Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Rating: 6/10 My family and I stayed in a King room for one night in April 2025. Positives: • The heated pool and water slides were a definite highlight for the kids, even with the rainy, cooler weather. They had a blast. • Ironwood American Kitchen stands out as a top-tier resort breakfast buffet—fresh options, good service, and a lively atmosphere. • The Plaza Bar was a great spot to unwind and catch up with a large group of friends. The drinks were solid, and the small plates hit the mark. • From the valet to the front desk to the restaurant team, the staff were uniformly friendly, attentive, and professional. Negatives: • As with other Fairmont properties I’ve visited, this resort feels dated and in clear need of a refresh—both inside and out. • The pricing feels out of step with the current condition of the property. Given the many newer, better-maintained options nearby, it’s hard to see the value here.

I visited for a conference, and fortunately, my family was able to enjoy it as a vacation. This turned out to be one of the finest resort experiences we've ever had. The property is impeccably landscaped, and the rooms strike the perfect balance between luxury and comfort. Every aspect of our stay reflected excellence—from the stunning grounds and thoughtfully appointed accommodations to the warm, attentive staff and the exceptional cuisine. Truly magnifico!

(This review is for the Fairmont Scottsdale Privado.) On a recent family vacation to Scottsdale, HSH had the pleasure of being spoiled by the Fairmont Scottsdale Resort, Privado Villas.  The entire property is stunning but the Privado section and suites are truly breathtaking.  From the moment we arrived to the private Privado entrance, we knew would we have a flawless week.  The entire Privado concierge team made check-in easy.  They thoroughly discussed the room, property, activities, and anything else you might be interested in.  They are all highly trained and very professional - the best of the best.  (Special kudos to Chelsea and Bradley for helping us with a few complex needs we had.)  The entire Privado front drive/valet team was incredibly friendly, respectful, and always available to drive you in a golf cart.  Eric especially was so wonderful on the day of our arrival - he helped us get checked in and drove the whole family to our various rooms. The property itself is wonderful.  There are many, many pools to pick from and a fantastic spa facility on property as well.  The spa hosts a variety of fitness classes each day which are included if you are a Privado guest.  We participated in Aerial Yoga and Aqua Fitness.  Both were great classes and something different to try while on vacation. The food on property was also a treat. We ate at La Hacienda one evening. Food and service were both excellente! In room dining was A+++. Pool menu and food (specifically salads and bowls) - also fantastic. We lastly dined at Bourbon Steakhouse one evening. Service was spectacular and food was delicious. I could write a novel about how fantastic of a resort this is.  I will not bore you with more paragraphs of details but instead provide the traditional HSH pro/con/recommendations list: Pros: * The staff!  Every single employee we encountered on the property was wonderful * Privado club house has endless supply of water, coffee/tea, and snacks.  The snacks were delicious and we looked forward to a little treat each day * Privado had its own private entrance with optional valet and very close self parking * In the bedroom, everything was wonderful and beautiful.  The little things made the room extra cozy.  In particular: * Wireless chargers on both sides of the bed * Ceiling fan in bedroom * Two sinks completely separated (see photo) * Nail care kit in bathroom - how smart to provide! * There was a full blown steamer and dressing area within our bathroom. Amazing detail that I didn’t know I needed * Regular coffee maker AND electric tea kettle in room for any type of hot beverage you could possibly need * Balcony off room had table with 2 chairs. We spent a ton of time on the balcony - it’s a great extension of the room * Delicious in room dining breakfast options… we could have ordered the overnight oats everyday * F&B credit if you didn’t get housekeeping Cons:  NONE Recommendations: * Can the auto closet light be on a dimmer?  We loved the automatic light but it was a bit jarring in the middle of the night if you got up * Bathrobe material in room was a little rough * Recommend second floor room if you like high vaulted ceilings. Recommend first floor room if you don’t want to climb the steps after a long day Theoretically, if I had to be stuck at a domestic resort and could not leave the property for a few weeks, Fairmont Scottsdale would be one of my top choices. We had a fantastic week there.

Gorgeous property - rooms and grounds are top quality. Love the beach pool - lots of kids but still enough spaces to get away for couples. Dining options are pricey but so worth it! The staff were all top notch - drinks by the pool came quickly and often! Will be back.

We came to Scottsdale for spring break with one other family, and spent half of our vacation at the Fairmont Princess. Here is my review of the resort: GROUNDS: The resort itself is very pretty. There are plenty of walking trails, and we enjoyed exploring it. It's not too large that it overwhelms you though. POOLS: We had a fun time at the various pools. We went to the main one next to Ironwood, as well as the splash pool with the slides. It wasn't very crowded when we were there, so it was easy to find pool chairs. The kids had fun at the slides, but I will see they are best suited for smaller kids (say under age 10). Drink and food service was fast. ROOM: We booked a standard balcony room that felt very luxurious. The balcony had a great scenic view of the courtyard. It was relaxing just to sit there at night and feel the cool breeze. The room was quite large, and I liked that the bathroom was isolated from the rest of the room. You could use it at night or early morning and not wake up anyone that was sleeping. I liked the big shower and the dual vanity sinks. The one disappointing thing was that the shower pressure was not strong. The beds and linens were amazing! They were so plush and comfortable. DINING: We had lunch at Ironwood, which was fantastic! Everything we ordered there was very tasty. They also have a big kids menu. We also had one dinner at La Hacienda, which was expensive but great. Overall, the Princess food and drinks are not cheap, but at least you are getting high quality. We also ordered DoorDash breakfast one day (you have to meet the driver in the lobby). KIDS CLUB: The kids club is free after 1pm, and our group had a blast there. They had all the fun things you would see at an arcade: games, foosball, ping pong, Pop-A-Shot, board games, Nintendo, skeeball, etc. And best of all, everything was free to play! We were there when it was empty, so it was an ideal way to spend a few hours. SPA: The famous Spa is one of the main reasons we decided to book the Fairmont. It lived up to the hype. The facility is so luxurious and big. They even have their own gym. I had an hour magnesium massage, which was one of the best I've had. Overall, we had a fantastic vacation at the Fairmont and I would highly recommend it.