Staying at the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch with Kids

Staying at the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch with Kids. If you live in Arizona, it is never the end of summer! With dozens of local resorts, it’s always vacation season in our state- or should I say “staycation!” Although, to snap the best staycation specials, summer is the time to go!

We finally made it to one of our bucket list staycation destinations, the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. This resort offers a family-friendly environment, as well as the perfect location for an adult-only getaway.

Originally we were planning to do an adult-only staycation, but when I saw all of the great amenities offered to families, I couldn’t resist bringing my kids along for some pool-time fun!

Described as a 2.5-acre water playground, the family pool area includes 10 different pools of all sizes, including one with a sand beach (I love being able to swim with real sand underneath). There also was a 30-foot 3-story high-speed waterslide, which my son loved to go on again and again.

They even have a huge shaded hot tub which was the perfect place to warm up in the cool shade! The resort provided sand toys and volleyballs, so the kids never ran out of activities.

The poolside service was fantastic. Without asking, the servers keep a fresh pitcher of ice water and cups at your pool chairs and round around frequently to ensure that you have everything you need. The poolside restaurant, H2Oasis (but delivered straight to us), was a big surprise to us, as the food was great and the prices were reasonable ($3.50 for a poolside fountain drink)!

I could barely get my kids out of the pool at the end of the day, which actually worked out because the pool is open late! This is a big difference from other local staycation spots, as I feel like many of kid-friendly pools close early!

Even though my kids could have spent all day pool-hopping, there were other fun activities. There’s a playground available for children to play on, life-size family games, as well as a rock climbing wall! Every day, there are different activities hosted poolside, and we happened to be there on the day when there was face painting and balloon animals!

The fun didn’t end when we left the pool! Live nightly entertainment is offered at the indoor-outdoor Center Stage Bar. We also we’re lucky to have a meet and greet with an Arizona hawk from Liberty Wildlife.

Staying at the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch with Kids

Looking at their calendar, it looks like they do different events in the lobby area throughout the year, with a special event occurring Friday night focusing on Native American Culture and Heritage. Between the resort and the dozens of activities that are located within a few miles, you will not run out of fun! The resort even offers a shuttle to many local attractions!

Read more about the hotel activities here and be sure to check out the events calendar. 

Although our staycation was family-friendly, I made sure to investigate what was available for adults! There is an entire adult-only pool, that is absolutely gorgeous and has a beautiful view of the golf course. The pool comes with its own poolside service/bar known as The Grotto.

There is a golf course on the property that is private to only club members or resort guests. There are dozens of running and biking trails as well as the opportunity to attend StayFit Private Fitness classes! It looks like there is also a tennis academy available, which one day I plan to take advantage of on a vacation, as I would love to learn tennis and never have!

What I was disappointed to miss on this trip was the Spa Avania! We did walk by it, and I could tell right away that this is a highlight of the resort! From the description of the spa, there is a Himalayan Salt Room, a French Celtic Mineral Pool and a lotus pond that overlooks the grandeur of Camelback Mountain. I probably looked at the service menu 20 times trying to decide if I should book a service, but I just couldn’t leave my husband alone with the kids and sneak away! I will next time though and provide an update! 

There are a handful of on-property dining options, besides the amazing poolside choices. There is a cute little market, known as the Canyon Market, where Starbucks beverages, bakery goods, and light/healthy foods are available to purchase. You can take these items and sit outside and eat, or venture into the center stage area of the lobby and relax with a beautiful view.

One of the sit-down restaurants, SWB, a southwest bistro, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Alto Ristorante e bar is an Italian restaurant on property only open Thurs-Sat for dinner. Right now, there is a special going on where kids eat free for dinner at one of these restaurants. There is also a sushi bar and a menu that you can order from if you are sitting and enjoying the live music! That is what we did for dinner, as we just wanted to enjoy the music and eat lightly.

For breakfast, we ate at SWB, and it was delicious! And of course, I had about five coffees from Canyon Market/Starbucks while we were there! The resort’s location is in a very popular area of Scottsdale, so there are dozens of amazing restaurants within a few minutes, in case venturing off property isn’t too much of a task! There’s also room service!

The hotel room was spacious enough, but we chose to just go with a standard two-Queen room, so it was not anything special, but very nice and comfortable. We did have a balcony with a lovely view of the resort grounds and Camelback Mountain. It was gorgeous at sunset! I could definitely see ordering some room service and eating right on the balcony! 

We had a fantastic time and I am so happy that we finally made it to this beautiful resort! I did not want to leave, but I promise I will be back! The resort hosts many special events throughout the year, and I have heard there is a great 4th of July calendar as well as beautiful Easter and Mother’s Day brunches.

Right now, they have a summer special where Arizona residents get 25% off the lowest rate, and as I mentioned previously, kids eat free at the 2 restaurants during dinner. Offers change throughout the year, so check out their current page for the most updated deals. We recently became World of Hyatt members, and I have a feeling we are going to visit more Hyatts in the future!

If you are looking for the perfect summer or any time of year staycation, definitely consider this resort! We chose to go on a weekday, and it was very calm and peaceful! They had excellent staffing, a very clean property, and so much to do! My kids are already asking when we can go back!

More great overnight locations in Phoenix and Arizona can be found here!