To “dive in” to this blog, I wanted to write about the hotel pool that inspired me to create it.

Nicknamed the “Jewel of the Desert,” the Arizona Biltmore, a magnificent Art Deco hotel in Phoenix, inspired my interest in historic pools. Architect Albert Chase MacArthur, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, built it for his brothers Warren and James, who were trying to entice tourists to Arizona. Construction was completed in 1929 after only nine months! 

1929… Yikes! Not an optimal time to build, in retrospect! After the market crashed in October, the MacArthurs sold it to the Wrigley family, the chewing gum dynasty from Chicago.   

FIN FACT: The relationship between Albert Chase MacArthur and his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright tanked when MacArthur paid Wright $10,000 to use his allegedly patented construction blocks. However, Wright had no such patent, but he still had MacArthur’s money!

Fast forward 86 years from opening to November 2015. My husband had a conference in Phoenix, and I went with him, leaving our kids with grandparents so we could have time to ourselves for our anniversary. We were supposed to stay at the conference hotel, but I had started the planning process too late. That hotel had no vacancy, so I did some research. Imagine a swimmer’s excitement at finding the Arizona Biltmore, a historic hotel with not one, but seven beautiful pools! Immediately I insisted that we must stay there! 

My persuasion worked, and we reserved what was available: one room for one night. Not much time, I know, but it was worth every minute. What a spectacular location! As soon as we arrived at the elegant Frank Lloyd Wright-style resort, I knew I’d be swimming in luxury.  The warmly-lit, inviting interior with dark wood decor and splashes of color would provide the perfect respite after long swims and hikes in the bright desert sun. My favorite decorative items were the Sprites, six foot tall Art Deco wingless elves who used to live at Midway Gardens in Chicago and in 1975 were restored to grace the gardens of the Arizona Biltmore. I admired them daily after my swim, before enjoying a well-earned delicious Southwestern breakfast at the hotel.

Despite our short stay, the five-star staff went above and beyond, allowing me to swim every day during our four days in Phoenix. They truly gave top notch service, and I will continue to sing their praises until the day I die. Currently, the Arizona Biltmore offers day passes for those staying elsewhere, so be sure to investigate that possibility if you’ll be in the vicinity.

Because we stayed on Eastern Daylight time, I always had the pools to myself at the start! I highly recommend this strategy, by the way. Such peaceful workouts! 

Each pool is fabulous in its own way, but the Catalina Pool is extra-special. It is original to the hotel, opening in 1930 and quickly becoming a Hollywood hangout. Marilyn Monroe said that it was her favorite pool and often would sun herself on the poolside lounge chairs. Frank Sinatra, Irving Berlin, Clark Gable, and many other celebrities came here to swim (or tan) and be seen. Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned here, relaxing in the sparkling waters of this desert oasis. That pool must have been hopping with energy during those heady years, and with reason! It’s gorgeous. And it’s great not only for lounging but for lap swimming! It’s 25 yards long, seven feet at its deepest, and has a raised octagonal fountain that separates a shallow wading pool. The striking yellow, blue, and white tiles from California’s Santa Catalina Island provide scenery for swimmers and sunbathers. Marilyn had excellent taste in aquatic splendor.

FIN FACT: Irving Berlin was rumored to have written the iconic “White Christmas” while relaxing by the Catalina Pool. What an appealing image that would be, right? But it’s likely a mythical image. Berlin did not mention the Biltmore in interviews about the song, his biographer claimed that he wrote it in New York, and in the first stanza, which often is left out, he sings of daydreaming from Beverly Hills. Nevertheless, no matter where he composed it, the Arizona Biltmore remains an awesome hotel with equally awesome pools!

The largest pool at the Arizona Biltmore is the Paradise Pool, a 1996 addition to the hotel grounds.  It is gorgeous, and more geared for relaxation and play than laps, but I did swim about 1,500 meters here on our first day. I say “about” because I didn’t know exact dimensions at the time, so I logged the swim as a guesstimate, using stroke count. I’ve since learned to pack a tape measure in my suitcase! 

The other pools are smaller, but each is a treat, so I took quick dips in them just to see and enjoy. Ocatilla Pool has TVs, food, and drinks, Bougainvillea is a quieter family pool, cozy Terrace Court has a hot tub, and Saguaro Villa is nestled among the Villa suites. 

Saguaro Villa shouldn’t be confused with the Saguaro Pool, which deserves a special shout-out for having adult swim all the time. It was built during the hotel’s $70 million dollar 2020 renovation, as I did not swim in it, and from the description, this pool would be impossible to forget! Although small for serious lap swimmers, it has two lap lanes in one section, and a third in another section. With poolside dining, a bar, and temperature controlled cabanas, this pool for sure is a sumptuous escape for the 21+ crowd and a fun post-workout reward! 

A family-friendly addition to Paradise Pool from the 2020 reno is “The Twist,” a 65 foot waterslide, which replaces the beautiful Art Deco façade in the picture below but looks like great fun. Happily, the renovations did not change the Catalina or the other pools, other than adding the amenities described above.

Now that I have re-lived our 2015 stay at the Arizona Biltmore, I feel compelled to return as soon as we can! I would love to see the renovations first-hand, and I hope that this incredible hotel is around for at least another 86 years! As movie critics Siskel and Ebert would have said, I would give this luxury resort “two thumbs up, way up!” But as a Parrothead, I’m adapting that rating to “two fins up, way up.”