Quick Links to Reviews:
Butterfly Wonderland
O.H.S.O Brewery
Once we settled into the hotel, we took our strollers out to explore the area. The Villas were a short walk from the rest of the resort, separated by an office building. Electronic Key entry provided an extra level of security for the isolated villas.
The villa compound included it’s own pool, hot tub, and pool bar & grill. We didn’t actually see the pool bar/grill open for business, but the hotel’s information stated that it did actually open during certain hours.
We did order room service one night for TT Dad and I. We enjoyed the meal, but it was apparent that the kitchen wasn’t part of the compound. We had booked a two bedroom villa for less than a one bedroom suite at any other resort hotel in the area. We were quite impressed by our experience at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort/Villas.
The next few days became a game of keeping the kids occupied. TT Dad had work to do, between meetings with customers, keeping up with the office, and seminars for the conference that brought us out west to begin with. This left me with two very active toddlers to entertain. If you have a set of mobile twins, you know what I’m talking about. At this age, they simply don’t do well in a non-babyproofed area for long. They seek and destroy anything not bolted into the ground. If it can be broken, it will.
In general, we are lucky to have two very well behaved children, but it seems they acclimate themselves to their new surroundings by getting into mischief. The best plan of action is to find places I can bring them, where they will be relatively safe with only one adult. This is actually easier than it sounds. We’ve become fairly adept at finding places we believe they will enjoy from the confines of a stroller, or will be fenced in completely, to avoid the classic twin move- bolt in two different directions.
In Phoenix, we found a few options for Mom time, but also for family outings.
The duo and I began our adventures with a trip to Butterfly Wonderland . I really enjoyed the experience, but felt it was a little bit too much for the kids. It definitely served its purpose as something to do/see that we could handle on our own, but they weren’t quite old enough to be trusted to walk on their own, which didn’t work in the Butterfly Pavilion.
This photo was incredibly difficult to get.
That stop was followed by a trip to Target to stock our villa’s kitchen, and diaper stash. It was the first of many. Remember the rules? Completely fenced in or confined to a stroller? Shopping cart works, too. Our kids LOVE shopping, so a lap around Target can cheer them up in an instant. I’m sure it has nothing to do with their adoring public.
We also made it out to dinner with Auntie A. Who brings a baby to a brewery?
Certainly not us… we bring two.
Climbing practice
We went to The Outrageous Homebrewer’s Social Outpost (O.H.S.O) Brewery. One of the highlights of our trip, hands down. We loved the fact that it was dog-friendly, and so, by default, child friendly.
The only downside to the dinner stemmed from our own mistakes. Lessons learned. More on that in our review. Be sure to check out our reviews of both the Butterfly Wonderland, and O.H.S.O, linked here, and above!