The Points Mom

Go West Young Men….And Mom and Dad Too

By Jodi Lichtenstein.

In an effort to try something new my family of four decided to veer off track and take a family road trip. On our typical vacations you will find us stateside on a beach in Florida or on our family favorite, a cruise.

Within our family unit our definition of “vacation” varies greatly. Neither of our teenagers are bikini clad girls who want to sunbathe all day. Marc and I are perfectly happy sitting on a beach or at a pool for hours on end. However, our two teen boys beg to differ. And thus, our family road trip was born!!

While we planned to visit only two different states out West, our itinerary had us shacking up at four different hotels.

Our adventure started with us flying into Phoenix with our first stop being the neighboring city of Scottsdale, Arizona. After doing much research about resorts in the area, we chose the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa where we were able to utilize Starwood points and book two rooms. The top notch service was evident before we even left New York. A week prior to arriving at the resort, I received a personal email from the guest services manager welcoming me in advance and asking if he could do anything for my family. As a result of our correspondence, I was guaranteed connecting rooms without having to pay the required fee as well as being given complimentary club lounge access which gave us free breakfast, drinks and snacks throughout the day.

Our stay at the Westin Kierland was a perfect choice for the “relaxing” part of our trip. The resort offered an abundance of things to do as well as offering a picturesque landscape to relax in. For the golf enthusiast there were three 9 hole golf courses, a putting green and a driving range. For the kids at heart there was a flowrider, basketball courts, whiffle ball field and a lazy river and water slide. We were very impressed with the staff at the resort as at every turn someone was asking us if we needed anything. I wouldn’t hesitate to book another stay here at this gorgeous resort.
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Our second stop was Sedona. It was only a two hour drive from Scottsdale, but one hour into the ride we stopped at “Western Destinations” at Canyon Creek Ranch. Picture the Brady Bunch visiting a western town during their trek out west. The only way to visit this property is through a private booking. It was one of the coolest experiences. It was here that we shadowed a cowboy and partook in many different activities that we would never otherwise have the opportunity to do such as throwing hatchets, horseshoes , roping a bull, archery and target shooting. It was something we will never forget.

We continued on to Sedona for two nights and stayed at the Hilton Sedona Bell Rock. While it was fifteen minutes from the heart of Sedona we loved both the location and the resort, as it was in the middle of Oak Creek Canyon where we were able to hike. We took the famous Broken Arrow Pink Jeep Tour and in hindsight this may have been our favorite “adventure” as the jeep tour was an off road extravaganza through the gorgeous red rocks of this city.

Our next stop was a one night stay near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Here we did another tour which was incredible. If we had done the GC on our own we never would’ve learned about the history of the Canyon itself and our tour guide was able to take us to scenic overlooks off the beaten path that we never would’ve found. The pictures we were able to capture are breathtaking and the GC did not disappoint. Check this off of our bucket list.

The next morning we drove towards our final destination, Las Vegas. Along the way we stopped at the Hoover Dam which was an engineering wonder. The tour was short, but very educational and filled with lots of fun facts.

Las Vegas was very electric. With its bright lights, neon signs and ample opportunity for people watching, it was a perfect ending to our road trip. We stayed at the Mirage resort which was centrally located. During the two and a half days we were there we walked and walked and walked… the hotels are all attractions on their own.
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We were able to visit all of the hotels on our list and enjoy the unique characteristics of each one such as dancing fountain shows, gondola rides, erupting volcanoes and amusement parks. We also saw the highly acclaimed Terry Fator show (winner of America’s Got Talent) and he was so funny and talented. The entire family laughed and thoroughly enjoyed this musical ventriloquist show. The restaurant choices are abundant at every price level and we were even able to squeak out a few hours to lounge at the pool.

Although we are sad to be home I’m thoroughly enjoying going through all of the pictures we took on our first family road trip. We can’t wait to plan the next one.