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Carefree Resort & Conference Center – reviews, photos

3.5 of 5
37220 Mule Train Road, Carefree, AZ 85377
Hotel amenities
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Carefree Resort & Conference Center
Ranked #2 of 2 hotels in Carefree
4.0 of 5 stars 217 Reviews
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217 reviews from our community

What travellers say about this hotel
  • Friendly and helpful(4)
  • Pool area(4)
  • Very nice(3)
Traveller rating
    82
    58
    31
    26
    20
Only show reviews for Family (57) | Couples (74) | Business (38)
Date Rating
Rogue River
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“Can't Wait to Return”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This was our third visit to Carefree Resort. We first went in January of 2011 and had such a great experience we returned a month later. The second visit had us in a sub par room, so we were disappointed. The management, upon learning of our disappointment at check out, sent us a gift certificate for two free nights on our next visit.

We are so glad that we went back this winter. We spent five nights, and it was as close to perfect as you could get. The grounds and buildings have been either remodeled or refurbished. The lobby is very inviting and warm, with a newly installed business center for their guests. The grounds are impeccably maintained and well landscaped. There is a nice collection of desert sculptures on the grounds as well.

Our room was poolside on the north side of the facility in the first building. It was very spacious, clean, up-to-date, and quiet. The king bed was very comfortable, with the clean feature of triple sheeting. Nights were very quiet. Complimentary USA Todays were placed outside our room each day.

The pool was crystal clear and warm. Poolside furniture was modern and comfortable. Poolside towels were large and spotless.

The restaurant is excellent. They have a sea food buffet on the first Friday of every month. It is absolutely outstanding with a huge selection and extremely high quality. We also had lunch there and found the meals to be ample, high quality, and very reasonably priced.

The landscaping is impeccable, with some very attractive desert sculptures.

During the whole five days, we felt that the staff was there to make the guests feel welcome and well served. You can tell that they want to do things right.

The location was great for our needs, as it is more out in the desert and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Scottsdale.

We can't wait to return next winter to enjoy this facility that is definitely working to do it right.

Room Tip: Poolside rooms in the first north building was excellent, and gives you sun on your deck. There are...
See more room tips
  • Stayed February 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Green Valley , Arizonia
Top Contributor
109 reviews 109 reviews
Reviews in 44 cities Reviews in 44 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
“A wonderful place in the dessert”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We stayed the night here. Had a nice room reasonable clean . Service was the best yet from bell hop to front desk. Liariat restuarant on premise was tastefull ,nice menu and excellant servings . A top notch place.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Lobocoyote about Carefree Resort & Conference Center
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
North Vancouver, Canada
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“What a location”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 January 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I did not know the desert could be so beautiful and the resort grounds are immaculate. The restraint food was excellent and reasonably priced. The resort is older but has been very nicely updated and is on par with the best. A great stay in a dynamite local about 35 minutes north of Phoenix

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask jim b about Carefree Resort & Conference Center
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Lorena, Texas
1 review
“Years ago”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 January 2012

I'm not sure if this is the same resort I stayed in in the 70's. I believe it was called Carefree Inn at that time. We stayed in cabin like rooms and had an amazing time. There was a French Restaurant within walking distance and we went on a trail ride, had cook-outs it was all wonderful. A time I will always remember favoritively. Would love to come back. Could you please send me information about the resort today?

  • Stayed February 2011, travelled on business
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask cathyjp23 about Carefree Resort & Conference Center
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
San Francisco, California
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
“A dud”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 January 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Carefree and Cave Creek are wonderful towns full of character and within easy travel distance of Phoenix or Scottsdale. My elderly parents were visting from out of state and I took them up to the Carefree Resort in order to see the Third Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival hosted by the resort.

Balloon Festival:
Admission was $8 per person and festivities began at 4pm - by festivities I mean a band composed of several 14 year olds, stands selling fried dough, and an "arts and crafts" area showscasing a things like made-in-China plastic toilet paper holders of cartoon-like horses. Attendants told us that maybe the hot air balloons would start filling with air by 6pm. The balloons were not going to fly and would simply sit in the parking lot.

The Resort:
We wandered into the resort to kill time. It is tired, old and uninspiring. Although I didn't see a room, the dining area, front lobby and patio were enough - dusty, dirty and even a duct-taped broken window/door.

My father has a bad knee and twisted it while we walked around the parking lot, so we needed to leave (it was probably 5:45 - no sign of inflating balloons yet). I stopped to ask if the organizers would consider a partial refund of our entry fees given my dad's injury and my general disappointment with the entire affair. We were flatly refused, without apology.

The facility did provide a golf cart to return my father to our car, which I appreciated. Overall, though, I would not return to the event or the "resort."

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Gst_Services_Mgr, Manager at Carefree Resort & Conference Center, responded to this review
25 January 2012
We apologize that the Carefree / Cave Creek Balloon Festival, or the resort for that matter did not meet your expectations. However, if you were able to stay a little longer you would have seen five incredible balloons inflate and an amazing fireworks display, before the high winds prevailed and created a safety issue. Unfortunately, we do not have any control over the weather. We did have over 6,000 people attend and although the high winds prohibited all the ballons from inflating, we received numerous great comments.

As far as the resort is concerned, we just completed a multi-million dollar renovation that included our lobby, restaurant, lounge, resort rooms, and all public areas. You mentioned that the floors in our lobby were dusty, which I am sure they may have been. Again, with over 6,000 people at the resort at one time using the lobby bathrooms and patronizing our Lariat Restaurant and Lounge, it made it extremely difficult to do our regular cleaning. However, this is an anomaly and not our normal operating procedures.

The Carefree Resort & Conference Center is the host of the festival; however, we do not have any control over the gate or refunds, as this is handled by the organizers and not the resort. In any case, I am glad that we were able to assist your father with a golf cart ride back to your car.

Should your travels ever bring you back to the Carefree area, I would be happy to give you a personalized tour of our resort and point out all the upgrades that we have made in the past year.

Thank you for your comments and I will pass the festival-related items on to the organizers, as this is how we all improve and make adjustments for next year.
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Additional Information about Carefree Resort & Conference Center

  • Carefree Resort
Address: 37220 Mule Train Road, Carefree, AZ 85377
Price range (per night):* INR5,558 - 10,894

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