Arizona
There are two types of vacations you can have, in my opinion. One is the lay by the pool and sip cocktails all day, or the other is where you get up and explore all day and night. Which, this kind of vacation typically needs a vacay from the vacay. Our first trip to Scottsdale was the chill, lay by the pool, enjoy the scenery and amazing amenities.
Fly into Phoenix, it is less than 30 minutes form Scottsdale. We were meeting our friends in Scottsdale and beat them to the airport which gave us just enough time to find a cocktail at Chelsea’s Kitchen. They have a huge bar and dining area, so if you are every stuck and need a snack before you catch your flight, here is the spot.
Once we found our friends and hit the road to Scottsdale. It was not their first times, so they recommend we stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.I have been to Fairmont hotels before, but this was a resort like no other.
Insider Tip: Groupon runs specials that cut nightly rates in half. You can find this over the summer.
Our Room
The resort has 5 restaurants, 6 pools, a water slide and amenities to go with it. We booked the basic king room, paid extra for a $50 credit each day. To my surprise my husband got a call a week before with an offer for a possible upgrade for $30 more a day. Therefore, the upgrade came through and we got a King Suite. It was gorgeous. One of the nicest rooms I have every stayed in.
Check out the pictures of this room! It had enough room in the living room for all 7 of our friends to come over and hang out. The bathroom and shower were the same size of our giant bedroom. AND the balcony gave us the undeniable view of the beauty Scottsdale has to offer.
Fairmont Princess Scottsdale Hospitality
Not even 20 minutes into our stay we were greeted with a surprise bottle of champagne and the most adorable chocolate covered strawberries. Talk about hospitality.
After we enjoyed the champagne and strawberries, we headed down to the Sunset Pool. They gave us wristbands at check in (make sure to wear them). We had a chance to dip into the pool and enjoy a late lunch. Then we were off to the second pool for the afternoon by the main lobby. Both pools were huge, with cocktail servers that walked around to check on you. No need to get out of the pool. Just got to the resort and already on the road to relaxation.
The Resort
After the pool we got ready for a night out in Old Town Scottsdale. This town is so cute, something out of a movie. For dinner we enjoyed a decadent Italian meal at Tommy V’s. Thank goodness all our friends are the sharing kind.
We got to taste so many meals from calamari, breaded burrata, zin braised short ribs, mussels, pasta, salad, you name it, we tried it and it was delicious. If you try this spot get the fried burrata it is like the biggest cheese stick you have ever seen.
Once we finished stuffing our faces we headed out to the bars. Tommy V’s was next to the Old Town Tavern, which was named ‘Best Bar in Old Town’. The drinks were great, they had a live band that played music past midnight. While we were dancing the night away the rain came, which kept the party going inside. When the band called it quits for the night we decided we should too.
When we got back to hotel no restaurants were open for a late-night snack. So, room service it is! We enjoyed the turkey club, which is always my go-to and buffalo chicken tenders with fries. The perfect ending to the night.
Brunch
On Saturday, we decided to spend the day enjoying all the amenities at the Fairmont. First stop, was the Ironwood Kitchen for brunch where I had the best Avocado Toast and the largest Bloody Mary.
They have a buffet set up that has everything under the sun and surprisingly great drink prices. $5 Bloody Mary.
Pools & Cocktails
After brunch we went to the main pool by the lobby to enjoy another drink and dip in the pool. If you are looking to get a little active, but still stay on the resort check out the TPC Golf Course. It is part of the resort and one of the best courses.
Now that we are feeling like ourselves again we decided to explore. The group headed to the water slide (this is where your wristband comes in handy) anyone without theirs on did not get to go. Anyone that forgot their wristbands hit the adults only pool. They had a DJ, swan floats, rafts to relax and enjoy the heat. It was no Miami pool party, but it was nice to get away from the kids.
We enjoyed tropical cocktails, buckets of beer, chicken wings (BBQ were the best), chips with salsa and homemade onion dip. I could not get enough of this onion dip!
To be honest it was extremely hot and sitting in the pool all day was the perfect remedy to get out of the heat! Then it was dinner time. I mentioned earlier the Fairmont has 5 restaurants.
Dinner at Fairmont Princess Scottsdale
Originally we planned to eat dinner at La Hacienda, but they were renovating so we settled for Toro. By no means was this actually settling. Toro is a crazy combination of Asian and Latin American food with a huge Rum Bar. Overlooking the TPC Golf Course while you enjoy fresh sushi with Latin flavors and ribs that fall off the bone. This being said you know the dessert is going to be incredible.
When you order this dessert the waiter brings it to the table, but first lays out plastic. For dessert you can order a Latin American tradition, which is a chocolate hard shell filled to the brim with ice cream and goodies inside and when you are ready the waiter smashes it on the table. We did not get to taste this, but we did see the contraption and the crazy entrance the dessert makes for the table.
After dinner we decided it was time to hit the hay. Unfortunately, Mikee and I had an early flight back to San Francisco. To sum up our trip and from everything you read this was the vacay where you spend your time sipping cocktails by the pool. If you are planning that, you cannot stay anywhere else than the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.
No complaints only compliments to the hotel and their staff! Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, we loved our stay!
All good things must come to an end.
Next time I go to Scottsdale I want to explore more. I would love to get up early and catch a sunset on a hike at Camelback or Pinnacle Peak. I recommend spending part of your day cruising the streets in Old Town. I love peaking my head into the shops and understanding the towns culture. Keep an eye out for my next trip to Scottsdale!
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