I was able to check another state off my list this week. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the week in Scottsdale, AZ.  Can you believe that I’ve never been to Arizona?! It’s crazy, I know.  I’ve never even flown through the Phoenix airport either.  Needless to say, I was pretty excited to experience all the rage that is Scottsdale.  I’ve had a few friends that lived there and they say there’s nothing like it…and they’re right.  So, today, I’ve got a Scottsdale Arizona Travel Guide for y’all, showing you every place we hit while we were there.

I traveled to Scottsdale with some of my blogger gal pals, Danielle and McKenna.  We arrived at the W Scottsdale early in the morning.  If you don’t already know, I LOVE W Hotels.  I just love how trendy they are and I’m obsessed with their complimentary Bliss products.  I was the first to arrive {at 7 am! Ha!}.  Naturally, my room wasn’t ready {wasn’t expecting it to be at that time}.  The staff was super accommodating about it though.  They held my bags and gave me a special room key so that I could access the fitness center.  My arrival was already starting off on a good foot, because you know I love when I can get a good workout in!  When the other gals arrived, we each indulged in a massage at Bliss Spa and then spent the day poolside in the hotel’s amazing private cabanas {it was too hot not to be in a cabana} and munched on some goodies from the pool bar aaaaand we may have indulged in a few yummy cocktails.  They also have Scottsdale’s only chilled pool! I was floating around in the pool the whole day and it felt magical.

We then headed to a wine tasting at Aridus Wine Tasting Room.  Aridus Wine Company is a local family-owned winery/vineyard located in Wilcox.  The wines were delicious and there were a few other tasting rooms around, so you could definitely make a whole day of it.  Many of you know that I’m a cab girl.  I LOVE my cabernet sauvignon, and it was surprisingly one of their lightest wines {more of like a pinot}.  Their new rosé was fabulous though, so if you ever make a pitstop there, then I definitely recommend snagging a few bottles of it.

Our first day ended with a crazy good dinner at Sushi Roku, located in the W Scottsdale.  It was seriously phenomenal.  It’s a lively hip scene {super trendy}, but still maintains the tranquility of a zen garden.  They have had award winning cuisine AND interior design too.  The chef and his team took the reigns and sent out whatever they created.  Lots of sashimi {right up my alley}, caviar, sushi, and grilled octopus, just to name a few.  My favorite bit would have to be the wagyu {you know I like my red meat}.  We ended the meal with some homemade mochi {they totally beat my trader joe’s store-bought ones haha}.  I’ll be craving some of those bad boys this weekend!

The next morning, we enjoyed a personal training session with celebrity trainer Lucas James on the W’s wet pool deck.  They offer these super fun sessions for groups {it would be a great way to kick off a bachelorette weekend}.  Lots of HIIT and Biebs on the speakers, so I was pretty much in heaven.

And naturally, I needed some breakfast, so I 100% took advantage of the W Hotel’s 24-hour in room dining.  I snagged an egg white omelet, some coffee, and a plate of fresh fruit.

The bulk of our day consisted of taking a tour on a golf cart around Scottsdale.  We went around Old Town and checked out the Soleri Bridge and the Scottsdale Waterfront.  We then stopped in a few stores, coffee shops, and bakeries.  We grabbed some coffee at Cartel Coffee Lab and stopped in Super Chunk Sweets & Treats for a sweet treat {how yummy does that sprinkle birthday cake look?!}.  We also stopped in Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which had the COOLEST light exhibit ever called Ocean of Light.  It was a ‘smart’ LED ecosystem.  If you followed along on Insta Story or Snapchat, then you saw it in action.

For lunch, we popped into a modern latin restaurant called The Mission for some margaritas, table-side guac, and some tacos.  So many people recommended this place that we decided to give it a shot! It definitely lived up to the hype.  I recommend sipping on their blood orange margarita!

We continued to explore the area around the hotel. I noticed that Scottsdale also has a huge art influence — there are sculptures all around town, some even mobile ones.

We also checked out the Entertainment District that’s SO close to the W Scottsdale {extremely convenient}, making it perfect for bachelor or bachelorette weekends. When I say close, I mean literally one block away.  I’m still wishing I went into Dierks Bentley’s bar — he’s one of my fave country artists.  He’s also from Scottsdale and is known to make an appearance at that bar every now and then!

Finally, for dinner, Diego Pops was on the schedule — if you’ve never seen all the instas from there, then you are missing out! This place is so stinking cute and SO instagram worthy.  Not only is it adorable, but the food is bomb.  You should 100% order the brussel sprout nachos to begin with, a coconut margarita, and then a poke bowl for dinner.  This restaurant was even walkable from the hotel! We also *may* have stopped in for a drink at the Montauk on our way back.

Then, we chilled in the lobby bar at the W, working on our laptops, sipping on a glass of wine, and listening to the live band that was playing.

The one thing I love about the city was their focus on art, wellness, and fitness.  It seemed like something that I could definitely get on board with.  So, when I wanted to schedule a class at a boutique fitness place, I was super excited.  Unfortunately, I had grand plans of trying something new {like Bodi, Off the Grid, Body Lab, or Body by COR}, but since I called the day before, most places were already booked for their morning classes.  I ended up being able to squeeze into an Orange Theory Fitness class not too far from the hotel.  I’ve already done OTF quite a few times in Louisville, but I didn’t mind doing it again, since it’s always a pretty decent workout.  I was able to run from the hotel early in the morning {before it got really hot} and get in a good workout, kicking off my last day in Scottsdale with a hoorah.

We ended our trip with a healthy and refreshing breakfast at the Original ChopShop Co — just what I needed after a sweat sesh.  They have tons of freshly pressed juices, protein shakes, sandwiches, protein bowls, and coffee on their health-conscious menu! I got a chicken and egg bowl, served over veggies {but you can also include brown rice or quinoa}.  This was just what I needed to fuel my full day of travel back to KY!

It was such an amazing trip with a packed itinerary, and I was SO thrilled to be finally trying all these places out.  It’s always nice getting to see my girlfriends when traveling to these fun places too.  I definitely recommend checking out Scottsdale for an awesome getaway and stay at the W Scottsdale.  I hope y’all enjoyed my Scottsdale Arizona Travel Guide!

A big thank you to Experience Scottsdale and the W Scottsdale for complimentary experiences.  As always, all opinions are my own.