During my friend Elle’s visit, I planned a fun “girls trip” for us in Scottsdale. Scottsdale is a very popular city in Phoenix and definitely a tourist destination because of all it’s fabulous hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and more. I live in a southeast suburb of Phoenix and I don’t make it up to Scottsdale often but I love the area! This was Elle’s first time visiting Phoenix so I thought it would be fun for us to spend most of our trip in Scottsdale. We visited so many cute spots that I will be highlighting in this blog post.

Places

Desert Botanical Garden

I have never been to the Desert Botanical Garden and someone that Elle works with had recommended it to her so it was the perfect time to check it out and I’m so glad we did! The spring blooms in the desert setting was absolutely gorgeous. Around every corner was something gorgeous to photography, especially if you love desert landscapes as much as I do. It was so hot when we visited which was early afternoon, so we had to go through the gardens a little quickly since we had baby Sage with us. We went through the butterfly room as well which I definitely recommend!

Restaurants

Chilte

Chilte has become a must try restaurant in Phoenix! It’s located right next to the lobby on the Egyptian Motor Hotel property. It was actually named “one of the best new restaurants of 2023” by Bon Appétit, and named to Esquire Magazine’s Best New Restaurant list for 2023. They serve new school, Mexican food in the evening and coffee and pastries in the morning. Their plates are super inventive and creative and the interiors were funky, chic, with fun latin vibes. We loved our dining experience there! My favorite dishes were the yuca fries and cheesecake, so good.

Hotels

Mountain Shadows is located in Scottsdale’s Paradise Valley, just ten minutes from Old Town Scottsdale and 30 min to downtown Phoenix. The setting is immaculate with stunning views of Camelback Mountain on either side of the resort. It first opened in 1959 and was renowned for its distinctive design and desert luxury. Since then it has been re-envisioned with contemporary design that still honors the hotel’s mid-century history.

Egyptian Motor Hotel

If you love music and retro vibes as much as I do, then you would love this hotel in downtown Phoenix, Egyptian Motor Hotel! My friend Elle and I stayed there for 3 nights during our girl’s trip and had an amazing stay. It’s an old mid century building that has been re-invisioned into this fun, boutique hotel. There are so many things to love about this hotel from the Egyptian Live Bar to the fabulous restaurant on the property, Chilte.

XOXO