Hi Friends!!
I am so happy to that the sun is finally shining in Denver!! Last week was freezing and reminded me that I never shared our sunny trip to Scottsdale.
Last month Jonny and I were supposed go on a two week European tour (our second attempt at the trip), but #life and we had to cancel again. We were both incredibly bummed and knew we had to book a trip right away. Not to mention we were about to have our first snow in Denver and neither of us were ready for it. We quickly looked at easy trips from Denver and knew Scottsdale would be the perfect place to lift our spirits and escape from the chilly early winter weather.
I have visited Arizona a few times, but everything about this weekend was completely unexpected and Jonny and I fell in love with the sunny city at every turn. I arrived a day earlier than Jonny, and started the long weekend at the Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Montelucia.
I was in total awe the moment I pulled into the driveway at the Omni. Honestly, I should have researched the hotel better because I had no idea what an incredible resort it was. We have several hotels with the same ownership here in Denver so I pictured something more business and conference like - when I say I was in awe, I was truly amazed by every little detail of the gorgeous property. They have several delicious restaurants - I highly suggest the "Tapas Experience" at Prado. After getting in pretty late, I wasn't sure I wanted to have a big dinner and the small plates at Prado were the perfect late night treat!
I got up bright and early to take in all of the beautiful sights at the Omni - and again was surprised when I stumbled upon an outdoor spinning class overlooking Camelback Mountain. I am always able to relax more when I get a nice sweat in - and I had big day of relaxation ahead of me!
After the gym, I headed to the Joya Spa, which I can easily say is the most creative and one of the most beautiful spas I have experienced. The staff ensures you are on a relaxation journey right from check in - and even stopped to remind me to set my intention at a giant crystal upon entering the spa area. After my Hammam scrub (so cool), and massage, I sat poolside all afternoon long on the rooftop of spa and enjoyed a delicious lunch. It was truly heavenly.
I finally (reluctantly) left the spa and packed up to go to our next hotel for the weekend, Mountain Shadows, which was just down the road. I really did not want to leave, but was again wow'ed when I checked in to Mountain Shadows. From the front the hotel isn't very flashy, but everything on the inside is sleek, classy, contemporary and and truly stunning, and the staff was over the top friendly! It is really hard to say which hotel I liked better because they were both amazing.
I met some local friends for wine tasting on the Scottsdale Wine Trail that evening, which was such a fun way to see the town. We landed at FnB - a hidden gem, and local favorite where Jonny met up with us for dinner (starving just thinking about it!!). The food is fresh and flavorful and I loved meeting owner and beverage director, Pavle... he shared his delicious wine that he curates himself which was so special!
There is no way Jonny would let me get away with planning a warm weather trip without a little golf, and although Mountain Shadows has a beautiful 9 hole course of its own, Jonny was dying to play at The Boulders about a 30 minute drive from town.
Jonny and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Fat Ox - 1 bottle of wine turned to two and we ate our weight in tiramisu. Such a fun date night spot!!
We planned to leave late on Sunday so we could enjoy a full day of fun before heading home to the snow and we were so glad we did. Arizona Outback Adventures picked Jonny and me up early for a kayaking tour down the Salt River. It was such a great activity and way to see the beauty of Arizona in such a fun way. Our tour guide mentioned that we may get lucky and see some wild horses on our trip... and to our surprise I almost ran right into them as they were crossing the river... such a cool experience!
After returning from our excursion we enjoyed the gorgeous Mountain Shadows pool in one of their poolside Cabanas for the rest of the afternoon. It was the perfect spot to spend a Sunday - I could relax in the pool and Jonny caught up on football since there were TV's in each cabana. I was thinking this would be the perfect place for a bachelor/bachelorette party! Before leaving for our flight we had one last amazing dinner at Hearth '61 which is conveniently in the hotel and overlooks the gorgeous pool. We honestly thought about staying an extra night because we were having so much fun. As I type we are planning our next trip and can't wait to get back there!!
Scottsdale trip recap
- Where to stay: Omni Scottsdale Montelucia and Mountain Shadows
- Where to eat: FnB, and Fat Ox
- Where to play: Joya Spa, Scottsdale Wine Trail, Golf at The Boulders, and Kayak the Salt River with Arizona Outback Adventures
xo
This post is in collaboration with Experience Scottsdale. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!