The Boulders - Carefree, Arizona

SANDY S.

I've only been for the Spa which I absolutely love. The customer service is excellent and I'm even interested in some of the skincare products offered (think I may get some during my next visit). However I'm giving 3 stars because I would never be crazy enough to book a room here after reading the reviews. Customer reviews are extremely important and based on the reviews its clear they need to do a some remodeling and updating to the property. Majority of the good reviews are about the property landscape and other things unrelated to the rooms. It's a shame that people are still expected to pay full price when finding mouses, roaches and ants in their rooms and shabby worn towels. If you're not going to update the property then you definitely need to decrease the price of the rooms. I would be terrified to stay at the hotel because I love cleanliness and updated renovations. With the money this establishment makes there is absolutely no way there should be complaints of worn down rooms and pest problems!

Joseph K.

I had high expectations of The Boulders because it is advertised as a Hilton affiliate product. I am brand loyal to Hilton and hoped the resort would be maintained at the Hilton standard. The course and resort layout is fantastic but the accommodations are extremely underwhelming and outdated. Ownership clearly has not put much money back into the property. I tried to go into the main clubhouse when I finished my round of golf and there were no working bathrooms in the clubhouse and no posted signs indicating repairs are taking place. I walked into a bathroom and the toilets were overflowing onto the floor. I have been playing here all week and the men’s room has been out of order all week. Ownership desperately needs to address deferred maintenance on and off the golf courses. Brick steps on the golf course were crumbling and feel unsafe to walk on and there is trash all over the golf course. The bunkers are not maintained at all and don’t appear to be raked, nor do they have much sand in them. I wanted to get a beer on the course and the cost of a single beer is in excess of $13 which leads me to believe ownership has no desire to increase the quality of the resort guest’s experience and only wants to make a profit. In addition to the cost of the food and drinks in the beverage cart, the, “cart” is really an old pick up truck that is both unsightly and impractical for use on a golf course. The accommodations are extremely outdated and need substantial updates to be competitive with other resorts in the area. I was very disappointed with my experience and would have expected more from a Hilton property.

Doug B.

We really liked the log burning fireplace in the room which made it very cozy during the chill of the winter night. Also appreciated the heated pools. The spa was nice but the sauna was not working and the massage did not live up to our expectations.

Ray B.

Things are getting very dated. Service was slow at restaurants. Breakfast was the best meal we had. Dinner was always a disappointment especially for the price point. Golf cart driver attitudes were definitely worse than previous visits.

William K.

Terribly maintained, badly dated and wildly overpriced. It might have been lovely once, but years of neglect show. The desert remains lovely, but the desert doesn't require upkeep. Anything that requires maintenance at The Boulders is either broken or repaired with rubber bands and paper clips.

Alex A.

The resort itself is in a very beautiful location with lots of wildlife around. The rooms themselves had a very nice theme, and the staff is extremely friendly and provide great service! The main lodge pool was fantastic and there was a lookout point off the pool that had an amazing view of the property.

We did run in to a few issues during our stay:

First when checking in, we were shocked that the incidental hold was $100 per night ($500 total for our 5 night stay). No where on their site does it mention the hold being this high.

As other reviews have said, they have a serious pest problem. Our room had a mouse, a large amount of ants behind the coffee bar in the room, as well as us finding a cockroach. Staff did offer to move us and have someone come out to locate the mouse. It just was not feasible for us to move rooms with 2 kids in the middle of the night.

They also charge a $35 per day resort fee to cover concierge services. These fees were not covered when booking and had to be paid at check out. We booked through Capital One Travel so could be a 3rd Party booking issue.

The resort is pretty spaced out and it requires a good walk to basically get anywhere. You can also text the guest services line to have concierge golf cart you, and the resort fee covers tips for concierge staff. We did use this service and staff was always there promptly.

"Spa Access" is included with the resort fee, but it's not clear what this includes as spa services are listed as extra cost.

To play golf, you have to pay $100 to reserve a tee time and an additional $100 for green fees. The additional $100 Green Fees were not listed anywhere on their website. The course itself was in good shape and had some great scenery from different tee boxes.

The resort fee includes things that most hotels already include with their guest such as "Self Parking", Internet Access, and Shuttles.

It just felt as though to make use of any of the other amenities, you have to pay extra.

We tried the Spotted Donkey Cantina which is a restaurant located on the resort property and the food is mediocre at best for the high prices they charge.

All in all the stay was average. I wouldn't really call this a "Resort" as the only thing you can do without spending extra money is swim at the pool.

W L.

Manage expectations at the spa. The spa does not recognize Hilton Diamond members and you do not receive your Diamond discounts. Previous visits include the Fairmont, the four seasons, and the Biltmore to name a few. These are definitely a different level properties to be fair.

We stayed in room 208, which was a stand alone king Casita overlooking the 5th hole green. The room was well updated with a southwestern vibe with full stone floors throughout. It is a very large property and all cars are parked in a designated area. You can either walk around in the designated pathways or easily call a golf cart ride to take you anywhere. The paths are very nice, well lit and provide awesome views of the 45,000 year old boulders and rock formations.

The entire staff was friendly and accommodating. The front desk mgr Shirley was a huge help and went above and beyond.

Onto my only complaint about this property, which unfortunately is a big one.
The spa area, which includes a pool area, dry and wet sauna and whirlpool is available for use for “all guests” regardless if you’re paying for a treatment or not. That immediately takes away the exclusivity of the area. The entire spa was nice but very basic. If you are looking for a “wow” moment I suggest the Fairmount or the Four Seasons.

When I checked in and went to relax in the steam room and whirlpool I noticed there were a few young men in the area engaging in a loud laughing conversation as if it was a high school locker room. Anyone who has ever visited a spa, the sanctity and peace and quiet is not just appreciated, it’s expected. At one point they were actually jumping into the whirlpool behaving like it was spring break.

They were so loud I was surprised no one came out to remove them from the facility or a therapist paused their treatment because of the interruption. My entire pre-massage experience was ruined because I had to remove myself from the entire area in order to find some sense of tranquility for what I was paying for because of non paying guests.

To conclude, my treatment and therapist was spot on. Jadwika will not disappoint.
If you are not getting a spa treatment, you should be fine at this resort, but if one of your objectives is a spa day, I strongly suggest the Fairmount princess or the four seasons, which is in in close proximity. The boulders is relatively away from Scottsdale proper where all the busy hustle and bustle nightlife and restaurants are. So if you’re looking for close things to do, this resort is not it.

However, Carefree and Cave Creek is a five minute drive where you were find nice main street shopping and old town Arizona vibe.

t B.

We stayed here for a week in December! Loved everything about it. The rooms are so nice, we loved the wood burning fireplace and the huge bathroom. The spa building grounds and pool area are amazing. Loved all the wildlife around the resort. My husband especially enjoyed playing golf multiple times. The food was excellent and the staff was so friendly and accommodating! Especially the golf cart drivers getting us around the resort! Highly recommend staying here! Thanks for an amazing vacation!