facility itself.
SPA REVIEW.
The spa at The Boulders Resort and Spa is a complete and total disappointment. I was actually very surprised that this beautiful resort would offer such a antiquated and sub standard spa facility.
The steam wasn’t working and the attendant told me that I could stand on one of the seating areas and «jiggle» a switch almost at the ceiling height, and it might «turn the steam on sometimes.»
The door to the sauna doesn’t close properly and the sauna temperature was 75! It was warmer outdoors.
Again, the attendant said they really should «fix the door because it’s been broken for a while.»
Most shockingly, putting aside that the only thing that worked were the single head showers (no multi heads), was that there are NO chaise lounges at all.
No way to lay down and relax.
I’ve never seen that at any spa anywhere in the world. There is only a small room with one chair, two five foot sofas and a TV on a far wall that is too far away and too small to see. See photo.
It is actually impossible to relax at this «spa.» Such a complete disappointment.
There was a warning pool, but I was put off by seeing an older man sitting in it wearing his socks and dirty sneakers.
This spa actually feels uncomfortable. Go to the Camelback Spa… much, much better.

My wife and I first stayed at The Boulders in June, 2014 when it was still a Waldorf property. Besides the heat at the time, we had a wonderful time. So much so, in fact, that we came back and spent April 24^th to the 27^th at this beautiful place.
Prior to check-​in, we had called and requested a room facing the desert so that we could watch the wildlife from the patio. When we arrived, this request was on file and we were given a room in the area we wanted. However, this particular room had a rather large rock obstructing any view. This rock was about 15 feet away from the door and must have been two stories high. While making the patio very private, we were hoping for something else and later on in the evening went to the front desk in hopes of a better view. Well, the attendant at the front desk was more than helpful in moving us to the same type of room, except with a nicer view. We packed up and moved to room # 368, which we both highly recommend because the casita sits on a hill and the patio overlooks the desert. A little bit before sunrise, the desert wildlife starts to wake up, and it is so relaxing to wake up to the smell of the clean desert air and listening to the soft calls from the many Gambel’s Quail that were about 4 or 5 feet from the patio door. Our mornings would consist of having coffee on the patio while taking in the beautiful scenery and watching rabbits and Harris’s Antelope Squirrels in their natural habitat.
In order to reinforce the illusion of being secluded, the casitas are spread out and one can either call for a golf cart to come pick you up or you can walk. We chose to walk to the main lodge and then to The Spa, which took us about 25 minutes each way. Again, the scenery is just magnificent.
When staying at The Boulders, access to The Spa and some of its programs like frequent yoga or stretch classes are included, not to mention the well maintained gym. So, after walking to the spa, we would go to a yoga class, eat lunch at the spa restaurant which has friendly wait staff and awesome tasting healthy food, and then go relax by the pool. A little while later, we would go work out at the gym and then spend time in the sauna and steam room. Each day was like this. Totally stress free.
We ate dinner one night at the Palo Verde restaurant, which is attached to the main lodge. I would highly recommend the lamb ribs, which while small, is incredibly flavorful (who would have guessed to mix smoked honey with grilled lamb ribs is beyond me, but it works). The wait staff could not have been more helpful or professional.
Another night we ate at The Grill, which is located at the golf center. Try to get an outside table around sunset because the view is awesome. Again, another great meal and the service was great.
In closing, this was one of the most relaxing and carefree vacations we have had. Not only is The Boulders property beautiful, every employee we interacted with seemed to care that we were having a good time, and the food was 1^st class.
We were trying to think of a negative or something to balance out this review because it seems so one sided, but couldn’t. It really is that nice of a place. We are already planning our next stay at The Boulders Resort & Spa.

2 villas with 3 bedrooms each, their own bathrooms. Need more? Ok, we have our own heated pool n jacuzzi!!! The views are extremely beautiful.

This resort was a huge let down based on reputation and after completing a stay immediately beforehand at the Phoenician. The primary issue? Quality of service and attitude from the employees. Everything was slow, argumentative, or just not high quality from the bell guys to the front desk check in crew to the swimming pool wait staff to the housekeeping staff to the Palo Verde breakfast staff (walked out after 10 minutes of no service from the staff). The only exception were the guys manning the front gate. If the management of this resort could infuse the rest of their staff with the front gate staff’s attitude, this would be a quality resort.
Pool is incredibly underwhelming for a resort that strives for this level of comfort and price.
Other issues… definitely seem to have an issue with upkeep. Our room sprung a leak in the ceiling at 3 am one night after a light rain outside. We had a constant influx of small silverfish and other bugs probably from the door to our casita that had no weather stripping or threshold at the bottom of the door!
One last item… was threatened by a bell/​security guy («Paul») after I dared to park in the main customer parking lot that they were trying to empty out so that an entire wedding party could all park in the same area. Really!
It’s really too bad. This resort has a great location and natural setting. It’s just not being utilized properly. I can see why Hilton transitioned it from the Waldorf Astoria brand to the Curio Collection brand. This was my 2^nd and last Curio Collection stay. «Curio» seems to be a phrase for aging hotels that are past their prime in terms of facilities and service.
Not recommended and I don’t plan to return.

This place was a solid 4 stars for sure. They accommodated our early check-​in request (3 hours early) and our villa (Villa 631) was clean and spacious. Here are a few things to consider that we were unaware of until we arrived. The villas are privately owned homes or duplexes that lease their availability to the Boulders. Because of that you are away from the major resort amenities. It has its benefits to be sure (like a pool just for villa guests); however, most of the action is over by the main resort area. Our villa had private parking and most do but parking is limited and you are carted around on a gold cart. They are really responsive to shuttle requests, etc. but I can see it becoming an issue relying on a golf cart to get around.
The Villa: Our villa was number 631 and was spacious and well appointed. It had 3 bedrooms with 3 king beds and 3 bathrooms. He bathrooms were all huge but a bit dated. It had a fully equipped kitchen and a really nice fenced back yard. The Internet speed was abysmal. We had a .5 (less than 1) mb download speed the entire trip. Plus the range was terrible. To be sure, we had LTE the entire time (AT&T) but at $ 800 per night I expect way better Internet than less than 1 mb download. Overall the villa was in a great location and well equipped and we would stay here again.
The staff was very courteous and always helpful but you might have to call the front desk or in room dining 3 or 4 times to get someone to answer. I know there busy but that was a bit annoying.

I’m a spa junkie, and this dessert gem is still one of my favorite escapes. I’m a sucker for «desert zen» and a place with all the amenities. Steam/​sauna aren’t enough, I indulge in their whirlpool, zen like showers, meditation classes, updated gym, outdoor lunch patio overlooking the spa pool with a stunning stack of boulders as your backdrop. I take some tea, put on my robe and walk in the labyrinth– end with a quick mediation and prayer in the teepee to end my self journey.
Now let’s talk treatments. «Pink» is my favorite, and she is my favorite because of her unique amethyst treatment that I’ve been unable to find anywhere else. This 2 hour treatment involves a scrub and wash with the 5 head shower arm, a warm oil massage followed by a spiritual experience involving stones, including the healing power of amethysts. Now this may sound silly but I went in with an open mind and ready for self discovery and I swear to god I have never felt so relaxed and disconnected, ever. I felt like I was practically levitating!
I have routine bi-​monthly massages and other treatments here when we are in town. It’s a special place. Definitely recommend for a spa weekend or romantic getaway.
Hotel: Spring and fall are best, but summer casita rates are much cheaper! Lots of cool activists, the concierge rocks. Golf courses (2) are stunning. I’ve had lessons from a super cool Aussie guy. Golf is all around quality for a good price. You’ll see LOTS of critters, bunnies EVERYWHERE in the spring, Havaleenas in the early AM, road runners, an array of birds and coyotes if you’re lucky. :)

The property at the Boulders is absolutely amazing. We stayed in a standalone casita and it was worth the price. I have nothing but positive things to say about the room and the hotel itself.
This would be a 5 star review except for the fact that we had to go to 2 different pools to find a place to sit/​lay down on Saturday. I also found the service in the restaurants/​pool bar to not quite be what you’d expect from a resort like this. The food and drinks were great, but not 5 star service in my opinion.
I would definitely recommend and go back.

Absolutely beautiful destination with well trained employees and a top notch restaurant. They can also boast a highly ethical staff. My wife and I each assumed on checkout that the other had retrieved a wad of twenty $ 100 bills from the unlocked safe. We had left $ 2000 cash behind in the open! Ammiel and Tony both assisted in retrieving the money and safely returning it to me, hours after checkout.
Thanks, Boulders, we will be back!

This is the best resort I’ve stayed at in Scottsdale! The rooms were huge, comfortable bed, fireplace, nice patio area overlooking the golf course. I literally was 5ft away from the greens, I was so close I ran around the golf course in my boxers one night, of course I had some alcohol in me at the time. The spa, and pool areas were walking distance, but if your too lazy to walk, just call for a ride and the staff will pick you up in a golf cart and take you. If you stay here, get one of the pueblo rooms, there awsome!

I’m upgrading /​updating my review based on a few key things:
— We ended up having an amazing rest of our weekend and enjoyed the top-​notch spa. Classes, cardio and the other amenities were terrific… food/​service in spa restaurant was A+
— House-​keeping: AWESOME. It seems like a quirky, incidental detail, but we were so thrilled to have our room serviced first thing in the morning, and to have attendants bringing us firewood so that we never ran out (and it’s SUCH an beautiful touch to have a juniper wood fire crackling and burning … looks and smells wonderful)
— Other than the bump in the road at the restaurant, staff were helpful and attentive, down to management’s review and response to my feedback.
We’re happy Hilton’ers again and we plan to come back soon…

We came here for a quick weekend getaway and did not want to leave. We were seriously considering staying one more night and driving back home on Monday morning to go straight to work.
From the time we arrived the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. We checked in right away with no problem and the front desk explained absolutely everything that was available to us at the resort. There was a golf cart waiting for us with our luggage ready to take us to our room and the driver was very nice and friendly. The room exceeded our expectations (with a few things here and there that were kind of iffy). Since we stayed in January the fireplace in the room was available for us to use. It took about 45 minutes to receive our room service, but that’s pretty much standard any where you go. The grounds are beautiful. Lots of places to stroll, the pool area is beautiful. Very quiet and serene. Just an overall great place if you need to relax!
The cons:
— We had a dirty Keuring machine in the room, so we ended up ordering coffee from room service and requested a new machine. The new machine took much longer than the actual coffee for some reason.
–One of the bathroom sinks had a crack in it which leaked. I’m not sure if they were even aware of this and we didn’t have the time to inform them since were were only there for one night and hurrying to check out. WOOPS!
–There was a plastic razor cover siting on the brim of the bathtub, I’m guessing from a previous guest. Kind of gross, but it was a clear plastic. I’m sure it was easy to miss.
–The floors are very cold, but they do provide slippers. Unfortunately for my fiancé, they were way too small for him.
— We had our 5 month old baby with us (that sleeps a lot!) and anytime the staff came by the knocked on the door like it was a police raid and slammed the door behind them as they left.
–We were awakened by new furniture being move in to the room upstairs from us. (It’s great that they’re renovating but it would be nice if they could move stuff/​do construction when someone is not staying in the unit down stairs)
Even with all of those cons, we still had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful resort. It did not take away from the friendly service and the relaxing time we had. We will definitely be back!

Just how far can it fall?
We’ve been coming for the past 15 years but the new management has reached a new low; we’ve seen it change hands before but this new owner doesn’t even launder the towels in house so last week there were no wash clothes in the ladies locker room area and only 1 hair dryer! What r they thinking?
They say they will look into it but the problem still exists and the management is who told me that they are outsourcing the laundry for the spa — and the towels come back folded one way but have to be refolded to be put out for guests use

Beautiful place, but like the others said — you will wait for hours past your «guaranteed check in time «. The staff at the desk were friendly and helped calm everyone down. On the upside they quickly gave everyone in our group discounts on our stays for the problems.
The food at the restaurants is good, but very expensive.
In summer the slate flooring is probably great, but in January it was cold and an area carpet or two would have been nice. They do supply slippers, which was nice.
The cart service is wonderful to get around, especially if you have stuff to carry. They were usually quick to come and the drivers were all very personable.
Communication between departments needs to be improved. We asked for several items for our evening party, the staff didn’t get it quite right and instead of just fixing the problem, one female staffer got cranky and argued that it was correct the way it was. Fortunately, a male staffer, jumped in and made things go more smoothly. I wish I had noted his name, he was very helpful.
All in all, it’s a nice place, but more expensive than it is worth.

Barney and Fred’s kids had kids and they went to School at Stanford, dropped out and started dotcoms that shortly thereafter went public. With their new found wealth they returned to their roots in Bedrock city and converted the town into a sprawling golf and condo resort with a spa and fine dining. The end result of that is Boulders Resort & Spa and it’s great. Fred’s footmobiles have been replaced with gas powered golf carts that transport guests where ever and when ever, even just 10 feet away if you don’t feel like walking, at all.
I love the DESERT. All aspect of it. Boulders is teaming with wild life that the Desert brings: bugs, rabbits, lizard, hawks, bats, squirrels and at night they sing a chorus that reminds me of early Brian ENO albums. In the day the place is an oven flanked by cool pools where chubby resort goers wallow in the mire. I wish there was a mud pool. There are some secrets to the place. Like the labyrinth meditation area and hikes aplenty. The spa pool is dreamy and the spa itself too. I could hang out there all day.
They have bikes for rent but they’re sketchy low quality stuff. Avoid that until they update them. It would be great if a tour co would team up with them and host real bikes and real trails trips.
The restaurant gave us the best meal I“ve had in a few weeks.
I hope I remember to come back here one day

This is a spa review. I received the Travelzoo voucher as a Mother’s Day gift. It included a massage on a Friday-​Thursday, a drink and lunch ($ 109). A good value. Overall a beautiful and large facility. Loved the open yet still private stone showers. Nice and big. The locker room seems outdated compared to the rest of the facility. Ugly blonde wood, faint gym locker room smell. Horrible lockers! I think a lot of people are like me when they spa – I try to make a day of it: take a class or workout, get a spa service or two, eat, hang by the pool. The lockers are not conducive to that kind of day (unless a guest of the resort) they are deceivingly small. The restroom facilities were also gym locker room-​esque. Metal stalls. That was the worst of it.
The facility is really big. Huge spa, a couple of different saunas, well stocked with anything you might forget. I read in the relaxation room before I headed to the tea room for my service. The fruit/​nut mix was yummy. I knew as soon as I saw my therapist that this would not be the best massage of my life — she was so petite — not her fault but I psyched myself out of the best experience I could have. The massage was just ok – but I did get that woozy drunk feeling when I got up. She did a great job on my hands and feet.
For lunch I had a beet salad with chicken. It was OK, nothing spectacular. I Also had a Bellini – which was exactly what I expected it to be.
On to the pool. Lovely pool — adults only YAY — I had no trouble finding a lounger. I had to hunt for towels but found some, grabbed water and settled in to some
magazines. Pool was refreshing. There is poolside service but they seemed understaffed.
Overall, lovely place, par massage. Would go back on another Travelzoo deal. Would love to stay at the resort!

I’ve saved my 2200^th review for the best hotel I’ve stayed at. The girlfriend and I hit the USA on holiday this summer and I wanted her to have dinner at Binkleys, one of my favourite US restaurants located in the small town of Carefree located just north of Phoenix
Looking for nearby lodgings, I happened upon The Boulders. If you’re familiar with the area, you’ll understand immediately where ths resort is found — at the foot of the giant boulder stacks prominently jutting out of the flat desert landscape just outside Carefree
Let me just get the one bad bit out of the way. I got a really good rate through Expedia, which included a $ 50 a day ‘gift card’, which we used for a free breakfast. This helped to offset the pain of the compulsory $ 30 a day resort fee. These resort fees are just a way to hide the true cost of accommodation and if they’re compulsory, they should be included in the total cost quoted to guests
In the case of the Boulders, perhaps you resent paying the resort fee less because that brings ‘free’ wifi and free golf cart rides. Yup, golf carts are a near necessity because this is a big resort. We got a sense of this when we arrived at the security gate guarding the entrance to the resort. The security guard had a security pass ready prepared for us. He lifted the guard rail and instructed us to follow the road for a mile to main reception. It’s a grand and exciting way to start your stay as you meander your way through the desert landscape and golf course towards the ever enlarging eponymous boulders
After checking in, we and our luggage were transported by golf cart to our casita as our car was valet parked (compulsory). Wow was our reaction when we stepped into our accommodation. A huge room greeted us with all mod cons and a balcony with a view of the surrounding boulders. There were ceiling fans and air conditioning to keep the room nice and cool in the desert heat. The bathroom was equally cavernous. Truly the most luxurious hotel room I’ve stayed in
The resort has some signposted routes which brings you closer to the boulders if you fancy exploring these quite fascinating geological features. We instead headed to the spa to make use of the outdoor pool. The next day, we used the other pool near the main reception, which is open 24 hours
We had breakfast at an outside table overlooking the golf course, a lovely peaceful way to the start the day. The food was great
In conclusion, if you can get a good rate, don’t hesitate to stay here. Oh, and make sure to have dinner at Binkleys just up the road