My wife and I just took a short trip to Arizona. After our trip to Washington DC back in March, the last few months has been hectic, so it was a much needed break. To refresh, recharge and remind ourselves of why we need to work so hard. I am going to share our experience, in case it’s useful to some of you.
Weather
We were lucky that the weather was not too hot the past few days. Still, we had to go hiking before sunrise in order to avoid the heat later during the day. Hence, it’s probably not the best time to visit Arizona during the height of the summer.
Hotel
We stayed at Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town. There were several reasons why we picked this place:
- Not only were AirBnb listings nearby not cheaper, but they also had less flexible cancellation policies than hotels on Booking.com.
- This hotel is located in the heart of Scottsdale and very close to numerous stores and restaurants.
- We wanted to visit Antelope Canyon with Detours. The company only picks up guests at hotels, not private residences. My wife has motion sickness so she needs to stay as upfront in the tour van as possible. By staying at this hotel, we ensure that we are among the first onboard. We’d recommend that you give them a call to discuss the logistics.
Our stay at this Hyatt is just decent. Not too shabby, but not too good either. The elevator is slow and dated. I’d not set a high expectation for the complimentary breakfast as the selection is very limited. Furthermore, the room amenities leave a lot to be desired. While the basic room facilities are available, they are not made of high quality. Plus, they weirdly put the bathroom sink OUTSIDE of the bathroom; which makes it quite inconvenient. Before arrival, I’d suggest that you buy some water bottles from a convenience store as there is none offered. We bought 24 bottles from a Circle K for just $4. In the heat of Arizona, it’s a must-have.
Places to go
Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend is 3.5-4 hours away from Phoenix, depending on traffic. It’s incredible to think about how Mother Nature could craft a place of such beauty and enormity over thousands of years. I couldn’t help, but feel humbled and small, standing in the middle of it. There is not a lot to do there, except a short hike and taking pictures, but I appreciated seeing this place with my own eyes.
Antelope Canyon
From Horseshoe Bend, it only takes another 30 minutes to reach Antelope Canyon. This is one of the many canyons in the area that are formed by erosion of the sandstone by flooding and rain. The erosion deepends the corridors and forms the magnificent-looking shapes that capture the heart of many tourists. Canyons like the Antelope Canyon are a major source of revenue for the Navajo nation.
To make your visit to Antelope Canyon enjoyable, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Although there are a couple of modern toilets on site, be prepare to use primitive toilets (aka holes on the ground without running water). I’ll let you use your imagination as to what that may entail.
- Bring water
- Prepare some cash as tips to your Navajo guide
- You’re not allowed to bring any purse or bag of any kind inside the Canyon.
Desert Botanical Garden
At $25 a ticket for an adult, Desert Botanical Garden is a nice place to explore while in Phoenix, especially when you have young children and if hiking is not your cup of tea. This spacious garden houses a variety of plants that thrive in the desert-like climate, including some giant cactuses.
Camelback Mountain
If you are into hiking, Camelback Mountain is a good place to visit. There are two trails that meet at the summit of the mountain: Cholla and Echo. Echo has more rock shambles while Cholla is easy at first, yet challenging towards the end of the trail. I don’t think I’d let my kids tag along on Cholla as there is no guardrail and little protection. I’d recommend bringing a lot of water, having hiking shoes and carrying as little as possible. There is no public bathroom on the trail, so plan accordingly.
We took Cholla on the way up and Echo on the way down. In total, it took around 2 hours and it was quite physically demanding. We met several older folks and one-legged man on the trails. It’s so inspiring because if they can do it, what’s our excuse?
Cosanti
An Arizona Historic Site open to the public, Cosanti is a multi-purpose studio started by Paolo Soleri to think up ideas and build prototypes. To support his architecture and artistic endeavors, Paolo cast bells and ceramic tiles; which the studio still does to this day.
Cosanti has guided tours every week. Interested visitors can sign up for a tour on the company’s website. Otherwise, just come in to watch them pour bronze.
Where to eat
The two best places that I ate in Scottsdale. Highly recommended.
This restaurant is located in Page City in the Navajo nation. It specializes in chicken dishes and let me tell ya: their food is the real deal. Ask for the Eddie Special and you won’t be disappointed.
Another Italian place that sells delicious Italian dishes
I have mixed feelings about this place. We ordered their Maiko Special, which includes ice cream, taro balls, strawberries, red beans and some other stuff. Their matcha was tasty, yet everything else was just too sweet for my taste buds.
Their sushi was not too bad. We were surprised that they had a Happy Hour between 9pm and 10:30pm.
This restaurant is located near Desert Botanic Garden. The food was decent and towards the good end, but it was a bit too expensive in my opinion. A burger there cost $20+.
This coffee shop is about a 5-min drive from Cosanti. It looks cute & bright, and conveys a positive vibe. The coffee was good, but it’s as expensive as airport coffee.
This restaurant’s signature is the $29 All-you-can-eat (AYCE) package that allows eaters to eat as much sushi on the qualified menu as possible. No restrictions as long as there is no leftover. The sushi was very decent. Just because this is an AYCE deal doesn’t mean that the quality of the food is mediocre.
This is arguably the worst restaurant we went to in Scottsdale. To be fair, the food was good, but I felt that it was not good enough to justify the $39 price tag for a pasta. More importantly, we were disappointed by how we were treated. The pasta specials that the waiter presented to us were not on the menu. He has a thick Italian accent and presented to us a long list of specials ORALLY, fully of Italian words. We felt like idiots. Even though we asked him to repeat twice, we still couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.
Transportation
I had an internal debate over renting a car vs Ubering all the way in Scottsdale. In the end, because of where we wanted to go, I decided to go with Uber. My Savor Capital One credit card gave me $10 statement credit for Uber One membership. So I signed up. Uber One is very handy as it let me book with top-tier drivers and save money on every transaction. Overall, it cost us around $180 to move around in the last 5 days. A significant saving compared to the $140/day car rental that we would have had to pay.
A side benefit is that we ran into interesting people on our Uber rides. We met people from all over the world like a man from Guatemala that moved to Phoenix with his wife, another from Ghana that has lived in the state for 9 years, a real estate agent from California who picked us up in a Tesla Model 3 or a Spanish gentleman who decided to serenade us with “Que sera”.
Overall, we enjoyed Scottsdale and Arizona. We learned that in addition to Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona, we should see Havasupai, Payson, Tucson and who knows what else. Looks like we’ll visit Arizona again in the future.
Minh Quang Duong 
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