Scottsdale Villa Mirage Timeshare

We are staying at the sister property about two miles from the Villa Mirage but have been over several times to use some of the facilities and were sent here for our “orientation” which turned out to be a hard-sell timeshare pitch. Neither of the properties were of particular interest as far as ownership, but we still had to talk to four people to get out the door. Our unit at Scottsdale Links is quite large and comfortable, the units at Mirage look more updated and comfortable. There is a small cafe at Mirage

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I was growing desperate for a place for my kids to go to Scottsdale for Spring Break where I could get 2 bedrooms. I was about to sign into the Kierland and take one room with style and ambience, but I got an e-mail from a Jim Gioiosa highlighting Scottsdale Villa Mirage 2 bedroom.

I called him on it and the price was reasonable. I was a little nervous as a lot of the reviews from TripAdvisor was less than first class. Then Jim messed up the confirmation by booking a 2 bedroom for 2 nights and a one bedroom for one night (this confirmation just never felt right). I asked for a 2 bedroom for 3 nights. He said it would be taken care of on Monday.

I called on Wednesday saying I needed to know. I was then sent a confirmation that had 2 nights, but had the dates right. OK, well, I was somewhat concerned now, but I had little recourse as they asked Jim wanted my credit card information on the first night and I never knew about any cancellation policies or if the confirmation was non refundable.

I finally received the final confirmation with smiley faces and an apology for the typo. OK, OK, I wasn’t feeling great, but the reviews were getting better as the facility had gone through some major renovations.

In one of the last phone calls I had with Jim (he wasn’t returning the last 3 calls personally, just by e-mail) I asked to be put one of the renovated rooms (no confirmation of that either).

In his last e-mail Jim listed some very general things to do in Scottsdale, but nothing specific. Now, I had also read that there was a tour that the concierge was going to ask to give you a tour and presentation. I had only my 2 young kids with me and was not going to give into to that.

Well, we drive 7 hours. Location is great off of Scottsdale and 101 nestled in a secluded, quiet area that is a little hard to find. So, now it is 4:00p to check in. We are checked in with no pulse form the person behind the counter. The lobby is small with the cheap light stucco that really isn’t stucco. They then turn me over to the concierge. Here’s the windup and the pitch. The discussion started with getting into the Diamond Resort timeshare program and having 4 nights for the price of $50 a night (pen had crossed out the $149 a night for effect).

The concierge kept to her pitch until I found my “out”. She asked where the Mrs Daly was. I mentioned she was somewhere with my other daughter. Mickis was sorry to inform me that I couldn’t take the 90 minute tour unless my spouse was with me. I mentioned that’s OK, because there was no way I was going on any kind of tour anyway. I then received the “prize” from the concierge…a purple Diamond resort bag with 2 bottle’s of water. Because my kids were so darn cute I got 2 bags!

Well, I was beginning to be deflated over a bad choice for a room…until I got to the room. The room was building 8, room 242. THis was not one of the refurbished room’s.

Furniture was cheap and light. The carpet was so worn that there were several bubbles coming up from the lack of adhesion. Room’s were a good size with an old TV in he 2 bedrooms and a flat screen (I don’t think it was HD) in the main room. The kitchen was small but workable. Though it was older I thought we could do this and then I saw it. I put my stuff in the larger bedroom which had a couch and a small table. As I walked to the sliding glass door I saw 2 spots and had a strong feeling as to what they were. I took a picture and walked back to the lobby.

I asked if they allowed pets and they said no. I then said that some wild animal must have infiltrated my room, left their mark and someone made a poor attempt to clean it up. I showed them the picture and they dispatch someone out to clean it. There was also toothpaste (post tooth brushing) lying in the sink. They did not clean that up. The next day the head inspector verified that the two spots were left by a dog and blamed the front desk for not ensuring that dogs didn’t get in…and yet this was the inspector. The sofa in the living room we called the monster because the springs were so bad that it swallowed anyone who dared sit on it. The front desk laughed at this when I brought it to their attention.

The pool is small and cheap, but it is the pool rules that are most entertaining. There is a rule for people with incontinence and how they must wear their tight rubber suits to swim. The great majority of people there were over 65. This was definitely a place that caters to seniors. Good luck trying to use the pool between 10 and 11 am MWF as the seniors take over the whole pool with water aerobics.

Bed and fold out were unsleepable (what thread count is sandpaper?)
No housekeeping for a stay of 3 days.
Ping pong table has cheap plastic balls.
Good side: food and alcohol are poolside and inexpensive. Great location to most everything. Quiet. Pool was not crowded at all. Quiet sleeping. Activity people try their best to keep things moving and upbeat.

The Scottsdale Villa Mirage is not easy to find mostly because there is not a sign for the property until you get to it. You basically wind through the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess property to get there.

The room was ok, the bed was hard and maid service was elusive. We stayed there a week and had maid service once during this time. The pool area is small and there is a cafe on the property which was ok.

It is a timeshare property so you are courted by the timeshare salespeople.

We will likely stay at another location when we return.

My husband and I have visited many timeshares and vacation rentals, and I can say that because of the lousy customer service, this was the worst I have ever visited. I was very displeased with my experience.

Check in was a debacle at best. There was a problem that required the manager’s attention; instead of the manager coming over to speak with me, one of the staff members had to walk back and forth like a messenger.

In addition, the staff was very pushy for me to sign up for a timeshare tour, and I was not told about any of the amenities on site.

The light outside my unit’s door was broken and the trash can was missing from the bathroom.

As for the unit., it was lovely and well-furnished. The housekeeping staff was friendly and efficient, and the resort was very clean.

Despite the nice room, I will definitely never go back to the Scottsdale Villa Mirage.

I booked through Hotwire and the deal was very good. This time I was travelling alone to meet up with friends at a later date so the hard sell timeshare was really not pushed on me. (it was just below the surface) The room was functional and a little tight. The microwave was oven size. Amenities were throughout the complex looked average. Overall cleanliness was good. The one thing is that the GPS took me to the hotel on the other side of the fence before I got directions to go behind the other hotel. Unfortunately, it was much nicer than the Mirage.