Scottsdale and Phoenix Resorts With Water Parks

Imagine lounging on your own private island but in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in North Scottsdale has a huge Adventure Water Park with a 110-foot water slide, pools for kids and adults, a whirlpool, and a lazy river that has a rentable “private island” cabana area. There are several restaurants, a coffee shop, and several cocktail lounges including a whiskey bar with 300 labels. 

Arizona Grand Resort & Spa’s Oasis Water Park was named one of the country’s best water parks by the Travel Channel. The Oasis has an enormous wave pool and river, a 25-person hot tub, a kids’ splash pad play area, and six resort pools throughout the property. Parents and their kids who enjoy a thrill should make their way to the eight-story Slide Canyon Tower, where guests will find three water slides. One is a 225-foot-long Free Fall, another is a 220-foot-long Roadrunner with an unexpected drop at the end, and the third is a whopping 300-foot-long Sidewinder that gradually brings you down to the pool. Arizona Grand also has a golf course, a spa, and extensive dining options, which include an Old West-themed steakhouse.

Great Wolf Lodge offers entertainment options for kids. While older kids are whizzing down water slides, surfing in wave pools, and floating on the lazy river, the younger ones can splash around in interactive play zones and kiddie pools. In addition, the water park has poolside entertainment and kids’ activities. Outside the water park, there are activities like golf, a ropes course, and MagiQuest, an interactive Medieval adventure. Dining packages are available for advance purchase, and online reviewers say they found them to be money savers—but some reviewers mention unannounced closures of pools because of private events and to check in advance for possible limitations due to events.

With its complex of pools that include adults-only areas, a water slide, and a splash pad play area, The Phoenician has options for both family vacations and relaxing getaways. The main pool is inlaid with mother-of-pearl tiles and veritably glows in the desert sunshine. Seven restaurants and cafes on the property offer everything from Mediterranean to steakhouse dining, and afternoon tea service is available. Outdoor activities include tennis, golf, and hiking on nearby Camelback Mountain. 

There may be six pools on the grounds of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, but you might forget you’re at a hotel—especially while you’re at the property’s largest pool, which has a 9,000-square-foot white sand beach. Additional pool amenities include a kid-friendly zero-entry pool, two water slides, splash pad play areas, and an adults-only pool. The resort also offers activities like paddleboard, yoga, and golf, and the spa has a private rooftop pool just for guests. Dining includes Scottsdale’s top-rated Mexican dishes at La Hacienda and contemporary American fare at Bourbon Steak. In the winter, the Princess creates a skating rink and offers real outdoor ice skating in the middle of the desert. 

This all-suite hotel is especially friendly for families with pets, who are welcome for a one-time $75 pet fee for pets under 75 lbs. On the property, the pool complex includes a lazy river, water slide, and kiddie pool. Off the property, the Phoenix Mountains Preserve is very close and offers scenic hiking.

Holiday Inn Club Scottsdale Resort offers an extensive pool complex for an affordable nightly rate (although a steep resort fee partially offsets the value). The hotel has four pools with hot tubs, and a Splash Canyon water play area for kids. While dining on the property is limited, the hotel is close to Scottsdale’s scenic Old Town, which has restaurants, wineries and shopping, and popular hiking spot the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.