Scottsdale Villa Mirage

The only great thing about this resort is the location. It is near Scottsdale shopping and restaurants. We stayed a week and didn’t get one nights rest. The queen bed was horrible! We asked for a room on third floor hoping it would be quiet — NOT! Heard noise all evening from outside. Air conditioner was loud when it came on and the refrigerator was noisy. We left a night early even though we paid for a week. Moved to a Marriott with a comfy bed. Live and learn!

If you make the mistake and get a room here– DO NOT get sucked into any of the timeshare presentations! They will offer $ 75-​$ 100 just to go, and they will say it’s not a «high pressured» meeting, but it is. It’s actually a huge scam that Diamond resorts is running! As far as the rooms here, they are nice… But this company is all about getting you to become an «owner». So once you are in their territory– they will constantly bug he crap out of you to try and attend one of these meetings. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else. Any location run or owned by Diamond resorts is pathetic and likes to try and scam their guests.

This place was absolutely horrible. When we got here, the water pressure was horrible and we had to have the obviously calcified over shower head changed out. The fact that the maids that clean these rooms didn’t notice is ridiculous. There was also patches of wet floor around the room like an animal urinated and it hadn’t dried yet. They also claimed they ran out of pillows and couldn’t provide anymore. We have 3 small children and needed more for them. Then on our third night, we were washing laundry, dishes, taking showers, etc when all the water turned off in the unit!!! We called the front desk about it, they said all the water for the entire resort was off until the next morning! When I asked them to get me water to hand wash my laundry that was full of soap, they told me no. I was so outraged by this!
Do not stay here! I know we are in a drought but that was unbelievable. I’ve never heard of conserving water that way. We didn’t pay for substandard living conditions where you can’t even flush a toilet.

Stayed here two nights on a week long vacation.
The water pressure in the shower was horrible and the water was EXTREMELY hot. Upon checking in the woman at the front desk hounded my friend who booked the hotel about signing up for a 90 minute info session which offered a 3 day 2 night stay at various diamond hotels across the nation. However since my friend wasn’t 25 she was not allowed to sign up. Then the woman asked if the other person staying in the room (myself) was 25. When my friend responded saying I was going to be 25 next month the woman at the desk didn’t even let me answer before signing me up for this 90 minute info session the following morning. I understand that they are trying to run a business but this was out of hand.

Went this past weekend. Had a funeral to attend. Being that I am a Diamond member it was cheaper for me to stay at a Resort than book a hotel. I figured it would be nicer as well. Well… I was wrong. My daughters and I arrived about 5. Check in was quick but was madness. So many people they were just rushing along which was fine with me. I get my keys go to the concierge desk they give me some coupons and a pool bag with some waters. Go on my way. We get to our room unload our cars shower real quick and leave to go visit with family. We don’t come back until close to midnight. At this point we just want to go to bed.
As I am getting ready to go to bed I notice a bug on my pillow. Ok not a big deal is one bug. I kill it. Then I notice another bug. I kill it. Then I notice a third bug. My daughter calls the front desk. They say they ate sending security to check it out. (Like really what is security going to do) So as we are waiting, security takes forever like 20 minutes. I actually end up walking to the front desk. More about that later.
While waiting I discover a smashed bug on the wall above the bed. A nasty goo on the wall and crusted stuff that looks like dried boogers. Not mention found more bugs crawling on the walls and floors.
After waiting 20 minutes I walk to the front desk all to wait like another 10 minutes. I have pics on my phone of all the bugs roaming around my room. All the front desk tells me is that unfortunately its bug season, and it sometimes causes a problem and there is nothing she can do besides have EcoLab spray the room the next day. After just looking at her she tells me she can give me another room which obviously I take.
Meanwhile security finally shows up while I’m at the front desk. He just tells my daughter that he has no idea what to do about bugs. Its bug season and leaves. I finally make it back to the room. So at almost 1 in the morning we’re moving all of our stuff to anther room. Luckily it was across the way but that didn’t solve the problem. We finally get settled in close to 2 and my youngest lays down and looks up. There is a bug on the ceiling. To be perfectly honest at this point in so tired i don’t even care. Between the 6 hr drive from Ca and the late night visit, I figured one was better than a room full.
Needless to say the next morning all of us were in less than desirable moods. And we still had the funeral to go to. I get into bed the next night and I’m half asleep when my girls start flipping out. A bug is crawling on me! Again I was so exhausted from not sleeping the night before and being out all day that day I just told them to get a tissue and flush it down the toilet.
I mention this at check out and all I’m told is to make sure i note it on the review they send out. Which I did but it’s not like I’m going to hear anything back. Thinking about it if I were at a hotel I would have been comped for at least my 1^st night stay due to the inconvenience of having to change rooms or I would have been upgraded. I got neither. Next time I’m in the area I’ll spend the few more points and stay at the Scottsdale Links. Its much nicer and only a few blocks away. For being a Diamond property I was disappointed.

If you like cheap and don’t want to stay at a motel 6 this might be the place. Kitchen table is old and wobbles. (Couple of the creamer packages helped but didn’t solve.) Small black ants in the bathroom and kitchen are slightly annoying. Studios do not have laundry and there is only two washers for the entire resort. The dryers do not heat very well so its takes 2 plus hours to dry clothes. (If you plan to stay for a minute and need laundry facilities consider this)
If your on a budget this an okay choice.

Stayed here for a business trip, my fault for not doing my research but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for business. It has one restaurant on the lot and that’s open from 11am-​6pm, not super helpful.
REALLY don’t like that they don’t make the beds or clean up during the day. I called and asked them to do so, housekeeping told me yes. When I got back that night, it hadn’t been done, they had just left a bunch of towels. When I called to ask why the bed hadn’t been made, they said they only do that for 5 stays or more. (by the way, their slogan is «We love to say yes»)
Also, they tried to sell me on a timeshare when I went to check in late at night and all I wanted to do was crash, not exactly the welcome I’m looking for.
Facilities are generally nice, but there are so many other options in Scottsdale, I’d try something else first.

We went into this thinking «okay…well we’re paying so little it doesn’t matter.»
We got there, and got lost — of course, so I called and they literally stayed on the phone with us UNTIL we got to the front desk.
Now this place IS a time share — and I think the most FRUSTRATING part was that they really were all about the sales. But having read the reviews — I said «no thanks» and hung up the phone.
With that being said — we had a one bedroom suite. The couch folded out to a comfy memory foam futon.
The kitchen was outrageously equipped and they kept us stocked (with numerous phone calls for more) with dish detergent and garbage bags. There were wine glasses, and plates, and every kitchen accessory you could need.
They brought us a ton of towels and we had our own for the pool. The in-​unit laundry made our lives with 2 kids and 2 adults easy. We went over to walmart and got some gain and did laundry twice a day of towels and clothes. It was PERFECT though. No complaints and I was actually really grateful!
The bed was outrageously comfortable.
People complained that the water didn’t get hot and it took a while to warm up — all true, but really — it’s an extra like minute. You can’t spare a minute while soaking dishes, brushing your teeth, and preparing for the shower? It’s not that serious!
The only COMPLAINT that I had — we came during the summer and they had a «summer of fun» campaign going for the kids and they really pushed for «gold, silver, bronze» olympic style. These are KIDS. My kids were CRUSHED when they lost the hoola hoop competition. Not only did they lose but the staff MADE THEM FEEL like they lost. There was no otter pops for everyone. Finally I made that suggestion and they started passing them out to the adults too… We didn’t get to participate in many of the competitions because we had SO MANY OTHER things planned but it was good for families.
They have gardens growing and we ran into some of the technicians that were scaling the plants and checking on them. They picked fresh bell peppers for us, and some fresh fruit and let us bring it back to our room to cook with. It was wonderful.
I’d stay here again!

We bought a voucher — 2 nights for a great price. No timeshare speal or pitchmen. Sweet. The room was obviously not the nicest room in the place and we didn’t expect that. However we were put back by the «preview room» which is where those poor souls sitting through the
speal were. Suited up salesmen swarmed the grounds and there was even a quick pitch on check in. Kust say no. The unit was nice sized with a full kitchen and made a nice home base for our busy staycation. The grounds are clean and although the roads flooded with a huge thunderstorm it is easy to get in and out of. It is close to lots of things too — food, spas, shopping. I would not, however, buy timeshare to it.

OK, first I can say nothing bad about the room or amenities. This is a very nice resort building wise. The issue comes when dealing with the staff. I don’t know if they are unhappy or just money motivated, because they seem to be all smiles when they want you to do a tour. When it comes to addressing your issues after or during your stay, you get less than stellar service.
Issue #1: Girlfriend had arranged for a gift basket and birthday cake as well as reservations at a restaurant to be made before we arrived at the resort and charged to the room do to it being my birthday. On the check-​in day the person my girlfriend had talked to was not in and the front desk staff did not have any notes or did not even try to fix the situation. They made one attempt at calling the staff member who was supposed to make all of the arrangements and that was it…“Next person”. I kid you not. Not even a «I’m sorry let me try to find out what happened» or «Let me try to rectify the situation» or I would have been satisfied with at least giving us a list of restaurants or recommending something. Did not happen. So Screw it we found some other things to do while we were there.
Issue #2: Low and behold, you are in a rush to leave and you forget a shirt or two hanging up in the closet. No big deal call them and see if they can hold it for me… but of course the service level here is again… less than stellar. Upon calling I stated what room we were in and when I stayed, «oh you want housekeeping, let me transfer you». Warning signals go off here because you would think that the frontdesk would call them first before I had to. Ok whatever, maybe i am being snobbish…“hello, housekeeping”. Explained the situation. «We’ll call you right back.» No call back. So now I am on my way back to the resort… luckily I work close by, talk to one person, «you want to talk to the frontdesk,» which is three steps behind me. Ok, you are behind a desk and you can’t at least say ‘hey frontdesk guys’ or have at least walked over to say something to prevent me from repeating myself. Talked to the frontdesk guys, «here’s a map to housekeeping». REALLY!!! Guess they wanted to be at the desk just in case they had to do a tour that no one wants to endure.
Like I said, good place to stay, but you will be less than happy with the service level of this place.

This is an update to my earlier review. We stayed here again this summer the week after july 4^th. This time we received a two bedroom lockoff unit. Considting of a 1 bedroom + a studio connected by a passthrough door. The unit was clean and comfortable. Check in was a breeze as usual. Our week was booked through Interval travel so ee received free wifi. Access is no longer through att as it was before. If you book this resort through a booking site like a hotel, you will pay a resort fee & wifi is NOT free. We also were coaxed into the timeshare presentation as we are every year. I tell them upfront that we are NOT buying… so we spend 90 min. chatting with the saleslady & walk out with a $ 100 visa gift csrd. Who doesnt love a free meal? Overall the stay is just as it is every year. Clean & comfortable… no problems.

UPDATE —
I’m upgrading this place from 1 to 3 stars because after all the ridiculous crap we had to go through (see previous review about nothing working and no hot water), they did get us into a new room right away and it was great. The new room was perfect, spacious and so very clean. The staff at the pool are VERY nice and we had a great time. If you already have a timeshare with Diamond Resorts, it’s acceptable. If you’re paying for it as a hotel, try another place.
I wouldn’t say this has everything to do with Diamond Resorts because I’ve stayed at other locations (most recently, Polo Towers in Las Vegas) and it was amazing. I just think the front desk staff at this particular Scottsdale location needs some retraining.

Went here for an after party during the Phoenix Open. The people who got the place said it was reasonably priced for the two bedroom suite.

Doesn’t offer free wifi, which in my book is a sin in 2013. Full disclosure, my requirements for a room aren’t high. Many times I’ve stayed at a Best Western for the free wifi over more expensive alternatives. The resort is comfortable though. Nice location.

Enjoyed our stay here. Pool very nice. Staff provided games around the pool. no food and beverages rule around the pool not enforced and some brought in coolers! Condo roomy with full kitchen but no jacuzzi tub. Concierge Weston talked us into going to a presentation, assuring us it was not a sales presentation but a barbecue to hear about the other Diamond Resorts properties. Barbecue tasted okay but was cold and limited. Our «presentor» told us he lied and it was a sales presentation. Parking was difficult this week due to construction taking up spaces, and we often had a long walk to our car.

Learned about the Scottsdale Villa Mirage through an II exchange. Wasn’t sure what to expect given there was a mix of both good and bad reviews. Upon arrival, hubby noticed that he recently saw this property showcased on Undercover Boss.
We arrived around 2P and were pleasantly surprised that our unit was available for check in. The desk clerk assisting us was very friendly and helpful. However, there was another person who may have been a manager or senior staff member that could use a lesson in customer service. Left the front desk with a somewhat negative impression.
Our exchange assigned us a studio or hotel unit. Not sure what the difference is. We were given a choice of a unit on the first, second or third floor. We chose a unit on the third floor since we read it would be quieter. One drawback — no elevators.
I think we had one of the refurbished units. The description of the amenities in our unit included a microwave, fridge and dishwasher. I was pleasantly surprised to find a 2 burner stove as well. We had a Queen bed and a pull out sofa bed. The sofa bed needs to be replaced. The sofa cushions tilted forward so it was very uncomfortable to sit on. It felt like you might slide off onto the floor. Maximum capacity of this unit accommodates 4. Maybe 2 adults and 2 small children… definitely not 4 adults.
On the 2 occasions I spent by the pool, I noticed the water was kind of murky, probably from all the sunscreen. Not sure how often then clean the pool.
We decided to bq one day. Luckily another guest advised us that the electronic igniter on the grills were not working. She told us we had to find a maintenance person to light the grill. The other complaint is the area around the grills were not maintained well.
I was originally going to give this place 3 stars, but have decided to take away a star because of the poor attitude of their night security guard and a friendly visit from a roach in our bathroom.
We came back one evening to find all the parking in front of our building full. We drove around the complex looking for a parking space. Many of the spaces were blocked off. The property is made up of several buildings, in the dark it is easy to get turned around. We finally found a security guard patrolling the area. We stopped and asked if he could direct us to a place to park. We explained where our unit was located. His response was wherever you can find a place. If I knew where to park, I wouldn’t have asked. Can’t say that he was the most helpful person we encountered.
Initially I was on the fence about recommending this place. Now I can honestly say I would not recommend this property. I will share my comments with II and may even decide to write to the CEO to share my experience.

I stayed here a few weeks ago and had no complaints. It’s not the Ritz Carlton, but for what it is, it’s just fine and a great home base for a weekend in Scottsdale/​Phoenix. Everything was in good shape, clean, no hassles.
I also did the timeshare presentation and have to give Diamond Resorts credit. I thought that part would absolutely suck like a root canal, but they were very professional about the whole thing and didn’t give me a hard time when I told them «no» at the end. I appreciate that.

What a surprise!
I bought a groupon for this place to assist in my trans-​pacific move from Hawaii to Phoenix. The groupon was $ 85 total for a studio with a kitchenette for three nights/​four days. Naturally, at that price I was bracing myself for the worst.
I’m quite happy to say that I was very happy with my stay there! I specifically requested a renovated room on the top (third) floor to avoid some issues like noise and bad rooms that I’ve seen others review. They complied with my requests, and the room was gorgeous — much, much better than your average hotel room.
There was a kitchenette in the room with a full fridge, cuisinart appliances, pots, pans, bowls, etc — a full set up. I was stoked because this seriously helps in saving money. There was a pull out couch that I didn’t use for sleeping but enjoyed watching tv on, a huge bathroom, a comfy clean queen bed, and ample towels.
The pool was decent — the only thing that could have been better would have been more shaded areas, but hey — welcome to Arizona, right?
We were warned about being pitched for a timeshare presentation, but decided to go for it after being offered an additional 2 night stay at another location AND a $ 75 visa gift card. We sat through the presentation for about 75 minutes, said no, and received our gifts without any hassle.
Overall I think this place was an awesome deal, and I’d definitely return — especially if I could get another smokin groupon deal. 4 stars for quality and price!

Really nice place.
My sister-​in-​law comes here for her timeshare and she let us use it for our trip to Phoenix this last Summer. Our suite was quite big – essentially a one bedroom apartment. There was a big bathroom there, sauna, swimming pool and hot tub outside, barbecues, wireless internet and a comfy bed. It’s a little far away from Phoenix proper, but being close to the freeway is a plus.
If you got the bucks to pay for this, then by all means splurge. I thought it was a great spot to stay at.

I love our timeshare where we have been calling home for the past week. The staff is super friendly, the gym although small has recently been renovated/​upgraded, and everything is within a 15 minute drive which is nice. Our studio has the basics (which is perfect since we are minimalists) and a nice patio to relax and enjoy the sunrise. There are 2 jacuzzis (one is for adults only) and the pool is decently sized and has a nice waterfall overhang. CVS/​Pharmacy, coffee, groceries and places to get things you forgot/​need for your stay is located along the way to this place. You can walk to the Fairmont (ten minutes or less) to meet up for drinks or friends. My only gripe
is the wall are thin… either that or the two older women have naturally loud voices… I guess it is perk because they are our alarm clocks… and I am sure since we go to bed 2 hours later than them they hear us blaring the Olympics.