Scottsdale Travel Guide

& I might have a new favorite spot to visit! Today’s Scottsdale Travel Guide sums up my new found love of the city, includes where to eat, where to stay & more.

I have been DYING to recap our trip to Scottsdale with y’all! Tyler & I decided to getaway for a few days before the little lady makes her appearance, and I couldn’t image a better place to take a “baby moon”. After spending a few days in San Luis Obispo for a wedding, we flew into Phoenix & drove the 30 minutes to Scottsdale to spend the rest of the week! Neither Tyler nor I had ever been, & we couldn’t wait to explore somewhere new.

We were debating between Scottsdale & Sedona, and really had a hard time deciding between the two! Scottsdale was a little less traveling, and Sedona is really known for their hiking & outdoor activities. Being 30 weeks pregnant when we took the trip, I didn’t think I’d be up to hiking & such, so ultimately we decided on Scottsdale.

I’ve always heard amazing things about Scottsdale, it’s got great food, scenic views, incredible resorts & offers plenty to do. While we pretty much relaxed by the pool & ate our way through the town, I would have to say it lived up to the hype & I’m so so glad we ended up picking Scottsdale.

Y’all came through on the recommendations when I asked about resorts & restaurants! There were so many amazing places to choose from.

Where to Stay:

Four Seasons Troon North:

This is where we spent three nights of our trip & we still cannot stop talking about our experience here. I honestly don’t think we’ve had a better experience at a hotel before. The entire experience was just incredible. It 100% spoiled us, if we come back to Scottsdale I can’t not stay here. Disclaimer, it is about 25 minutes outside of town, so if you’re looking to spend every day or night in town then it might not be the best option for you. I was a little hesitant about that part, but once we spend a day on the property we didn’t even want to go into town, we just wanted to stay at the resort all day!

First things first, the grounds of the property were unlike anything I’ve ever seen, it really looked like a movie set or something fake 😂 I kept asking Tyler “is this real life?!”. I’ve never been to Arizona before, so maybe that was why I was just in awe of everything. But it was just beautiful! Not to mention the views. Like wow wow wow. We lucked out & had a really great view from our room, it was so cool seeing the mountains & watching the sunset from our balcony.

The amenities were great y’all. They have 3 pools on the property, we spent a good amount of our time by the pool & it was so relaxing! Plus with the heat, you kind of wanted to be in or near the water most of the day. I’m a sucker for lunch by the pool too, and their food was so good. We also enjoyed their spa one morning, it was such a treat.

I’ll get into this more under the “where to eat” section, but we really enjoyed the restaurants on site as well. Because we were enjoying our time at the resort & pool so much we ended up spending two evenings just at the hotel restaurants & they were great!

& lastly, the service was also top notch. Just absolutely amazing, everyone was just incredibly kind & accommodating, but in such a welcoming way. It was the cherry on top of the whole week.

It sounds like a sponsored review, but this totally isn’t. We paid for everything ourselves! It was just so lovely, we still can’t stop talking about it. If you’re looking for a place to relax, that has amazing views you will not be disappointed!

The Phoenician:

This resort came highly recommended! When we booked our flights we booked them Sunday-Thursday, and were unable to book the Four Seasons for the entire time because they were already fully booked on Wednesday night. I was kind of excited about that because it meant we got to enjoy another resort during our stay, but after we had such an incredible experience at the Four Seasons, our experience at The Phoenician sadly just didn’t even come close.

It’s a huge property, and very much had an all-inclusive vibe to it (we’ve stayed at & enjoyed all-inclusives before, so no hate to all inclusives!). It was just not what we had in mind for our relaxing babymoon. & sadly the room we had was just not nice. We used some Marriott points to upgrade to a suite & it was just meh.

Ah, I feel bad reviewing it for y’all, & maybe it just didn’t get a fair shot since we enjoyed the first resort so much?! To be fair, people raved about their spa, but we were out & about most of the day & didn’t get to enjoy any treatments. Also, the pool area was massive, people partying, loud volleyball games going on, etc! So I think if you’re looking for a more lively atmosphere, maybe you’d love it?! It just didn’t live up to the hype for us unfortunately.

Other Resort Recommendations I Received:

The Scott / The Princess / Camelback Inn / The Boulders / The Biltmore

Where to Eat:

The Henry: This came highly recommended! We snagged brunch here on our way from the Phoenix airport to the Four Seasons. It is just darling, super cute atmosphere & a nice little patio. It also has a little coffee bar inside as well! I am a sucker for a good patio, and love that we got to sit outside for brunch! I will admit, neither of us were blown away by the food, but maybe we just ordered wrong?!

Talavera: This restaurant is located at the Four Seasons and has the most spectacular view! Even if you’re not staying at the resort, I’d definitely recommend making reservations because it’s so beautiful. Make reservations around sunset, come an hour or so early & grab a drink at the bar beforehand to enjoy on the patio outside. The food was also delicious!

Ocean44: Tyler is a big steak house fan, so when making reservations I wanted to make sure we visited a yummy steakhouse for him & this one did not disappoint! Their menu expands beyond steaks, which I appreciated. We ordered the panko fried deviled eggs for an appetizer & they were SO good! Tyler’s steak melted in your mouth, the sides we’re seriously delicious & dessert was divine. We had a really cool table looking into the kitchen too. But I have to say, the BEST part of the dinner were the rolls they brought out at the beginning of the meal. Y’all a dinner here is worth it based on the rolls alone! They were a savory, flaky, buttery cinnamon roll served hot in a cast iron skillet. I am drooling just telling y’all about them! LOL

Toca Madera: This spot came highly recommended, but we didn’t end up making reservations here. We had about an hour to spare before dinner at Ocean44 (they’re right next to each other), so we popped in for a margarita & mocktail! Y’all this place was a vibe. It totally reminded me of a restaurant that belongs in Vegas! We snagged seats at the bar, there was a DJ with a trumpet player which was so cool. It would be a great spot for a Bachelorette party! The drinks were delicious btw!

Proof: This was another Four Seasons restaurant! The food & atmosphere was great. We had other reservations the evening we ate here, but we were enjoying the pool so much we decided to cancel them & just eat at the hotel so we could maximize our time at the resort. I don’t think I would make a special trip to eat here if you’re not staying at the Four Seasons, but if you are staying on the property it’s worth checking out.

Berdena’s: This was a cutie little coffee shop in Old Town Scottsdale we visited before checking out the 5th Ave Shops. It was full of what appeared to be locals, so I always take that as a good sign. I ordered an iced vanilla oat milk latte & we shared a berry scone, both were delicious! If you’re in the area & need a pick me up, definitely pop by.

Diego Pops: Another very popular lunch recommendation! We were actually supposed to have lunch at Olive & Ivy, but I just wasn’t really feeling anything on the menu that day, so we switched it up & went to Diego Pops! It did not disappoint. The corn queso & tacos were so darn good! Plus the made a really freaking good ranch water (according to Tyler!).

Café Monarch: Y’all I saved the best for last. We made reservations on their patio for the last night of our trip & it was the most magical experience. This fine dining restaurant offers a prefix menu, which I was a little nervous about because Tyler can be kind of picky, but everything was absolutely delicious! Tyler loved all the food too. It was hands down the best food we ate all trip & the atmosphere was just perfection. If you’re in Scottsdale & you’re celebrating something special or just want to treat yourself I would highly, highly recommend making reservations! They offered a really cool wine pairing option too, so next time we’re back I am definitely giving that a try.

*we made reservations ahead of time for pretty much everywhere & it really helped when planning & enjoying our days!

**when making reservations we noticed a lot of restaurants weren’t open on Monday nights, so we had to switch some things around to accommodate that. Just worth mentioning!

Other Restaurant Recommendations (we didn’t get to try):

Olive & Ivy / Lon’s at Hermosa Inn / Montauk / Maple & Ash (we’ve eaten at the Chicago location & really liked it!) / Snooze / The Mission / AZ88 / Sumo Maya / Elements

What I Packed for our Trip to Scottsdale:

Ribbed Knit Dress: This has been one of my favorite dresses during pregnancy, and I loved it for our trip! I can’t believe it’s still fully in stock. I sized up to a med for the bump (it’s not maternity sizing), and loved pairing it with a floral kimono overtop.

Crochet Dress: This is kind of out of my comfort zone, but I am just rocking this bump while I’ve got it. It also just gave me desert vibes. I sized up to a medium for the bump.

Leopard Maxi: Flowy dresses were a must because of the heat! & I just love this dress. It can be dressed up or down too!

Printed Pareo: This print immediately caught my eye! I actually got a lot of wear out of it during our trip. I wore it as a sarong type coverup & also as a wrap over the crochet dress.

Farm Rio Dress: This print just screamed AZ to me & I just loved the back detail. Sadly it’s going in & out of stock, but I am sharing a handful of other Farm Rio dress favs below.

Turquoise Earrings: Turquoise was a must for this trip & these earrings are such a cute pop of color!

Waffle Knit Tee & Shorts: This lounge set was perfect & so comfy for wearing in the morning, heading to the spa or breakfast! I sized up to a Med in both for the bump.

Straw Wide Brim Hat: Y’all the sun & heat is no joke & this hat was on repeat during the day by the pool!

Cleobella Dress: This is one of the most versatile dresses in my closet from spring into fall! It just suits so many different occasions, and was great for a casual dinner in Scottsdale!

Smocked Dress: The dress was perfect for shopping & lunch out & about one day! I love the tie back detail & appreciate the smocked detail. I got the small & it fit the bump great. Would definitely size down without a bump.

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Looking to travel more in the upcoming months?!

30A Travel Guide / Yountville Travel Guide / Charleston, SC Travel Guide / Chicago Travel Guide