Here are some hot tips for taking a summer trip to Scottsdale, Arizona
When the first luxury spa opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1946, it operated only during the winter months, the ideal season for affluent women from across the country to spend time in the desert getting pampered and fit at the all-female spa.
Among the celebrity guests to Elizabeth Arden’s Maine Chance spa during its first decade was First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, who regularly visited the spa on her own and at times was joined in Scottsdale by Kansan and 34th president of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would spend his time golfing.
Scottsdale – in the northeastern section of the Phoenix metro area – is a fairly young city, incorporating with 2,000 residents in 1951 and achieving city status in 1961, all while Maine Chance was attracting spa guests. Maine Chance is no longer open but the concept has evolved into more than 50 day spas and resort spas currently operating in Scottsdale. With a population of about 250,000, Scottsdale has more resort spas per capita than any other city in the U.S., according to Experience Scottsdale, the area’s destination marketing organization.
The spas are no longer for only the rich and famous, women or winter travelers. Spending time at one of Scottsdale’s 70-plus hotels and resorts can be an easy summer destination for Kansans; from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Southwest offers weekly non-stop flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, about 7 miles from Old Town Scottsdale, and Allegiant has weekly non-stop flights to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, about 30 miles from Old Town Scottsdale.
Traveling to a destination known for its triple-digit temps might not be at the top of your summer travel list, but there is at least one good reason it should be: Summer rates at Scottsdale resorts are about 40% off of peak-season rates and range from budget-friendly to luxurious.
I visited in mid-May, when temperatures were starting to hit 100 regularly, and found ways to beat the heat while enjoying the full amenities of the resorts at a discount compared to winter visits.
Here are my suggestions for planning a summer trip to Scottsdale:
Consider more than just nightly rate to find the best deal
Explore Scottsdale uses its website – ItsThatHot.com – to highlight deals among its resorts, hotels and attractions partners. At press time, the site showed rates starting as low as $85 a night for the Aiden by Best Western Scottsdale North. You can save a couple hundred dollars per room, per night on accommodations depending on the month, the day of the week and the luxury level of the property.
Weekdays will be cheaper, and the second half of August often offers some of the steepest discounts. During the summer, resorts offer a combination of reduced rates, lower or waived resort fees and daily credits that can be used on-site for food and beverages, rounds of golf, spa treatments or other activities.
Here are a few examples I found at resorts where we’ve stayed; these are for this summer. The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is offering a $50 credit per night on stays through Sept. 5 and its adjacent Westin Kierland Villas is discounting its villas 25% for stays of three nights or more arriving Sunday to Wednesday only through Aug. 20 and also waiving resort fees. The Phoenician says it has its lowest rates of the year this summer and is giving a nightly $50 resort credit for stays through Sept. 7. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is offering every second night free for stays through Sept. 5 based on availability or for families that need two rooms per night, you can get the second room for free when booked at the same time as your first room. The Princess also has themed summer packages for golf, spa, drinking and dining, and family adventure that include daily resort credits ranging from $75 to $200 per night. You might also catch an online flash sale for 50% off the Princess’ best summer rates. Check out the resort websites for full details.
Friends who live in Scottsdale say the themed seasonal adventures at the Princess make it their family’s favorite resort for a staycation. This summer the theme is “The Legend of The Lost Temple” and kids activities range from laser tag to relic digs and a rock wall climb. Adults will appreciate the seasonal tasting menus and pairing menus at the resort’s restaurants, plus special activities at the bars and adult pool areas.
The Phoenician has ongoing activities this summer, too, from doughnut and pretzel decorating to painting crafts for the kids to tap tasting at The Phoenician Tavern for adults. Look for holiday weekend themed special indoor and outdoor activities around July 4 and Labor Day.
Cool off at the resort’s pools and spas
I learned the history of the Eisenhowers visiting Scottsdale because my masseuse at The Phoenician Spa piqued my curiosity about Scottsdale’s spa scene. She told me she’d been living in the area for nearly 50 years and she started her career working at one of the few resort spas in the city. She watched as The Phoenician was being built on 300 acres at the base of Camelback Mountain in 1988 and started working for their spa shortly after it opened. She’s been at The Phoenician 30 years and has seen the industry grow during that time. The facility she started working in at The Phoenician was demolished and a three-story spa reopened in 2018 with 24 treatment rooms, a rooftop pool, a relaxation room, and locker rooms with access to a vitality pool, steam room and sauna room.
I enjoyed the Phoenix Rising Scrub & Massage and wished I had carved out more time to take advantage of all the amenities that I had access to with the treatment. Tip: Schedule skin treatments later in your stay as they could make your skin more sensitive to the sun. The Princess’ Well & Being Spa also had its own rooftop pool. This could be a great perk if you find crowds at the pools available to all resort guests.
We’ve not had a problem finding space at the pool at any of Scottsdale’s resorts, maybe because they typically have multiple pools ranging from several kid-friendly areas to a couple adult-only spots. Tip: A cabana can be well worth the money; they offer full shade plus often have a fan, fridge, television and can come with other luxuries.
If you’re traveling with kids, the pools will keep their attention for hours with waterslides, splashpads and games. Each resort tries to set itself apart with cool pool options. The Westin Kierland has its Adventure Water Park featuring a flow-board simulator for surfing in the desert, a lazy river and a slide; The Phoenician has a Kids Zone with a treehouse, waterslide and splashpad, and we loved Sunset Beach at the Princess, a 9,000-square-foot pool under swaying palm trees with one side accessible from a white sand beach.
Look for evening activities in the pools, too, from dive-in movies to pool parties with lights and music.
Explore indoor attractions during the hottest part of the day
The pools can help you cool off, but you’ll likely want to spend some time indoors during the hottest part of the day.
Scottsdale has no shortage of indoor attractions that we don’t have in Wichita; we always discover something new on each trip. This time, we loved walking through Butterfly Wonderland – an indoor conservatory with thousands of butterflies fluttering through a tropical rainforest – while a live violinist performed. In the same complex, Arizona Boardwalk, we’ve also visited OdySea Aquarium. There are at least seven other attractions there, including a Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Laser + Mirror Maze.
TopGolf offers climate controlled bays, and other active indoor activities include high-speed electric kart racing, skydiving, miniature golf and rock climbing walls. You can also find plenty of shopping, art galleries and museums, including the Musical Instrument Museum, Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Heard Museum of American Indian art, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Taliesin West. Keep in mind that a tour of the winter home and desert laboratory of Frank Lloyd Wright is more outdoor than indoor. During the hottest part of the year, Taliesin West offers only morning tours of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The resorts also have indoor activities, from shopping and spas to athletic clubs and fitness centers. You’ll find rec centers offering games and crafts for school-aged kids and other daily activities for all ages.
Hike in the mornings
It’s hard for me to come to the Phoenix metro area and not want to hike through the area’s beautiful red rock and saguaro cactus landscape. You can still hike safely in the summer, but you have to start early. While I’m not a morning person, the time difference between Wichita and Scottsdale (two hours in the summer) makes it easier for me.
Check the forecast and plan your hike so you’re off the trails before it reaches 90 degrees. These are desert trails, so you’re not going to find shade. Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect yourself.
On our most recent visit, we found short trails at the resorts and we spent one morning hiking at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Almost half of Scottsdale’s land area is open desert and the preserve makes up about one-third of the area. There are more than 200 miles of shared-use trail, with the Gateway Trailhead considered the main entrance to the preserve. It leads to trails for a variety of abilities. For a half-mile taste of the Sonoran Desert, visit the accessible Bajada Nature Trail that is laid out like a figure 8 and has interpretive signage.
Consider whether you need to rent a vehicle
With rental car prices still high this summer and depending on how you like to vacation, you might not need on. Do the research to determine if ride-hailing services or hotel shuttles will suffice, or if you need a vehicle for your entire stay. Many resorts have everything you need on site or are located next door to entertainment and dining districts. We had our best meal of the trip at J&G Steakhouse at The Phoenician; it’s not uncommon for some of the locals’ favorite restaurants to be at resorts. However, you might want to invest in a rental if you want to explore farther away from the resort every day and have control over your transportation schedule.
With some planning, you can survive the hot days and sweltering nights of Scottsdale while enjoying the city’s well known resorts and spas during their value season.