Where To Stay

Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows: If you don’t have a hotel credit card to rack up points for vacations, I HIGHLY recommend getting one. We have the Chase World of Hyatt (get up to 60,000 points bonus points!!!) and American Express Hilton cards and they’ve already come in handy! We booked when rooms were 20,000 points per night and used points for the whole weekend. We had a Companion Pass via Southwest for a couple months at the beginning of the year and booked a long weekend to Scottsdale. The Andaz was in the perfect location – it took us no time to get to Old Town Scottsdale and a couple other shopping centers with restaurants that we frequented.

Upon arrival, we parked our rental car in the circle drive and went to the lobby to check in. The coolest part – it was open concept so there wasn’t really a check-in desk, someone just came up to greet us! She was very nice and informative and also talked to us about all the ice and snow Texas had just gotten as that’s what we had just escaped from! The grounds are pretty large (23 acres) but it’s all walkable – there are 3 pools and multiple areas to sit around fire pits and just hang out. If you’re in need of somewhere to stay on your next trip, I can’t recommend the Andaz enough!

Their main pool was big enough and had enough seating that you didn’t have to sit next to other parties if you didn’t want to. They had a happy hour in the afternoon with drink and appetizer specials, which you should definitely take advantage of!

Where to Eat

Brunch:

Butter’s Pancakes and Cafe: If a restaurant has the word “pancake” in it, you bet it’s going on my list to try! I ended up getting french toast with a side of hash browns and a smoothie and holy moly – SO GOOD. We were able to get on the waitlist via Yelp! as we were on our way there so we didn’t have to wait too long, which was nice.

Hash Kitchen: This was by FAR my favorite place we ate all weekend. Their brunch drink menu is so fun, complete with a mimosa flight or a White Claw disco ball. Our mimosa flight was orange, strawberry, blueberry and kiwi.

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The Montauk: This was our very last stop before heading to the airport to go back home. It made me feel like I was on the East Coast with the aesthetic of the restaurant and the wait staff in all denim, which I loved! I got a breakfast sandwich and my husband got a breakfast burrito – both were delicious! They have all day happy hour on Monday and from 3-6pm Tuesday to Friday plus live music on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Lunch:

Arrogant Butcher: Right across from the Sun’s arena downtown is The Arrogant Butcher, a gastropub that is a must! Their pretzel bites served with fondue cheese are mouth watering and my husband loved their wings. We just got a snack here early in the afternoon to hold us over until our 8:45pm dinner reservation.

Dinner:

Olive & Ivy: I have to say, when I asked for recs on Instagram for places to eat in Scottsdale, Olive & Ivy came up multiple times. We tried to eat there one night but the wait was over 90 minutes so we made a reservation for another night – but not until 8:45pm. I ordered salmon with potatoes and my husband got a steak with some au gratin-style potatoes. I have to say, the service was great. My salmon came out a little cold and undercooked but they instantly put another one in for me and it was cooked to perfection!

Sauce: We actually has zero plans to eat here but everywhere else in the area had a super long wait – note to self: make reservations next time! You walk in to Sauce and order at the counter – there’s everything from pasta to pizza and salads – and then go sit down and they’ll bring you your entrees when they’re ready!

The Vig: We arrived around 8pm to PHX and knew we wanted to be able to order online and pick up dinner on the way to the hotel. The Vig was right down the street from us, but they have other locations, and I must say their mac n cheese is some of the best I’ve ever had! We were able to order after we got our rental car, call when we got there and our food was brought to the car!

Dessert:

Unbaked: If you’re a fan of cookie dough, I highly recommend stopping by this spot near Old Town Scottsdale. They have multiple flavors of cookie dough as well as regular ice cream – you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!

Sugar Bowl: This reminded me of a 50s diner complete with pink leather in their booths! I will say we say in the back room where an old arcade is and it was slightly unnerving walking back there but there were plenty of tables and everyone seemed to be enjoying their dessert! They also have normal food if you want to go for lunch or dinner!

Coffee:

Dutch Bros: This was recommended from a high school friend on Instagram and she lived there for almost 10 years so I knew I had to try it. I ordered the Iced Oat Milk Kicker and highly recommend! Fun fact: Dutch Bros is coming to North Texas this summer – GET EXCITED!

Things to Do

Phoenix Zoo: we were looking for things to do and decided to head to the zoo! We went in the middle of the day (I’d recommend going closer to closing when the weather cools down and crowds thin out) so some animals were either inside sleeping or getting fed but we were able to see elephants, lions and more! Definitely a fun outing no matter what age.

Go Hiking: we decided to take the easy route and go to Pinnacle Peak instead of Camelback Mountain since we aren’t experienced hikers. The views were 10/10 and of course we stopped to take a couple breaks and turned around halfway but I highly recommend for beginners!

NBA or WNBA Game (depending on when you go): no games were happening the weekend we were in town but one of the places we ate was just across the street from their arena, which was cool to see! Below is a mural we came across while walking from the car on the side of their arena.

Old Town Scottsdale: we ate at a couple places in the area and walked by some shops after they had closed but I want to go back during the day when they’re open to get the full experience!

Please leave a comment below if you have another other recommendations or try any of these out when you go to Scottsdale!

XO,
Morgan