How to Spend a Weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona: For the foodies, partiers, and sightseers

Scottsdale has it all between the outdoor scenery and the late-night partying, your weekend will be fun-filled and jam-packed. The reason my sister and I made our way to Scottsdale is because she got COVID before my real Bachelorette to Tulum. We made an impromptu in Scottsdale to make up for it. If you are looking for a fun place to have a bachelorette, Scottsdale is it and you won’t be disappointed. Between all the beautiful hiking it has and the incredible cuisine, your trip to Scottsdale will have you thinking about it weeks after it is over and done with. Here is how to spend a weekend in Scottsdale:

FRIDAY: Check-In Day

We stayed at the Saguaro because it looked like such a vibe. The aesthetics were on point and one we wanted to be a part of. The location was truly in the heart of everything, located right in Old Town. Plus, the pool parties at the hotel turned up. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t tell you about our entire Saguaro experience, the good and the bad. Unfortunately, we ran into a major mechanical issue in our hotel room and the staff was very slow to respond. By very slow. I mean we were out of a toilet for 24 hours and the only time they offered to move us to a new room was at 1 am after a night of drinking. Honestly as beautiful as the aesthetics were, I probably wouldn’t stay here again. Although, I would still make the trip to visit the pool and all the vibes.

If you aren’t feeling The Saguaro some hotels around the same price that have great ratings are The Canopy by Hilton, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, The McCormick Scottsdale.

The good thing about the Saguaro was that we were able to check in at 10 am so we had an eventful Friday.

Lunch at Farm & Craft

This restaurant was not only so yummy but also so amazing. The interior decor was chic and had an indoor-outdoor living-style restaurant. We sat at the bar and it was perfect for the two of us. The food is sustainable, and healthy, and was just what we needed to start our big weekend. Plus the drinks were amazing. They have Kombucha Cocktails which I still think about. They were tasty and as healthy as they could be. I would suggest the Kombucha Tequila. Who doesn’t love to start a weekend away with Tequila!?

Martinis at AZ88

This martini bar has some of the best! If you are staying at The Saguaro, it will be just a short walk from the hotel. You can most definitely come here for just a few drinks but I would suggest going before the rush. Anytime after 6 pm will get super busy with a line out the door, not to mention they don’t take reservations. I was blown away by how much of a vibe this bar was, I could have stayed there all night. Once dark, the lighting sparkled as we slowly sipped on our dirty martinis.

Dinner at culinary dropout

Now after such a trendy Martini bar, I’m not entirely sure this dinner fits into the theme of the night but it is one of my favorites so we had to fit it in. I would suggest the spicy vegan curry, it is so amazing and I get it every time I visit the Phenix area. Culinary Dropout has a beautiful interior and very laid-back chill vibes. (Another great place that might be more the vibe, is Second Story Restaurant.)

Drinks at the Beverly or Head Over to Hot Chick

The Beverly is a more chill place to enjoy a classy drink and a good conversation, which is what we weren’t feeling. Therefore if you are thinking you might want to go out, Hot Chick was such an incredible bar. The DJ was on point playing throwbacks from the early 2000s and we danced our night away. It’s such a fun place that even Chelsea Vaughn and Demar Jackson from Bachelor Nation go there. (We saw them the night we went and were so star struck)

Saturday: Brunchin’ and Pool Party

Brunch at SumoMaya

OK, so this spot I think about all the time. It was the most epic fusion of food mixed in with brunch-style entrees. A DJ comes turns up the music and gives the restaurantgoers a fun show. The decor is beautiful as they legit have a full tree in the middle of it. But that is not why I think about this restaurant, for only $47 you can do all you can eat and all you can drink. You can do unlimited appetizers and each person gets to choose one entree. Plus you get unlimited mimosas, bloody marys, or margaritas. It does not disappoint, the food is mouthwatering good.

Pool Party

Saturdays are for enjoying the sunshine poolside. This is where staying at The Saguaro came in clutch, we got free access to the pool party. The pool party was so fun but wasn’t overwhelmingly crowded or too party-intensive feels. It was the perfect place for a small bachelorette as we saw many others there as well. Plus the Saguaro is also known for having yummy and trendy cocktails.

Another pool party that turns up: Maya Dayclub and Nightclub

Sunset at Outrider Rooftop Lounge

This place is so incredible and gives you such a good view of Scottsdale and Camelback Mountain. Plus, you can never go wrong with watching the sunset from a rooftop. This place also doesn’t take reservations but doesn’t get overly busy. I would suggest being there about 30 minutes before the sunset so you can get the full show. My sister and I took a post-pool party nap and were a bit late to the sunset but the sky still put on a show for us.

Dinner at Toca Madera

This place is hard to get a reservation for but if you do get one, it won’t disappoint. Honestly, my “real” bachelorette was in Tulum and this restaurant gave me major Bagatelle feels, IYKYK. (if you know you know). Anyways, they have specialty crafted cocktails, you have to get the one that lights on fire, just ask your server. The food is a modern display of traditional Mexican dishes. And they have the best entertainment, performers like fire dancers, trumpet players, guitarists, etc all give you the best experience out there.

Sunday: Sedona Vibes

Day trip to Sedona

During the entire day on Sunday, we indulged in a full-day trip to Sedona and it was truly special. We went through the tour company DukOut Adventures and if you go through them you have to ask for Chris. He was the best tour guide and so knowledgeable. You can also rent a car and drive up to it yourself, but there’s usually not much fun in that unless you like driving. You could also do more of a hiking trip but we wanted to continue our “bachelorette” themed weekend so we did a winery tour. If you have a big group, don’t be deterred they do that too. We spent the morning going to beautiful lookouts in Sedona like Airport Mesa and The Chapel of the Holy Cross. Both are epic spots for views and pictures. We enjoyed lunch and walked around Uptown Sedona. We then ended the day at two very popular and highly enjoyable wineries: Javelina Leap Winery and Alcantara Vineyards and Winery. I would check out their website if this trip interests you.

If making an entire day trip to Sedona isn’t in the plans or budget there are a few other things you can do and still enjoy the Arizona Scenery. First off, you could do a hot air balloon ride. A great company to go to is Rainbow Ryders. Another great way to see the scenery is to hike Camelback Mountain, it’s a hard hike and about 2 and a half hours long but what better way to end the weekend than sweating out all the food and drinks that had been indulged in.