Scottsdale has become the go-to place for Bachelorette parties and weekend trips alike and my friends and I couldn’t help but get on-board and plan our own trip! We quickly fell in love and had the best weekend. I have so many details to share I wanted to put everything together into a travel guide so you can plan your own trip!
Know Before You Go
When to go: If you know anything about Arizona it is H-O-T.I’m talking dry heat no humidity where they put sunshades on ALL the windows in their car because it gets so hot in the summers. So, if you are anything like me and want to enjoy all the moments you can outdoors I would recommend keeping your trip between the months of February to May and October to November. We hit the weather just right and were lucky to have weather in the high 70s with cooler evenings in the high 40s. We went to the pool but just hit the hot tub because it was still a little chilly for a swimsuit!
Costs: Phoenix is where you’ll fly into to get to Scottsdale and as major airport, the flights were very affordable! Once you get to Scottsdale, the food and drinks are very comparable to Dallas so I was used to spending $20-$40 on a meal and $8-13 on a drink! I was blown away at how affordable the hotels were! We stayed in the cutest boutique hotel I’ll share below later.
Length of Trip: We decided on a three-day two-night trip and it was just enough time! We felt like we saw everything, got familiar with the town, and were comfortable going home when we did! We really lucked out on an early morning cheap flight on Friday and that made all the difference in our trip. We woke up early and once we landed went straight to a hike and afterwards napped and when we woke up it felt like a new day. Try to score an early morning flight to make the most of your time there!
Getting Around: My friend from college Danielle lives in Scottsdale and was our go-to tour guide and she walks everywhere and lives close to our hotel. She told us the city was very walkable (which it most definitely is) but to me walkable is less than 5 minutes. Some of the places we walked were a little over 15-20 minutes but the parking in Old Town is not the most convenient so I would definitely recommend not renting a car for the whole weekend. When we went on our hike we rode in Danielle’s car so if you plan on hiking you might need a car but the hikes are fairly close so you can uber as well! We ubered home from bars most nights but other than we walked everywhere!
What to Wear
I knew I wanted to wear fun prints and dresses given that this was a girls trip. Because of how ify the weather was going to be I decided to pack things that could easily be layered with things like a jean jacket or worn with booties instead of sandals.
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All the Outfits
Travel Essentials
Where to Stay
There are so many cute hotels in Old Town and we knew we wanted to be in that area so we could have everything within walking distance. Old Town is so cute it reminds me a lot of the Stockyards in Fort Worth, very country but Scottsdale has more updated restaurants and chic hotels. We stayed at the Serguro Hotel and it is a bloggers dream! This is an older hotel that got a major facelift with some colorful paint! Every wall is a bright color and the lobby and pool couldn’t be cuter!
We got upgraded to a suite at check-in and were blown away at the size of our room. We had a huge bathroom with two sinks with vanities and two showers. We also had a nice living space with a separate balcony. Our room also had an adjacent door to the next room that you could rent out if you had a bigger party which would be so perfect for a bachelorette!
The pool is the cutest part of this hotel! The yellow umbrellas and lounge chairs were everywhere and with the pink walls surrounding the pool deck it was so picturesque. We did not eat or drink at the pool but there was poolside service and cabanas to rent! There is also a hot tub which is a major plus at a pool given the time of year we went! We were told in the summer there are pool parties at the hotel so depending on the time of year it might be especially fun!
Other Hotels:
The Adaline: We have heard great things about this hotel and considered staying here! It is very similar to the Serguro with colorful walls and a great pool. We have been told this is the spot for pool parties in the summer!
The Scott: We were so close to staying here it is very different vibes from the colorful Serguro and more modern. They have a 6 person suite with two bedrooms that is very reasonably priced if you have a bachelorette party! We ended up not choosing this location because it is not as walkable and that was a priority for us!
Things to Do
Hiking
Scottsdale is known for their great hiking and it did not disappoint! There are a lot of hikes at every skill set. Camelback being the hardest (we did not attempt haha) and the hike we did was a little further away called Pinnacle Peak. We loved this hike because it’s primarily flat and it is one way in one way out so we could choose how long we stayed on the trail for. We made it to the end of the trail and back which was about 3.8 miles! It took us under two hours to complete!
Walk the canal
We walked around on the canal and came across a wine and arts festival! We had the best time walking around and tasting all the different wines. Although this was definitely a seasonal thing it was such a cute memorable party of our trip I couldn’t help but mention it!
Shopping in Old Town
There are TONS of shops in Old Town and there is a huge strip of boutiques and little touristy places. We had a great time walking in and out of some of the shops and bought a few things. All my friends bought little cactus things they could take back to remember the trip!! One of my favorite shops was Alexandra Blue. It’s a very cute and trendy boutique so many cute things!!
Day Drinking at the Maya
This is a bar we went during the day and they have lots of outdoor games and even serve popcorn. This was clearly the local spot to be at during the day. We have heard though that in the summer once it has a pool it is not nearly as fun so go in season when they have the “turf” out which covers the pool
Where to Eat
Oh man.. The food. I am such a major foodie and if you’ve followed me for awhile you know my love for food trumps the cute aesthetic of a restaurant. In Scottdale, you get the best of both worlds because the restaurants couldn’t be cuter and the food is outstanding. I’m sharing everywhere we ate from brunch to drinks and dinners!
A thing to note: A lot of restaurants in Scottsdale don’t take reservations because they don’t have to, the bachelorette parties and girls ready to brunch fill up tables quickly so I would suggest mapping out where you really want to eat and get there early! You may have to wait for a table but we enjoyed drinks at the bar if we ever had to wait but going early ensures you time it right! You can also usually check yourself in beforehand on Yelp so you don’t have to wait too long! There are a lot of appetizer discounts we scored too through Yelp!
The Original Chopshop
Quick Bite – $
This was our first stop when we arrived and is a great grab-and-go spot for an early morning juice or breakfast bowl. I got their kale green juice and it was perfect fuel pre hike! They also have a variety of snacks from bars to chia yogurt parfaits.
Chelsea’s Kitchen
Outdoor Lunch – $$
Our first stop post hike for lunch was Chelsea’s Kitchen. We sat on their gorgeous and quaint patio covered by canopy trees with a fireplace. We ordered the Tuna Tartare and Guacamole and it might have been one of my favorite dishes from the trip! I had the chili for lunch and my friends who had the deviled eggs raved about them (that’s their speciality!).
Olive & Ivy
Italian Dinner – $$
This was the first place we ate dinner and we loved it! They had great Italian food and we ordered an array of things off the menu including the burrata (a must!) they have tons of kinds from avocado corn to fig and prosciutto. I shared a salad and mushroom pizza and we of course enjoyed some wine!
The Montauk
Brunch – $$
We enjoyed brunch here and sat outside! They have a huge patio both around the restaurant on the porch and in the back. There is usually live music too! This is a great spot to come and hang out for a few hours because they have punch bowls (like Moscow mule!!) that you can indulge on for awhile.
Diego Pops
Mexican – $
We went here for dinner one night and this place is very popular! We checked in on Yelp beforehand which helped with our table wait. I live in Texas so I wouldn’t say this is the best Mexican food I’ve ever had but their brussel sprout nachos are out of this world and worth the try!
Farm & Craft
Brunch – $
This is the cutest spot for brunch and was my favorite place we ate brunch at. The interior is small so there is limited seating but there is an adorable wall that says “feed me and give me affection.” I mean accurate…. I got the best iced oat milk latte, avocado toast and an acai bowl. We also enjoyed the avocado hummus (a Yelp check-in appetizer!)
Eno Pizza
Happy Hour/Quick Bite – $
We went to Eno’s for happy hour before the airport and ended up staying for awhile. They have a ton of things on the happy hour menu including $6 wines, the mushroom pizza (above), mushrooms, burrata, and truffle fries.
Where to Get Drinks
The Canal Club at the Scott Hotel
Happy Hour – $
We almost stayed at this hotel! It is a little less walkable and not nearly as colorful. Their hotel bar is so cute and we had to stop by for some drinks! They have such a long list of drinks! I got the Letter to a Friend that was grapefruit based and a few of my friends got the Salt River Society which was also great!
Kamizerz World Wine Bar
Late Night – $
We went here after dinner before we went to bars and it is so fun! There was live music, some nights they have Karaoke and we got to order bottles of wine which was so fun!
Night Life
The going out life in Scottsdale is great and I completely understand how the bachelorette parties have flocked here. We went to a ton of great bars all were great and we had an awesome time!!
Boondocks: This bar is huge and has tons of games around. This is a good option for a more casual night out!
Hot Chick: This was a popular bar and one of my favorites! They have all these older games like pac man and skee ball that were really fun to play!
Bevvy: All the club vibes. The music is loud, they have tables and the bar is cool it’s below the dance floor so you look down on it. There was a huge line out front and we didn’t wait apparently only the “tourists” wait so if you go, just walk up to the door haha.
We had the best weekend in Scottsdale and it was the perfect place for a girls weekend. I cannot recommend enough a weekend in this beautiful city and hope you enjoyed this travel guide!
We did a LOT in the three days we were there and it is an easy city to pack a lot in given how walkable everything is! This is the best destination for a quick getaway weekend!!
Are you planning a trip to Scottsdale? Have you been?! What are your best recommendations?! Let me know in the comments!
