Royal Palms Resort and Spa

We stayed at the Royal Palms because we were in town for a wedding and the reception was being held here. We had a king casita and when we arrived at 5 PM on a Friday there was a loud event going on in the courtyard just adjacent to our room. Turns out it was a wedding reception. This was a repeated pattern the 4 days we were there. It seems like every large outdoor space was being used for different events and was being constantly broken down and turned over between the events. To the credit of the hotel, the breakdown and set up process was very quiet, but the events themselves meant a very busy resort and we really weren’t able to enjoy the open spaces and beautiful courtyards. The wedding reception we attended there was beautifully done so I can understand why people want to hold events there. However, if you are looking for a place of tranquility, this is not it. We ate brunch twice and the on-site restaurant tea cooks. It was very good. Our room was spacious and had two nice patios for sitting however we couldn’t really use them because there were always events going on right outside. For the high price, I probably wouldn’t return here again because it is more of an event hotel not a vacation hotel.

Royal Palms is one of our favorites in the area. The service is top notch, the grounds beautiful. It feels like a little boutique oasis hidden right in the middle of everything. The pool and spa are nice for the size, but definitely small. This is the place to come for quiet, relaxation, and with your significant other. This was our 5th stay & we keep it in our regular rotation in the area. Highly recommend for couples.

Book somewhere else Not like the pictures. Staff is friendly , bar is cool , grounds are pretty but the actual hotel is OLD

First the good. The location was very convenient for many of the central Phoenix activities. T. Cook’s and in room dining were both very good. The property is aging and could use some upkeep, but it is still gorgeous. Many of the staff were exceptionally helpful. We arrived a few minutes prior to checkin and they were extremely (unnecessarily) apologetic and offered us two free drinks which were delicious. Free bottled water was plentiful. Then the not good. Our room - Valencia Villa 125 - was a bit of a nightmare. It was not as described - there was no walk in shower and our view was a highly trafficked walkway and not the mountain. We had our two young kids sleeping on the sofa bed which had two large skylights directly overhead that woke them at sunrise. Our fireplace in the master bedroom had a sizable hole to the outside so we could hear every conversation and every cart as they went by. Our deadbolt required significant strength and jiggling and time to lock and unlock. No one cleaned our room on the second day despite our being out of the room between 10am and 5pm. We had to call to request service and they implied we put up the do not disturb sign which we never moved from the entry table. The room was either an add on or modified from some previous use with strange corners. The “private” terrace faced an area used for weddings and dinners, and our master bedroom backed up to the event hall which made our walls shake until almost 11pm when the cleanup, also loud, began. I asked to be moved to a different room - even if more expensive - and was told no despite checking in at 4 which would imply some other rooms even if reserved for that night should still have been empty. I was eventually given $100 food and drink credit which was a drop in the bucket as compared to the room cost for 3 nights. While I can’t speak for other rooms, but sure to avoid that one.

I paid extra for a late checkout but ended up leaving early because the noise from upstairs was constant—it sounded like furniture being moved around, which completely ruined the relaxing atmosphere. The experience was far from peaceful. Unfortunately, the massage was also disappointing and not worth the price. It felt very light and mediocre overall. I even asked for deeper pressure, but the therapist said she couldn’t press any harder. Overall, it was not the relaxing or rejuvenating experience I was hoping for.