My trip to Scottsdale was hosted but as is true with every trip I take, I maintain full editorial control over what I publish about my experience and all opinions are my own. Many of these images were taken with my Samsung NX30 and NXmini cameras. The rest were taken with my iPhone.
I’ve been to Arizona a few times, recently even (on a road trip with Danté where we visited Antelope Canyon) but I had never really been to Scottsdale. I had only driven through while crossing the country very early on in my travel blogging career. So when the city of Scottsdale asked if I wanted to visit, I must confess I said yes mainly out of a desire to go somewhere I hadn’t yet experienced.
Well, the joke was on me. I can’t believe it took me being invited, for work, as an assignment…..to finally experience one of the coolest American towns I have ever been to. I have a lot to share about my incredible trip but I wanted to preface it a bit first with just a taste of all the surprising things Scottsdale has to offer before I really get into the meat of what makes this Arizona city so fantastic.
The Architecture
The Food
The Hotels: Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain & Hotel Valley Ho
The Spas
The People
The Art
The Weather – constant blue skies!
The Sunsets
One of the things that I worried about was that it would be too hot, but it turns out that “it’s a dry heat” couldn’t be more true. I actually thought that the summer heat of Scottsdale (even on 112 degree day) was more bearable than the humid heat of NYC (even on a day that it’s only 80 but 50% humidity). Still, it’s hard to convince people of this apparently. Until you’ve been. And this is why Scottsdale’s low season is actually occurring right now…which makes it the best time to visit if you want to score a deal. There are many to be had. The Summer in Scottsdale site is a great place to start with your planning. Rooms start at just $89/night.
If you would like to visit Scottsdale but you are based in Europe, don’t worry, applying for ESTA travel authorization is not complicated and can be processed online very easily.
You can also read more about our trip in these posts published by my fellow bloggers:
Julie talks in detail about the incredible food, all the places to stay and the many, many things to do.
Kat reviews the incredible Hotel Valley Ho and takes a little wander through town after previewing what she was looking forward to the most.
I am slowly planning a Fall trip to take me down America’s East Coast and through the South, and I think Scottsdale may need to be added to my long list of places to see! x
Oh I definitely think you should!! It’s such a great city if you like incredible food, craft cocktails, good weather, friendly people, art and cool architecture. x
Jenna, I think you would LOVE Scottsdale just like I did. I can’t wait to share my other posts about the city with you now that I have blogged Miami. Get ready, it’s gonna make you want to book a ticket. Especially since you too can bear the dry heat like I was able to.