I kicked off Summer break with a trip out west to Arizona. This was my 1st time going to Arizona and it did not disappoint! In fact, I loved it so much and can’t wait to go back again!
The trip was to celebrate D’s birthday and spend time in one of his favorite places. D planned the entire trip, which was nice for me to just sit back and enjoy vacation!
We stayed at the Orange Tree Resort in northern Scottsdale on the edge of Phoenix. It was easily accessible to all of the places we went to. It was a beautiful, quiet resort on a golf course with a big pool. Our room felt like a small apartment and was extremely spacious. I loved our bathroom, which I always think is key when traveling with others. It had a huge vanity with a double sink and make-up light and stool in one big room along with a jacuzzi. And then, in a separate room with a door was the toilet and shower. We had a kitchen with a fridge and sink so we were able to hit up Costco for all of our essentials on our way to the resort.
A few months ago I discovered this discount hotel website, Snaptravel, that I have had such a great experience with! I was shocked at how cheap so many amazing hotels are! If you haven’t ever used Snap Travel, check it out! You will get 10% off with this link using my discount code DR5OZKJ
https://mysnaptravel.com/D3L35n
The website does all of their communication through text messaging and it’s so easy to search for hotels. It is extremely user friendly.
Food in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe
- Mexican was my food of choice in Arizona
- Vegan Tacos @ Casa
- Vegan Burritos @ Casa
- Glitter Mimosa Flight @ Hash
- Breakfast in hotel from Costco
- Kale Salad @ Culinary Dropout
- Spicy Vegan Curry @ Culinary Dropout
- Vegan Burrito @ Verdura
- Breakfast at Hash Kitchen
- Culinary Dropout Dinner
- Lunch at Coronado
The plant-based food options in Arizona were delicious! We ate in Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale. The restaurants I would recommend that we visited:
- The Coronado Phoenix is a darling little outdoor Vegan restaurant and coffee shop with delicious brunch food, pastries and cocktails. It’s fresh and healthy and a total hippie vibe. I loved it.
- The Culinary Dropout is a trendy gastropub with indoor/outdoor seating and a huge menu with lots of variety. I was able to find multiple vegan dishes that were so delicious. It was a fun atmosphere!
- Verdura is a plant based eatery with yummy tex-mex food and huge portions!
- Hash Kitchen was the hot spot for breakfast in Scottsdale! It is home of the original build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and it was a bumping spot at 8:00 in the morning. There was a DJ with loud music and a very vibrant crowd during the early breakfast hours. I was in love with their glitter mimosa flights. I love bubbles in general, but when you throw in different fruit flavors, a flight AND glitter, that is a huge win in my opinion!
- Casa was a fun outdoor bar in Tempe with a DJ set up outside for entertainment. They had cocktails and Mexican food and lots of vegan options. However, my only complaint was that the food was too spicy. We both love spicy food, but this was so overpowering that we couldn’t really taste the flavors. I will say though, that our left-overs the next day were way better and not as spicy!
Check out the Arizona Trip Recap Video:
Pics
- Pool day at Maya Dayclub
- Casa Amigos
- Casa Amigos
- Casa Amigos
- Hash Kitchen
- Hash Kitchen
- Hash Kitchen
- Lifetime Fitness
- Orange Tree Resort
- Maya Dayclub
- The Culinary Dropout
- The Coronado
- Casa Amigos
- Camelback Mountain
- Camelback Mountain
- Camelback Mountain
- The Coronado
Aside from eating and drinking our way through Arizona, we had a lot of outdoor fun and good times with friends. We hiked to the top of Camelback Mountain and I survived! It was a lot harder than I expected ( especially going down! ) and mostly because it was so darn hot out! The views from the top were so beautiful and it was a wonderful workout. I always enjoy doing a variety of different workouts when I am traveling. I definitely am not doing any mountain climbing in the midwest, so it was fun to switch it up while I was on vacation. I felt very accomplished after the climb!
In addition to hiking, we worked out at the Lifetime Fitness in Tempe where D’s brother is a personal trainer. It felt great to workout with a trainer and get fresh ideas for new exercises and check out equipment that I don’t have at my gym.
Shopping Links:
In addition to my black and white cutout swimsuit, my pink swimsuit is also from Victoria’s Secret. They had a promo for a free sarong with a $50 swim purchase. I love their swimsuits and how they fit so many different body types.
(Use my discount link for $10 off)
Red & Green stripe black cat eye 58 MM Gucci Sunglasses
My light pink Gucci sunglasses aren’t sold anymore, but these pink ones from Amazon are really cool too!
Anthropology daily practice dress. Check out the back of this dress too. It’s so comfortable. My friend bought this for her Arizona trip and recommended it to me.
Workout clothes: Savvi, Lululemon and Live Lean
*Tip* If you are not doing your online shopping through Rakuten, then you are seriously missing out on earning some major cash! Most stores have a good % of cash back if you go this website first. Here is $30 cash back for your first purchase when you sign up and create a free account. I have literally earned thousands of dollars from this website.
- I also use Stitch Fix a lot for vacations. It’s fun and stress free to use your own personal stylist after creating a custom profile. I’ve been using them on and off for years now and I have kept almost every single item in every fix they’ve ever sent. For $25 off your own customized box of clothes use my discount link!
