A Carefree Experience!
A recent visit to the trails of Cave Creek and nearby Carefree, Arizona was a really upbeat experience in early October.
Where we stayed
To optimize our hiking time, we stayed at the Drury Inn in Phoenix to cut our drive time for the weekend. The rate was unbeatable and the experience exceptional! The Drury Inn is a fairly new property that offers exceptional rooms, plus a free breakfast and evening “snack.” (People were making a meal out of the macaroni and cheese, salad, hot dogs and trimmings.) All of this was for the pre-tax price of $89 – for a wonderful, king-sized room that had a separate living room area.
Our extra large king-sized room had this separate living room with 2 comfy chairs, and a microwave and fridge tucked in the media unit.
The room was immaculate with two TVs and a comfy bed and two armchairs. We had a corner room – extra large – and it was quiet, despite the fact that a wedding party and a bus tour were on other floors.
Also, the staff was exceptionally professional.
Kudos to Drury Inn for a totally non-dreary hotel experience!
Eating – or dining? – what a difference!
We decided to try the Carefree Station Restaurant in Carefree’s Spanish Village. Besides not being a chain restaurant, the experience was about the best restaurant meal – ambience and all – that we’ve had for a long time!
Carefree Station in Spanish Village - Carefree, Arizona
From the moment we walked in, even without a reservation for an anniversary celebration, they treated us with a special deference. We had a table away from the mob and our wait staffer, Beth, knew just when to show up and not to. (How many times have you had a special meal that was ruined because the wait staff kept asking “how was the food tasting?” and bugging you very often.)
Beth was friendly, so we eventually chatted near the end of the meal. We confided that we were celebrating our anniversary and they comped us to our desserts. We also were introduced to Chef Thomas, who created memorable, eye-appealing presentations whose taste lived up to the look.
