Summer Staycation Guide

As the snowbirds fly home for the summer, the Valley's top resorts roll out the red carpet for locals

A few weeks back, we kicked off our Summer Staycation Guide with a promise to bring you top local resorts offering “Ritz-Carton pampering at Radisson prices.” Well, turns out we forgot about one local gem where you can get posh Four-Diamond pampering at Radisson prices, all year round. Scottsdale’s only Four-Diamond resort and casino, the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort is a regal mountain hideaway located just minutes from the Valley proper. Even better, they’re offering a SunSational package with room rates starting at $139, including a $75 dining credit, 20-percent off spa services and complimentary membership in Fort McDowell Casino’s Fortune Club.

So what makes this property not-your-ordinary resort casino? Located on the the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, this autonomous Native American community is home to 40-square miles of pristine desert overlooking scenic Four Peaks Mountain. Hence, the resort has a distinctly Native American vibe, highlighted by the Anhala restaurant, where the chefs combine traditional mesquite-grill cooking and locally-sourced produce to create uniquely Southwestern fare such as a smokey corn chowder and buffalo tenderloin served with lobster-chorizo hash, red molé and garnished with pumpkin seeds and cocoa nibs. 

Meanwhile, the plush Amethyst spa is named after a working mine located between Four Peaks’ third and fourth crown. Then there’s the on-site We-Ko-Pa Golf Course, a 36-hole desert stunner recently named the #1 public course in the state by Golfweek magazine. That said, the real attraction here is the 24/7 gaming at the adjacent Fort McDowell Casino, featuring live Keno, Bingo, Blackjack and more on a 150,000 sqaure foot gaming floor.

Fort Fab: 10438 N. Fort McDowell Rd. 480-789-5300