Scottsdale, Arizona is a perfect destination for a girl’s trip.  My MSU college friends and I planned a 3-night getaway at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort.  On the agenda…great food, great shopping, relaxation and lots of laughter.  Easy enough, right?!

Getting there

The Phoenix airport is approximately 15 minutes from the hotel.  Uber is the easiest way to get to the resort and fairly priced.  We used Uber throughout our stay and it was easily available.  We usually waited less than 10 minutes to be picked up.

The Property

The property itself is enormous.  We were lucky enough to stay in the main building.  However, if you stayed in any of the other buildings, there are golf carts or cars to move you around the property.  We took a golf cart to the athletic center.  Super easy.

My favorite features of the property:

The Thirsty Camel Patio

Great for cocktails and the sunset.  Gorgeous views, fireplaces and just a cool vibe.

Mowry & Cotton

Great indoor vibe for cocktails.

The Athletic Club

4500 sq. ft. makes this one of the nicest workout facilities I’ve seen at a hotel.  Amazing views of the property.  Want to do a class?  They have a room with on-demand fitness.  You choose the workout and duration you desire and the class begins on a large screen tv.  So cool!

The Pools

There are several pools throughout.  We found ourselves at the adults-only pool, as we were officially “moms off duty”.  Great drinks and lunch.  Try the salmon kabobs, delicious!

The Marketplace

Our daily coffees were purchased here.  Lots of options for quick bites too.

The Spa

The one thing I wish we had done.   The spa is really pricey, but looks fabulous!  We had a group of 7, so last minute spa appointments were out of the question.  If this is something you are interested in, advance bookings are necessary.

Where to shop

Scottsdale Fashion Square

A luxury shopping, dining and entertainment district.  They have stores like Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci.

Kierland Commons

An outdoor mall with stores like including Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, Madewell, Sur La Table, Tommy Bahama.

 

Where to Eat

The FOOD!  I loved every meal.  So many amazing options in Scottsdale.  We ate at each of the restaurants below.  The Henry, however was by far our favorite!  We really wanted a second meal at The Henry…but all of our meals were delicious, restaurants had great atmospheres and of course, the company I was with was the best part 🙂

The Henry

The Canal Club

The Montauk

Go for Brunch!  Live DJ made it so much fun.

Diego Pops

Olive & Ivy

Go for lunch.  We ate just before shopping.

Hiking Camelback Mountain

Tip: Purchase a $5 backpack from the hotel concierge. The backpack included 3 bottles of water for each of us, a first aid kit including a comb if we were to touch a cactus. If you know me, I was a little freaked out! I then thought about spiders, snakes, etc…but in reality, the hike is difficult and just watching where you step has your entire focus. You don’t have time to think about spiders and snakes, LOL!

We started at Cholla Trail and made it to the helicopter pad…the rest of the way up the mountain was much steeper, I was good where I was. The whole hike took approx. 2.5 hours and was tough, but worth the amazing scenery and bucket list item checked off!

Money Spent

The Phoenician is a Marriott property. Although I didn’t use points for the stay, I earned 6 points/$1 spent when I used my Marriott Amex card. Travel credit card points add up fast. Same concept with my plane ticket. My friends were flying American, which I don’t typically fly…therefore, I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve and earned 3 points/$1 spent on the airline tickets. As I always say, spend intently. Know which card makes sense for which purchase…always adding points for future vacations!

Now…go book a girls’ trip to Scottsdale!

XOXO, Tiffany

*some photos are courtesy of the property.