Weekend Getaway: Our Stay at the Andaz Scottsdale
It’s probably not a surprise that Tony, Doug & I are huge fans of Scottsdale, Arizona. We go there a few times a year to relax in the desert and enjoy some of their awesome restaurants & bars.
Scottsdale is just a quick drive from Phoenix, which is only about an hour flight from San Diego. We normally fly Alaska, which offers direct flights throughout the day making it really easy to plan a quick trip!
The Andaz Scottsdale
I think it’s safe to say the Andaz Scottsdale’s is one of the areas hippest resorts.
For those of you not familiar with Andaz, they’re a boutique style of resorts by Hyatt. They draw upon surrounding neighborhoods & cultures, giving an authentic, relaxed vibe. Each of the properties is totally unique and authentic because they’re inspired by the location they’re in. An “elevated reflection of the destination’s culture”. The architecture, decor, food & amenities are all inspired by the neighborhoods and surrounding cultures.
If you’re a Hyatt member or have a Hyatt Credit Card, you can also earn points from your stay or pay with points.
The Location
The Andaz Scottsdale is located about 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), just north of Old Town Scottsdale.
Depending on your plans, it’s a quick Uber or drive from a ton of restaurants, shops & things to do. If you feel like staying close to the hotel, it’s walking distance from Paul Martin’s American Grill, Blanco Tacos & Tequila, Houston’s, Taphouse Kitchen, Fat Ox & Fogo de Chai Brazilian Steakhouse.
It’s also close to tons of golf courses, shopping centers & outdoor adventures.
The Resort
After we checked in, we got a quick tour of the resort. It’s actually HUGE! The rooms are all individual bungalows, spread out over the property.
When you get to the hotel, you enter “The Guest House” aka the lobby. There isn’t a formal reception area, but instead it’s set up kind of like a cool, modern living room. It reminded me of a scene from Mad Men with splashes of midcentury modern decor. As we checked in, they gave us a couple drinks (hello, I love free drinks) and I lathered on some of the free sunscreen that was sitting out. Because you know this vampire gal is afraid of direct sunlight!
The buildings are all situated around large lawns and desert landscaping. It’s really pretty and relaxing walking around.
Amenities
As I mentioned, the resort’s landscape is beautiful. It makes walking around the property really relaxing. Unlike a lot of desert hotels, there are tons of palm trees, olive trees, cacti & succulents.
The Guest House is also where you can find the hotel’s restaurant, Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen and a boutique called Textiles and Objects. When you step outside, there’s a giant deck with tables looking out over the pool.
The pool is surrounded by tons of lounge chairs and cabanas. Some of the guest rooms even come with their own private cabanas. At the side of the pool is the Turquoise Pool Bar. We spent most of our time hanging out by the pool and in the hot tub. I love ordering food & drinks by the pool when I’m on vacation. They had perfect pitchers of margaritas and buckets of ice cold beer. My favorite part is that they have a ton of cute (totally Instagram worthy) pool floats you can use.
At the other end of the resort is the Palo Verde Spa and fitness center. The spa has an apothecary-style concept where you can blend your own botanicals and aromatics for your treatments, which is super fun and unique. If you’re not visiting the spa, you can also buy a day pass to access it’s smaller, quieter pool area.
Food & Drinks
We ate at Weft & Warp every morning for breakfast and it didn’t disappoint! There are tons of seats inside and at the bar, but we opted to sit out on the patio.
I swear, I’m still dreaming of the chorizo scones we got every morning. The scones alone were to die for, but taken to the next level with sunny side up eggs, chicken gravy & cilantro.
A few other standouts from the menu:
+ avocado toast with sunny side up eggs, roasted tomatoes & bacon
+ dirty hash brown with fried eggs and green chili roasted pork
+ blue corn pancakes with orange poppy seed creme anglaise and popcorn
The Turqoise Pool Bar had amazing drinks as I mentioned, but also had some great pool food! I opted for the Tequila Rosé and then we shared the Turqoise Nachos, Burger & Giant’s Hot Dog.
On our last night, we decided to order room service and relax in bed. I kid you not, it was the best room service meal I’ve ever had. A lot of times room service is kind of underwhelming, especially for the price. But the Andaz room service was next level. We had the “create a pasta bowl” and the woman I talked to gave me the expert advice to order half asadero-parmesan cream sauce and half pesto with our grilled chicken and rigatoni. I also recommend ordering the mexican chocolate peanut butter tart for dessert. It’s the perfect way to end a night in bed, while watching movies!
The Rooms
We fell in love with our room, which felt more like a suite. We had our own little private-entry courtyard and outdoor seating area, which Doug loved to sit at and people watch.
We had the Saarinen 1 King Bed Bunglow, which was 486 square feet of space, including another private outdoor patio off of the bathroom. I love that there’s no one above you or below you, so it’s really quiet and peaceful. The room made me want to redesign our house after the style they used. The layout was also really open and spacious.
Another VERY important part of this recap is to let you know the hotel has the strongest minibar game I’ve ever experienced. First of all, there was a Keurig machine with tons of coffee, tea & creamer. One of my pet peeves is when they only give you one creamer… I need like 3 per coffee.
The mini fridge is stocked with soda, water, beer & other drinks. Did I mention they also had a ton of free options?! That’s right, free snacks & free drinks! My heart has officially been won over.
The room had another major surprise, a 65 inch TV! I feel like most hotels have the smallest possible TVs normally, so I was pleasantly surprised by the massive TV for my Law & Order viewing pleasure. Anyone else binge watch Law & Order when they’re in hotels? I feel like it’s always on!
Another plus is that internet is free! You don’t have to spend $20 a day, it’s included in your stay. The closet area was also legit. There was a ton of room for hanging clothes, drawers for storage & enough space to put both of our luggage up. I also really appreciated that hotel not only provides robes (my fave), but also flip flops! Slippers are great, but flip flops are key for heading down to the pool.
Back to the shower… I’m pretty sure we could have fit about 10 people in our shower. Which not only had 2 shower heads and a spot to sit, but was also stocked with products.
Final Notes
The Andaz Scottsdale is also pet friendly! That means, Doug was invited and enjoyed all of the special attention from everyone at the resort. I highly recommend the resort for a special occasion, romantic getaway or easy staycation. If you’re traveling from out of town, I recommend at least 3-4 nights so that you can relax and explore more of the surrounding areas. You could also plan a trip to the Grand Canyon while in town!
Thank you to the Andaz Scottsdale for letting us stay with you! my stay.
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THE DESERT OASIS: FOUR SEASONS SCOTTSDALE