You won’t find the Grand Canyon in this Arizona Weekend Travel Guide! Arizona, while known for the Grand Canyon, has so much more to offer! From luxury resorts to outdoor hiking – theres something for everyone. As the weather gets warmers, we all start to feel the travel bug creep up! If you’re like me, then you are thinking of safely exploring more of the United States. This Arizona Weekend Travel Guide has everything you need to plan the perfect weekend getaway!
For this trip to Arizona we decided to fly into the Phoenix airport. Phoenix is central to the cities of Scottsdale and Tempe which also have lots of fun attractions. It’s also only two hours away from Sedona and about four hours away from Flagstaff. You can spend an entire weekend for each of these cities but for this trip we just did a day each.
How to Get Around:
In order to have the best weekend I strongly suggest getting a car. For this trip I was able to partner again with Avail Car Share, which is an awesome car sharing platform. I love using Avail because the cars are always much cleaner than most car rentals. I also appreciate that they go the extra mile making sure you know the car is fully sanitized before your trip.
Avail is also affordable to borrow, and a great way for car owners to earn passive income. Avail currently has convenient transportation options in: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.
Where to Stay:
For this trip we stayed at the Canopy Hotel Tempe. The hotel opened last summer in downtown Tempe and is in a super central location perfect for visiting everything in this Arizona Weekend Travel Guide. Like my last Canopy Hotel Philadelphia stay, the rooms are spacious, have super comfortable beds, and an in room Nespresso coffee machine. Best if all, the hotel is also dog friendly, and gave my puppy Theo his own goodie bag.
The hotel also has a beautiful roof top pool with craft cocktails and poolside dining. In addition to the rooms, lobby, and rooftop pool, the hotel has an indoor restaurant, Alter Ego. We got the chance to do dinner at the Canopy Hotel Tempe restaurant one night and truly enjoyed our experience. The salmon pictured below, was absolutely stunning and definitely worth trying out.
Where to Eat:
Clever Koi – Asian Fusion Restaurant with delicious food at a pretty reasonable price. We stopped by on our second to last night for a quick visit. The ramen is delicious and super filling.
El Chorro – is a beautiful restaurant located in the Paradise Valley. The restaurant is famous for its sugary sticky buns and breathtaking sunset views, making it a must for outdoor dining. Traveling with dietary restrictions? They also have an entire vegan menu! The restaurant gets booked up quickly and is a little on the pricey side; so be sure to plan ahead!
Postino – has several locations in Arizona and is known for their delicious bruschetta boards. If you happen to be there on a Monday or Tuesday you can get a bruschetta board and bottle of wine for $20!
The Canal Club – inside of The Scott Resort and Spa is legendary for good reason. Views inside of the resort are absolutely breathtaking, making it worth the trip alone. Make brunch reservations or go there for happy hour from 3-6 during the week.
Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles – is a black owned restaurant with multiple locations, including one in Scottsdale.
Onyx and Talavera – (inside of the Four Seasons Scottsdale) have picturesque patios with fire pits and iconic views of the city. We didn’t get a chance to visit but they look like great locations for pictures, especially at sunset
Where to Visit:
Scottsdale is a city adjacent to the larger city of Phoenix. It’s home to several restaurants and considered the spa capital of the country because of the many resorts. Naturally, you can’t pass up a chance to indulge in a spa treatment while you’re in the spa capital of the country. The spa I chose to visit was The Away Spa, which is inside of the W Hotel Scottsdale.
Sedona: You can do an entire trip to just Sedona but if time is limited, a day trip will do! Hiking on a day trip is hard, but there are spots with great views and no hiking required. Here are a list of places to visit in Sedona: Cathedral Rock, The Airport Mesa overlook (and next door Mesa Grill Restaurant for Breakfast), The Cathedral of the Holy. If you have enough time to do a road trip to Flagstaff (another two hours away), visit the Painted Desert and Crater Volcano. Both are less crowded alternatives to the Grand Canyon with similar vibes.
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