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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For the whole group
A casita, a pool oasis, and easy desert days.
Big pool complexes, multi-bedroom villas with real space, and resort programming when you want it.
Design This TripThe Phoenician is the standout for families: a nine-pool oasis with a water slide, multi-bedroom villas with full kitchens and laundry, kids' programming, and 250 acres to spread out across at the base of Camelback Mountain.
Days that work for every age
The Four Seasons at Troon North offers larger casitas in the high desert with a family-friendly pool and giant saguaros at the door. Fill days with trail rides at MacDonald's Ranch, a morning at the Desert Botanical Garden, and a sunrise balloon for the older kids, then keep dinners easy with a private chef in the villa.
A villa means private dinners in without giving up the resort's spa and kids' club. We arrange the cribs, the car seats, the grocery pre-stock, and the activities that flex around nap time and the midday heat.
What’s inside
- Multi-bedroom resort villas with full kitchens
- A nine-pool oasis with a water slide
- Trail rides and a botanical-garden morning
- A private chef for easy nights in
- Grocery pre-stock, cribs, and car seats handled
A sample rhythm
- 01
Settle in
Villa check-in, a grocery pre-stock waiting, an easy first afternoon at the pool.
- 02
Active mornings
A trail ride or the botanical garden, paced before the midday heat.
- 03
Slow afternoons
The pool complex and shade, then ice cream in Old Town.
- 04
Dinners in
A private chef in the villa, one big night out.
The Scottsdalewe’d build in
The pieces that fit this trip.
Where 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Visit official siteFamily favorite
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.
Visit official siteScenic
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.
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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.
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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 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.
Visit official siteFarm dinner
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.
Visit official siteAward-winning
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.
Visit official siteAdults-only
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.
Visit official siteTop rated
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.
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Private family villa
Let’s design it around you.
Share what you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.