SCOTTSDALE + SEDONA, ARIZONA
ARIZONA
Scottsdale & Sedona
Where we stayed: W Hotel; Fairmont & Airbnb
We decided we hadn't travelled enough in 2018, so when we wanted a little warm getaway and we decided on Scottsdale. Scottsdale is a short flight from us so it makes the perfect weekend destination. We booked the W hotel in Scottsdale. The hotel itself is quite lovely, but it was a party hotel, and we are not party people. The hotel has a few bars, including the pool deck at night. We had one of the “quieter rooms,” and we could still hear partiers all night long. Be warned; it gets quite loud. The nice thing about this hotel is that it is walking distance to Fashion Square Mall, Old Scottsdale, bars and restaurants. They also have Lime and Bird (electric scooters) that are super fun to use and a faster way to get around. Close to the W Hotel was Mr. Mesquite Taqueria, the BEST street tacos we’ve ever had. Open till 3-4 am every night and always busy so you know they’re serving up great tacos.
The W Hotel is nice, the pool was great and the staff were awesome, but it is not a place to relax. The pool was so busy not only with parties, but they open it to the public (with a cover charge) so it gets wild. We were hoping to relax, so it wasn’t ideal. Our travel to Scottsdale ended up delayed by several hours, so we extened our stay by a night and left the W Hotel for the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. It was worlds apart from the W Hotel. We stayed in our own little villa in a quaint complex with only a few other rooms. We had a private pool, shared between a few other rooms but we didn’t see anyone. The stay was so quiet and relaxing. We were so disappointed we didn’t stay there the whole time. The Fairmont has canine ambassadors at many of their hotels worldwide, and so we got to meet two cute golden retrievers on our way out. This property was huge and beautiful, tons of pools, and so many beautiful spots to sit and enjoy. The Fairmont is on the north side of Scottsdale, about 25 minutes’ drive from central Scottsdale (where we were before). Despite the hotel being further from the core, we were way closer to Scottsdale Quarters, which is a great outdoor mall with high-end shopping and food like Dominick’s Steakhouse. If you’re coming with friends, family and you want to be more central, Airbnbs are a great alternative, and there are so many beautiful ones with private pools in locations all around the city. Check out this INSANE airbnb: very expensive, but if you split it with 16 people… We’re in.
UPDATED TRIP BELOW
Our second trip to AZ was with Wilson’s family. We started doing an annual trip in January 2019, and we chose Scottsdale. We got to revisit a few great spots like Mr. Mesquite’s Taqueria, Old Scottsdale, Scottsdale Quarters and Dominick’s Steakhouse. We explored a ton outside that area; we went to the Desert Botanical Garden, which was beautiful and unlike any botanical garden we’ve ever visited. There were so many cool desert plants, and it made us wish we lived in a climate that could support them.
We drove out to Sedona, which was a gorgeous drive and town. On our drive out, we stopped at a couple of places we forgot to get the name of, but there was a great restaurant along the road covered in one-dollar bills that had great food and funny bathroom stalls. If you go or have been, you’ll know. (UPDATE: it is called Superstition Saloon in the Tortilla Flats area). On the way, out to Tortilla Flats, there was a little cowboy town called Goldfield Ghost Town which was really interesting. We stayed at the Amara Resort and Spa, which was a great and central hotel. We aren't sure if it was the season we were there or if it is just how Sedona is, but things closed quite early here, which was a bummer, but the town is beautiful. We rented ATVs and went off-roading in the mountains, which was super fun. We got super muddy (on purpose) but had to pay an extra dirty fee of $20. Mission accomplished!
We drove out to Page, Arizona, to do the Antelope Canyon tour. You have to go through a tour group to do it as it is protected native land but is worth it. It was a quick tour because it was getting dark, but it was absolutely stunning. We stopped at the Horseshoe Bend on the way in and passed the turn for the Grand Canyon if you have the time we’d recommend stopping there as well.
