Here’s a quick list of the things we did and places we ate while visiting Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona!
Things we did:
Papago Park: a great spot for very light hiking/walking. We crawled into the “hole in the rock” to watch the sun set, highly recommend! It was gorgeous.
Camelback Mountain: There are two trails on Camelback Mountain: Echo Canyon and Cholla. We hiked Cholla Trail! It was quite the challenge for me especially towards the top (apparently both trails are very challenging). Lots of rock climbing towards the top and the true “trail” ends. Take more water than you think you need and turn around when your water is halfway gone! I enjoyed a Chomp stick half way up and that helped keep me going 🙂 This was my favorite thing we did the entire time!
Shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square: great (big!!) mall in Scottsdale if you need to kill a couple hours in the AC to escape the heat
Watched a Diamondback Baseball Game: We scored last minute tickets for $15 a piece 🙂 Chase Field is a retractable-roof stadium and the roof was closed (AC on) when we visited in April
Old Town Scottsdale: More of a touristy area, great place to walk around for the afternoon or for bachelorette parties, girls trips, or family reunion trips. Get your souvenirs here and walk around the Civic Center Park – with a playground for kids!
Relaxed by the pool: always wear sunscreen 🙂
Where we ate:
Le Grande Orange (Arcadia): busy on a Friday night! 20 minute wait, we walked through their gift shop while we waited. Sat inside and got the chicken wings (nice and charred) w/sweet & spicy BBQ. Ranch is so good & mouthwatering. Gladiator pizza with pep and sausage, pizza crust was so good and seemed like a Neapolitan. Want to try a salad next time. Cute shopping area for souvenirs or gifts, gelato, and refrigerated grab & go meals.
The Henry (Arcadia/Phoenix)- REALLY pretty vibes, great food, perfect for brunch or a nice dinner on the patio. Upscale but still feels relaxed kind of vibe. I’ll go back every time I visit now 🙂 the turkey club was delish
Zinque (Scottsdale, by the mall)- the iced baklava latte is sooo good & refreshing with orange blossom & pistachio milk. For my meal I had Le Bowl, a light bowl with wild rice, chicken, and arugula. Stole some of Tyler’s fries bc they were so good lol 🙂 we sat outside- SO pretty
Mon Cheri (Scottsdale)- veryyyyyy Instagram worthy. Perfect for a bachelorette dinner! Food was good but overpriced for what it is. You’re paying for the vibes and I think it’s worth it for the pics or a fun occasion. Everything is pink! Rose covered bathrooms and ceilings! One-time visit kind of place, wouldn’t go all the time.
Sprouts Sandwiches (Scottsdale)- Sprouts is a grocery store in the area and they have a lil deli inside where you can build your own sandwich for $5-$7. We got these after our hike and they were perfect to eat by the pool with chips. The Sprouts in Scottsdale also has a coffee shop inside where you can get a protein iced coffee with 16g of protein. I had them each morning to start our busy days. Delish!
The Beverly On Main (Scottsdale): We sat on their patio for pre-dinner drinks and they were delish and instagrammable!
Rehab Burger Therapy (Scottsdale): our rehab after hiking Camelback Mountain lol! Tons of different good burger options, I had the Big Mac style one! Solid dinner.
Los Olivos Mexican Patio (Scottsdale): Recommend only if you can sit on the patio! or stop by the front door to get a photo under the gorgeous bougainvillea (this is where my photo in the red dress was taken)
Diego Pops (Scottsdale): we went here for mexican food last time we visited and it was great! very cute pink aesthetic. I rounded up all of our restaurants from the last visit in this blog post from 2021.
Blancos Tacos (Biltmore Fashion Park)- nice taco place, wasn’t blown away by my tacos but it was a good meal! Chips and salsa were good and fresh
Where we stayed
We stayed with family for half of the trip and then at the new Senna House hotel the other half. We got a great deal on the price since the hotel is new. We loved our time there! The pool chairs are fantastic! On mild days it’s an easy walk to the Old Town Scottsdale shops and the Sprouts grocery store.
As always, feel free to DM me on Instagram (@cassiesethna) if you have questions or need more recs! I try to respond to every DM that I see!