The best family resorts in metro Phoenix from Great Wolf Lodge to Arizona Grand
A family vacation in Phoenix often means a desert resort getaway, perhaps to a place that has its own water park.
Phoenix's hotels and resorts include several that appeal to families with children by offering amusement park-style thrills, interactive activities, and elaborate seasonal events.
Many stand out for their pool areas − they're essential for surviving triple-digit temperatures this time of year − but their dry amenities make them worthwhile, too.
They might also have rooms designed to accommodate large families, like suites with multiple beds, a sleeper sofa and bunk beds.
Whether you're in town for a few days, or you just want to experience the resort with a day pass, a family-friendly resort can step up your vacation or staycation plans. Here are seven of the best ones.
Save money: Best 2023 summer staycation deals at Phoenix-area hotels and resorts
Great Wolf Lodge Arizona
Famous for its expansive indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge is best described as part hotel, part family entertainment center. The resort in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, near Scottsdale, includes access to the waterpark in the cost of its rooms.
The centerpiece of Great Wolf Lodge Arizona is Talking Stick Treehouse, a treehouse complex connected to water slides and loaded with a bucket on the top that dumps water on all in its path when triggered by a bell. There are also raft water slides, a lazy river and a high-speed 360-degree vertical drop slide called Wolf Tail.
Great Wolf Lodge Arizona also has miniature golf, a rock climbing wall, a ropes course, a gemstone mining experience and an interactive adventure game called MagiQuest. Be aware many of these activities cost extra.
The resort's rooms are designed for families, with each one able to sleep at least four people. The Deluxe KidCabin Suite, which starts at $430 per night but can approach nearly $1,000 per night in the high season, can sleep 10-13 people and has three queen beds, bunk beds, a day bed and a sleeper sofa.
Details: 7333 N. Pima Road, on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation near Scottsdale. 888-962-9653, https://www.greatwolf.com/arizona.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
What does luxury look like to people who aren’t old enough to legally drink or appreciate escaping from their daily routine with a round of golf or a day at the spa? For the answer, look to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and its extravagant annual winter holiday and summer celebrations.
When Christmas at the Princess kicks off just before Thanksgiving, the resort becomes the setting for a colorful holiday light show with 6 million lights, anchored by the Enchanted Plaza that features a Christmas tree whose lights are synchronized to music. The event also includes two ice skating rinks and a holiday village where guests can eat s'mores and drink hot chocolate.
Right now, the Princess is in the middle of its summer celebration. This year it's Let's Roll: Summer at the Princess, themed around nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s and anchored by a custom-built roller rink.
But the resort's family-friendly appeal is year-round. Its abundance of pools includes Sunset Beach, with 9,000 square feet of sand, and Sonoran Splash, which features zero-entry water for young children and two 200-foot water slides.
The Trailblazers Kids Club, included in the $47 per night resort fee, includes adventures that could range from gold hunts to nature walks, or from virtual reality to a life-size game of Pac-Man. The resort even has a stream for catch-and-release fishing.
Spacious guestrooms are a draw, too. The smallest rooms start at 525 square feet, about 200 square feet above the average hotel room size; suites start at 761 square feet, about the size of an apartment.
Details: 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale. 480-585-4848, scottsdaleprincess.com.
Expansion plans: This massive Scottsdale resort aims to get even bigger
Arizona Grand Resort & Spa
Located near South Mountain, Arizona Grand Resort & Spa has been a family-friendly hotspot for years because of its Oasis Waterpark.
The 7-acre park is full of attractions of all thrill levels, most notably at the eight-story Slide Canyon Tower, home to three water slides. They include the 225-foot-long Free Fall and 220-foot-long Roadrunner, each with a 51-foot drop. A third slide, the 300-foot-long Sidewinder, has a more gradual descent that launches 31 feet down.
Oasis also has a giant wave pool, the only side-by-side lazy river in metro Phoenix, and an area ideal for smaller children called Wild Cat Springs.
Arizona Grand's guest suites include private balconies or patios and separate living areas with a queen sofa bed. One TripAdvisor reviewer mentioned appreciating how their room had three TVs so everyone could watch what they want, and how their teenagers could stream Netflix and Spotify from their phones to the TV using Google Chromecast.
Details: 8000 Arizona Grand Parkway, Phoenix. 877-800-4888, https://www.arizonagrandresort.com.
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
This retreat in north Phoenix just elevated its pool area to a full-fledged water park with the arrival of three new water slides.
AquaRidge WaterPark, the newly rechristened and renovated pool area at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, is home to the first vertical-wall water slide at a resort west of the Mississippi River. It's called the Gullywasher, named for a phrase that refers to a short but intense heavy rainstorm.
A recent renovation to celebrate the resort's 20th anniversary brought new design schemes and other room updates. Some first-floor rooms have patio fire pits ideal for preparing s'mores. A handful of suites were remodeled as wellness suites and include Peloton bikes.
Details: 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Phoenix. 480-293-5000, marriott.com.
Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort
This hotel near North Mountain resort attracts families with its pool area, the Falls Water Village. Its design is inspired by the surrounding mountain landscape and was built around the artificial waterfalls that give it its name.
Adventure seekers can plunge down a 138-foot water slide. Those who'd prefer to relax can lounge in the pool or seek shade in one of the poolside cabanas.
Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort offers children's activities from Memorial Day to Labor Day, including dive-in movies and guided hikes.
All the accommodations are suites and the smallest option measures 550 square feet.
Details: 11111 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-866-7500, hilton.com.
Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Although the website for Arizona Biltmore describes the resort as "an adult's playground," it also was cited by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top family-friendly resorts in Phoenix. Family activities include treasure diving in the Paradise Pool, family yoga and tennis and pickleball clinics.
Summer activities are geared toward families, with "dive-in movies" on Friday nights, Twist Nights with extended hours for the Twist water slide, and four-hour Kids' Night Out events on Saturday evenings that include dinner, crafts and activities and allow parents time away from the children.
Rooms start at 500 square feet; connecting rooms are available. Some rooms have patios with fire pits, and others have direct poolside access.
Details: 2400 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix. 602-955-6600, https://www.arizonabiltmore.com.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
This hotel near Kierland Commons in Phoenix is best known for its Adventure Water Park, which has a 110-foot water slide and a FlowRider surf simulator.
Its lazy river and Tommy Bahama Relaxation Reef also make the park stand out.
Most guest rooms and suites include one king bed or two queen beds. Some rooms have pool, golf course or mountain views.
Details: 6902 E. Greenway Parkway, Phoenix. 480-624-1000, https://www.marriott.com.
Hilton Resort at the Peak
Like Tapatio Cliffs, Hilton Resort at the Peak is another all-suite property. This one, near the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, is known for its River Ranch Water Park with a water slide and lazy river.
Families can also enjoy tennis on the resort's courts and miniature golf on an 18-hole course that winds around the water park. The Hole in the Wall BBQ Joint, with some seats offering mountain views, is a good place to refresh after a packed day of activities.
Floor plans of the suites vary; most include one king or two queen beds, as well as a sofa with a pullout bed. Connecting rooms are available.
Details: 7677 N. 16th St., Phoenix. 602-997-2626, https://www.hilton.com.
New for 2023: This legendary Phoenix resort is offering day passes for the first time
Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best Arizona family hotels from Great Wolf Lodge to Arizona Grand
