Iconic
Camelback corridor
The Phoenician
A 250-acre Luxury Collection landmark at the base of Camelback Mountain, with a nine-pool oasis, a championship golf course, and the expansive Phoenician Spa.
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Arizona · Scottsdale
The Sonoran Desert, planned in full.
The resorts, the fairways, the tables and the trails. Every top-rated way to experience Scottsdale, curated and handled by a private concierge.
The destination, curated
Scottsdale is a desert of contrasts: championship golf and saguaro wilderness, mountainside spas and a roaring stadium hole, all under the clearest light in the Southwest. The best of it takes the right resort, a tee time booked weeks ahead, and someone who knows when the heat says start at dawn.
Ways to experience Scottsdale
Six trips, one place.
Start with the version of Scottsdale you came for. Each is designed end to end, with the activities and stays that fit.
For two
Luxury honeymoon
Settle into an adults-only hideaway on Camelback, float over the desert at dawn, and let someone else carry every reservation in between.
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For the whole group
Private family villa
Big pool complexes, multi-bedroom villas with real space, and resort programming when you want it.
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For the active traveler
Adventure & wellness
Scottsdale rewards a rhythm of effort and recovery in the same desert day.
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For private groups
Private group retreat
Every signature Scottsdale experience has an exclusive-use version. We assemble them into one seamless week.
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For the food-led
Food & chef experience
Scottsdale's chef-driven, ingredient-led scene is deeper than its reputation suggests. We build the trip around it.
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Mobility-friendly
Accessible luxury
The desert's grandest scenery, planned to minimize rough terrain and long transfers.
ExploreWhere to stay
Desert resorts beneath the McDowells and Camelback.
From a grand 250-acre Sonoran flagship to an adults-only hideaway on Camelback Mountain, these are the stays a Scottsdale trip is built around.
Iconic
North Scottsdale
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
Adobe casitas tucked into the high Sonoran Desert beside Pinnacle Peak, set among giant saguaros with two of the area's celebrated Troon North courses next door.
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Paradise Valley
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
A serene adults-only Gurney's resort on the slopes of Camelback Mountain, known for its mountainside spa, infinity pool, and the acclaimed restaurant elements.
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Paradise Valley
Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows
A mid-century, art-filled bungalow resort on 23 acres at the foot of Camelback, with a residential feel and a strong local design sensibility.
Visit official siteBest for seclusion
Carefree
The Boulders Resort & Spa
Casitas folded among twelve-million-year-old granite boulders in Carefree, with two championship courses and the desert-inspired Spa at The Boulders.
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Paradise Valley
Mountain Shadows Resort
A reimagined mid-century icon framing Camelback and Mummy Mountain, with the short-course Citizens golf experience and the rooftop bar Hidden in the Hills.
Visit official siteThe table
Chef-driven Sonoran cooking and Old Town tables.
Scottsdale's dining runs from a working-farm restaurant to a neighborhood institution and modern Southwestern tasting menus. We hold the hard reservations.
Resort dining
The Phoenician
Mowry & Cotton
The Phoenician's lively signature kitchen, an eclectic American menu of wood-fired plates served beneath the resort's Camelback views.
Visit official siteAward-winning
Old Town Scottsdale
FnB
A James Beard Award-winning, vegetable-forward Old Town institution from chef Charleen Badman, with an all-Arizona wine list.
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South Mountain
Quiessence at The Farm
A seasonal, ingredient-led dinner set among pecan groves at The Farm at South Mountain, sourcing from its own gardens and Arizona growers.
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Old Town Scottsdale
Virtu Honest Craft
Chef Gio Osso's Mediterranean tasting menu in an intimate courtyard setting, a perennial local favorite for a special evening.
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Camelback Mountain
Elements at Sanctuary
Mountainside American cooking with sweeping Paradise Valley sunset views, the longtime dining centerpiece at Sanctuary on Camelback.
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Old Town Scottsdale
The Mission
Modern Latin cooking and tableside guacamole in a dim, stylish room beside the historic Old Adobe Mission in the heart of Old Town.
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Desert spas and the slow Sonoran reset.
Scottsdale is a wellness capital: destination spa retreats, Native-inspired rituals, and mountainside treatment rooms built for the unwind.
Destination spa
Carefree
Civana Wellness Resort & Spa
An accessible destination-wellness resort in Carefree with a daily roster of fitness, mindfulness, and spa programming set in the high desert.
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Camelback corridor
The Phoenician Spa
A multi-level spa with a rooftop pool and relaxation deck, drawing on desert botanicals across a deep treatment menu.
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Gainey Ranch
Spa Avania at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale
A chronobiology-based spa that times treatments, lighting, and even the cuisine to the body's daily rhythms.
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Camelback Mountain
The Spa at Sanctuary
An award-winning Asian-inspired mountainside spa with a meditation garden and Watsu pool on the slopes of Camelback.
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Paradise Valley
Joya Spa at Omni Scottsdale Resort at Montelucia
A Moorish-inspired spa with a hammam, rooftop garden, and ritual lounges, set in the Andalusian-style Montelucia resort.
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Old Town Scottsdale
VH Spa at Hotel Valley Ho
A sleek mid-century-modern spa in Old Town, a stylish, walkable option for treatments between dinners and shopping.
Visit official siteFairways
Stadium drama and high-desert target golf.
Scottsdale is one of America's defining golf towns, from the roaring Stadium Course to boulder-strewn target layouts in the north.
Iconic
North Scottsdale
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course)
Home of the WM Phoenix Open and its legendary par-three 16th stadium hole, a Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish design open to resort play.
Visit official siteAward-winning
North Scottsdale
Troon North Golf Club
The Monument and Pinnacle courses thread between giant boulders and saguaros, consistently ranked among Arizona's finest desert golf.
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Fort McDowell
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
Two highly rated courses on Yavapai Nation land with no homes in sight, pure desert golf framed by the McDowell and Superstition ranges.
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Camelback corridor
The Phoenician Golf Club
A reimagined Phil Smith eighteen tucked into Camelback Mountain, walkable from the resort with city and mountain panoramas.
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North Scottsdale
Grayhawk Golf Club
The Talon and Raptor courses, a longtime host of college and televised events, paired with the well-known Phil's Grill clubhouse.
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Carefree
The Boulders Golf
North and South courses winding through the resort's signature granite formations, a bucket-list desert round in Carefree.
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Balloons at dawn, jeeps, and the Sonoran by horse.
The one-of-a-kind desert days: a sunrise hot-air balloon, a backcountry jeep run, horseback in the foothills, and a guided Sonoran ride.
Bucket-list
North Scottsdale
Hot Air Expeditions
Sunrise hot-air balloon flights over the Sonoran Desert, the area's longest-running operator, finished with a champagne breakfast in the desert.
Visit official siteTop rated
Sonoran Desert
Desert Wolf Tours
Guided Tomcar off-road desert excursions deep into the backcountry north of the city, a high-energy way to read the Sonoran landscape.
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North Scottsdale
MacDonald's Ranch
Guided trail rides and a working-ranch setting in the McDowell foothills, the classic Scottsdale horseback morning for all ages.
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Sonoran Desert
Arizona Outback Adventures
Guided hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking outfitter pairing desert trails with calm-water paddles on the lower Salt River.
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Sonoran Desert
Stellar Adventures
Hummer and ATV desert tours plus tactical experiences across private backcountry north of Scottsdale, a fast-paced half day out.
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Tonto National Forest
Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch
Riverside trail rides and tubing along the Salt River below Saguaro Lake, towering canyon walls and frequent wild-horse sightings.
Visit official siteDesert vistas
Saguaro gardens, sunset drives, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
The slow-looking days: a world-class cactus garden, an architect's desert masterwork, and the overlooks where the Sonoran light does its work.
Iconic
Papago Park
Desert Botanical Garden
Fifty acres of desert flora across themed trails in Papago Park, magical at golden hour and during its seasonal evening light installations.
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North Scottsdale
Taliesin West
Frank Lloyd Wright's UNESCO-listed desert home and studio in the McDowell foothills, the definitive Scottsdale architecture visit.
Visit official siteWalkable
Old Town Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale
The walkable heart of the city: art galleries, the Thursday ArtWalk, Western storefronts, and the Scottsdale Waterfront within a few blocks.
Visit official siteScenic overlook
North Scottsdale
Pinnacle Peak Park
A well-graded out-and-back beneath a granite spire, with sweeping high-desert views over Troon and the McDowell range.
Visit official siteTop rated
North Scottsdale
Tom's Thumb at McDowell Sonoran Preserve
A landmark granite outcrop in the northern preserve, a favorite vantage for sunrise photographers and a rewarding climb to the saddle.
Visit official siteDay trip
Tonto National Forest
Bartlett Lake Scenic Drive
A desert reservoir ringed by saguaro hills northeast of Carefree, a quiet drive for sunset views and frequent wild-horse herds.
Visit official siteOn foot
Camelback, the Preserve, and the Superstitions.
From the iconic Camelback summit to the vast McDowell Sonoran Preserve and a Superstition classic, paced to any fitness level.
Summer hiking is best at dawn; Phoenix and Scottsdale close some summit trails during extreme-heat warnings, so we plan early starts and carry ample water.
Bucket-list
Paradise Valley
Camelback Mountain (Echo Canyon)
The valley's signature summit hike, a steep, rugged scramble up Echo Canyon rewarded with a full panorama of greater Phoenix.
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North Scottsdale
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
More than 200 miles of trail across the largest urban preserve in the country, from gentle loops to the Tom's Thumb climb.
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North Scottsdale
Pinnacle Peak Trail
A scenic, well-maintained 3.5-mile out-and-back through boulder fields and saguaros, with interpretive signs and big Troon views.
Visit official siteFamily favorite
North Scottsdale
Gateway Loop Trail
A moderate four-mile loop from the architectural Gateway Trailhead, the most popular intro to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
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North Scottsdale
Tom's Thumb Trail
A demanding climb to a famous granite landmark in the northern preserve, with expansive views across the McDowells from the saddle.
Visit official siteDay trip
Superstition Mountains
Lost Dutchman State Park
Trails beneath the legend-shrouded Superstition Mountains, from the easy Treasure Loop to the strenuous Siphon Draw to the Flatiron.
Visit official siteDesert water
Bass on the Salt River chain of lakes.
Just east of the city, the Salt River chain offers guided bass fishing and calm desert lakes wrapped in saguaro canyon walls.
An Arizona fishing license is required and easy to arrange in advance; we handle the permit, gear, and a licensed guide.
Top rated
Tonto National Forest
Saguaro Lake
The nearest of the Salt River reservoirs, steep canyon walls and good largemouth and yellow bass fishing a short drive from north Scottsdale.
Visit official siteScenic
Tonto National Forest
Bartlett Lake
A quiet desert reservoir northeast of Carefree known for largemouth bass and crappie, ringed by classic saguaro-studded hills.
Visit official siteFly fishing
Tonto National Forest
Lower Salt River
A stocked stretch of river below the reservoirs offering rainbow trout in the cooler months and a scenic float for wild-horse sightings.
Visit official siteDay trip
Superstition Mountains
Canyon Lake
Sheer-walled and dramatic along the Apache Trail, productive for bass and walleye and paired easily with a Dolly steamboat cruise.
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Statewide
Arizona Game and Fish licensing
The official source for short-term and annual Arizona fishing licenses, which we arrange in advance so a charter day is ready to go.
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Tempe
Tempe Town Lake
An urban, regularly stocked lake minutes from Old Town, an easy in-town option for a relaxed afternoon line in the water.
Visit official siteWhen to go
Timing is the whole trip.
Best overall months
November to April brings warm, sun-filled days, cool evenings, and the clearest desert light, the ideal window for the whole collection.
Peak season and the Phoenix Open
Late January through March is the busiest stretch, anchored by the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale; book stays and tee times well ahead.
Summer heat
June through August is genuinely hot, so we shift to dawn hikes, balloon flights, and pool and spa days, with resort rates at their lowest.
Shoulder light
October and May are warm but pleasant, with thinner crowds and excellent value before and after the high season.
Your Scottsdale
Let us build the Scottsdale you came for.
Tell us the shape of the trip you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.