Travel Guide to Scottsdale, Arizona

Hey there, my Beauties! I finally got a blog post up, yasss!! We have been doing some major traveling and have been all sorts of busy! The Summer has truly been a blur so far, but a beautiful blur! We took our family vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona and we absolutely fell IN LOVE. Every inch of this place was charming and so picture worthy. I literally could have just stared at this place all day! We had the pleasure of staying at the famous Saguaro Hotel. If you are familiar with the bright, colorful hotel in Palm Springs, CA; this hotel is it’s sister hotel and it did NOT disappoint. We loved our stay and would go back in a heartbeat. This travel guide is short and to the point, but I definitely think it will help those traveling to Scottsdale for a quick trip!

The Saguaro Hotel of Scottsdale, Arizona

The entrance

The inside of the Lobby. Every inch is bright and colorful with so much character. I fell in love with the leather chairs they had!

The Saguaro’s main pool…some Noelia sweetness peakin’ into the fire pit (that was of course off!).

 

These cabanas were amazing!

The smaller, private pool. Noelia loved this pool more than the big one! I cannot get over this shot…some Daddy/Daughter sweetness.  

Another day, another swimsuit! Both of ours are linked below

I loved the hotel during the night hours

We absolutely loved our stay here. The workers were great and friendly and helped us often getting around Scottsdale. My only negative was the bathroom in the hotel room was small and needed some work done in them, but that is just me being nit-picky ;). The hotel is more of a resort, so parking and WiFi are free with your stay. The fitness facility was more than perfect for us and we got in a couple good sessions! We tried to off-set those In-N-Out Burgers ;). There is a restaurant on the grounds but we never got the chance to go (next time!).

The Saguaro Hotel is just a block away from the famous Old Town Scottsdale. Old Town has so many neat little shops with the cutest corners and restaurants. One of our favorite spots to go to while we were visiting was The Sugar Bowl, an ice cream parlor that opened in 1958. It is a famous staple in Scottsdale and it was a hit with Noelia! The entire outside and inside is PINK and soooo picture worthy in my book! There is a small arcade attached that Noelia loved to play in. She loved collecting her tickets to turn in for toys (AKA crap toys, haha) but she loved them.

Places to Eat

The Sugar Bowl

Strawberry shake…anything pink for the baby girl! Linked below is my TopShop top.

The Sugar Bowl is also perfect for blog pictures, so of course I had to! Who can resist an all pink wall?! My romper is from Zaful, linked below.

Morning Squeeze

Our first full day in Scottsdale we ate breakfast at Morning Squeeze and it did not disappoint! I loved the vibe here, plus they gave you more than enough food! A win in hubbies book.

Coffee & the cutest corner 

That smile that gets me in trouble! I could say “yes” to this girl alllll day!

Sooooo much food and soooo good!

My Loves

…of course I needed a picture of their bathroom, ha! I just loved the vibe here, and all of Arizona!

Diego Pops

Diego Pops! This was the most recommended restaurant when I asked about places to go in Scottsdale on Instagram. It did not disappoint. I wish I would have gotten more pictures of the inside, but it was pretty busy at the time we went.

Noelia found a pink chair 😉

We scarfed our food down so fast, I forgot to snap a picture of it first! Diego Pops primarily serves Mexican food. I had a chicken taco with coconut rice and black beans on the side…delishhhhh. This place is a must try!

Farm & Craft

Farm & Craft was another spot that was highly recommended to me to try. We actually tried to go on the Fourth of July and walked in 5 minutes before they closed. They were more than willing to seat us, but I felt so bad that we decided to leave and try somewhere else. We did take a glance at their menu and it looked like a must-try. The atmosphere was super cute and chic, but since they were about to close, I failed to snap some pictures!

Picture-worthy spots

Adored this spot that was just a block away from Morning Squeeze. I have a soft spot for Spanish-inspired anything–it reminds me of Chile! My overalls are from Dainty Hooligan and can be found here. My top, shoes, and accessories are linked below.

We found this door that is attached to a Mexican restaurant on a corner in Old Town Scottsdale and I HAD. TO. STOP. I love finding charming little spaces like this…so much character!

I enjoyed my Starbucks by it, then pushed that table aside for the ‘gram 😉 

My top is from Dainty Hooligan and can be found here. My shorts and accessories are linked below.

Another perfect little corner in Old Town Scottsdale. Loved the mosaic tile!

My baby always helping Mommy with pictures! I am wearing a set by Emmer & Oat. You can find it here!

The Mission Church

I actually remembered the name of this spot! Isn’t it gorgeous?! It’s a Catholic Church in Old Town Scottsdale and photos do not do it justice. It was breathtaking, I wish we would have been able to see the inside! The white building was stunning against the bright blue sky. The lot was filled with bright pink bushes full in bloom. It was just breathtaking!

My dress and shoes are from a local boutique called Be Yourself. You can find the dress HERE and the shoes HERE.

One of my favorite pictures of Noelia and I hands down. I mean look at that JOY?!! UGH!! To have the heart and soul of a child…such a beautiful thing.

Desert Botanical Garden

We stopped by the Desert Botanical Gardens one morning and what we saw was stunning. We didn’t actually enter the gardens because it was pretty pricey and we weren’t sure how long we would last with Noelia in the heat. The day we went was the hottest day of the year in Arizona! Figures…haha. Our next trip back, Brody and I definitely want to go in and experience it. These few shots are just from the entry!

Big Red of the Desert

For all you local (and not local!) Nebraska fans!! A legit Husker store, like whaaaaaat?!! This was just right across the street and up the block from our hotel and lets just say Brody had a hay-day seeing this. What are the odds?!

Here are a few questions I got from people about the traveling and trip in general:

How did you travel with Noelia’s carseat? Did you check it in at the airport?

We brought Noelia’s carseat with us instead of renting one through the car rental company. There was no way I was about to trust a third party’s car seat! We checked it in at the gate when we were about to board so it would be ready for us as soon as we got off the plane. I know a lot of moms say to have them sit in their carseat while in their seat, but Noelia was not having it. She’s a “big girl” and wants to do what we do! I don’t blame her! I would highly recommend removing the carseat cup holders if you are able. It is so easy for those little accessories to come off and get lost, we just didnt want to risk it! Also, have the airport put the carseat in a clear bag to help from getting scuffs and unwanted dirt. We totally spaced on buying one ourselves, but thankfully United Airlines offered that. Be sure to check what airline you have and if they offer that!

How did you handle the time change?

The time change between Omaha and Arizona is two hours behind. It definitely through Noelia off so naps happened whenever they could. If she fell asleep in the car while we were driving somewhere, we just let her and we kept driving. You gotta do what you gotta do! She couldn’t nap in the hotel, there was just too much going on for her to. She knew the pool was close and that we were somewhere new. My best advice is to not stress too much over keeping a schedule and just do what you can. WING IT! My best advice, haha.

Did the heat bother you?

Honestly, no! When I told people we were going to Arizona in July, some thought we were crazy. It really was the only time of year that works for us since Brody is a teacher and coaches football. The heat in Arizona is such a dry heat, it actually felt so nice! The only time I was bothered by it was walking in parking lots and getting into the car if it wasn’t shaded. I recommend to electric start your car (if you have the capability) about 10 minutes before getting in it, especially with little ones!

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I hope this short guide was helpful to you all. We had the most beautiful time and will definitely be going back! If this guide was helpful to you all (or you enjoyed my pics!) please share it!

 

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