Last weekend, we headed to Phoenix for Baby Daddy’s birthday and to stay at the Westin Kierland Resort since I won a two-night trip from an awesome blog called Trekaroo. (They usually have contests on Mondays and they are an amazing source for travel help with little ones in tow.) We’ve been to Phoenix once before but it was terribly cold. This time, it was supposed to be 100 degrees and all we wanted to do was sit around the pool. (And that is pretty much what we did.)
Here’s the Bean carting his Trunki around the airport in his pj’s at 5:30 in the morning. We love these Trunkis for travel because they help make the kids walk in the airport instead of wanting to be carried. And that is a good thing when it is super early.
When we arrived in Phoenix we headed to a restaurant that Baby Daddy enjoyed from last visit: The Frybread House. Looks like it is on Bean’s approved list too.
Leelee meanwhile was out cold. (and yes, that is a bag of wipes and diapers he’s using for a pillow.)
After lunch we headed straight to our hotel and it was stunning. We couldn’t believe how kid-friendly this resort was too. On the first night the duo picked up a lanyard with a booklet in it.
The boys had to go to various places listed in the booklet to earn stamps. At the end of their visit, they traded their stamps for little pins like the little firepit one pictured above that they earned for roasting marshmallows. They loved their little booklets and wore them proudly around the resort. This was an awesome activity for a weekend in Phoenix with kids.
We all had a fabulous time at the pools too! We went twice a day and the boys were so excited each time that they could barely wait to get their goggles on. I have a feeling these outfits will come back to haunt them in the future…..
There was a lazy river that we rode around on in big florescent tubes and a waterslide that we’ll have to come back to ride another time. (You have to be 42 inches to ride and you have to ride alone). But the best part was the beach-entry pool that was only about 2.5-3 feet deep. The boys could run in and splash and swim freely while we got to relax a bit and watch from the side.
On one of the days we even enjoyed a cabana rental. The boys loved eating their lunch and watching people splash about the pool and I really loved the shade.
We also received a dinner at Deseo, the ‘fancy’ restaurant at the hotel. The guys were too young for the resort’s Slumber Party Club (a night-time program for kids 4 and up) and I’m not good at leaving them with babysitting in unfamiliar places, so we brought them along. Thankfully there was a table outside and it wasn’t a busy night. And the boys were on their best behavior.
We watched from our table as the bagpiper serenaded the sunset.
We enjoyed a lovely meal. (And I can’t recommend the ‘muddled drinks’ enough. YUM!)
And I ordered dessert while the hubby was in the bathroom with half the duo. Look what he ended up with: even the matches were chocolate!
Finally, this was the first time we stayed at hotel where we all were in the same room. We brought the boys their little camping mats and used extra bedding to make a little nest with furniture barriers. Looks like they were pretty comfortable.
Actually, we all slept like babies. This was just the type of trip we’ve needed. After two nights we came home from this weekend in Phoenix feeling like we’ve been gone for a week!
( Trekaroo and Westin Kierland-we can’t thank you enough!)
The resort does look awesome! I really like the idea of being able to roast marshmallows in those fire pits.
I know-isn’t it? They even had an assortment of marshmallow flavors, like coconut, strawberry and chocolate. It was really fun:)
Love the Bean’s new haircut! Sounds like you had a great time! I love the underwater scenes.
Thank you!
I just got a chance to look at the resort! That’s going to be my next destination, I think.
I love Maui, too, and San Francisco-never been to Scottsdale. What’s the ‘new’ Scottsdale?
Fun to see these pics! I was there in the Kierland Villas in 2012, and just about to head back. I somehow came across your blog by way of Tea Collection. I live in Portland with my 3 year old girl (I’m a single mom), and am planning a lot of international travel with her, and may reach out to you regarding Costa Rica and Europe if you don’t mind. I love your blog! 🙂
Oh please do! I have a lot of love for Costa Rica and I would love to hear about where you’re going in Europe:) Thank you for stopping by- it’s so great that to hear about people who travel with their kids:) It’s inspiring!