Escape to Sunny Scottsdale for a Relaxing Vacation

There’s no need to travel across the globe to experience a real vacation. Explore the luxurious side of Scottsdale, Arizona

You don’t have to waste a full day spent in crowded airports and stuffy planes to enjoy a getaway to a sizzling hot spot. Scottsdale, Arizona is a favourite for BC residents – especially if gorgeous resorts, luxury spas and great food are your thing. It’s the ideal destination; direct flights will have you kicking back and relaxing in no time.

Click through for a guide to where to stay and what to do for maximum relaxation.

Stay: The Boulders Resort

The Boulders Resort is named for the 12-million-year-old granite boulders that dot the landscape. It features The Waldorf Astoria Spa, a massive 33,000-square-foot space with every spa treatment imaginable. Once you experience a Watsu treatment, your life will never be the same.

In the waters of my own private outdoor pool, the therapist cradled me, drawing on rhythmic movement, pressure point massage and stretches. I floated in a dreamlike state that simulates the experience of being in the womb.

Stay: Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is an AAA Five Diamond-property in the high Sonoran Desert that encapsulates the true Arizona vibe with its adobe-like casitas, possibly the best margarita around, and of course, Talavera, a modern steakhouse with an incredible patio.

The soft desert light is exquisite, especially at dusk, and the slightly cool, scented air is a delight.

Stay: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is smack-dab in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, and this luxury resort – like any Fairmont hotel – is all about exceptional service. Opened just this year, it offers 649 guestrooms, five restaurants (with an assortment of lounges and swishy boutiques), four outdoor swimming pools, and the Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa.

Be sure to check out an aerial yoga class – all the yoga postures you’re familiar with suspended in a silk sling.

La Hacienda is the hotel’s Mexican resto with 240 varieties of tequila offered by the resort’s resident tequila goddess.

Shop: Singh Farms Market

Owner Ken Singh of Singh Farms Market is a Surrey, BC, transplant who owns one of Scottsdale’s best-kept secrets. Every Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm, visitors can load up on local produce like beets and kale, as well as beautiful fresh breads and honey. Be sure to stroll the shaded grounds, a miniature Garden of Eden.

Do: Montelucia Resort & Spa

Montelucia Resort & Spa is set in the foothills of Camelback Mountain, with 293 guest rooms in a lush, desert landscape. Only a few years old, the resort is beautiful, and the spa is an extension of that beauty.

Joya Spa has a dark, dreamy atmosphere with a Moroccan-inspired look. Plan to do lunch post-treatment at the Joya Terrace, located on the spa’s rooftop where you’ll nosh on kale and chickpea salad, watermelon and feta, hot-stone salmon, and gazpacho served in a hollowed-out avocado – all while taking in a stunning view of Camelback Mountain.

Stay: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch has a new 2.5-acre water experience with 10 pools, 20 fountains, 45 waterspills and a signature sandy beach. Spa Avania’s Magnetic Ritual Body Treatment is a trippy, but effective, experience.

Afterward, plunge into the 16,290-gallon outdoor heated mineral pool, infused with French Celtic minerals imported from the Brittany coast.

Eat: True Food Kitchen

For a true Scottsdale dining experience, head to Scottsdale Quarter, a 28-acre shopping and restaurant district. Take a stroll along the palm tree-lined streets, then pop into True Food Kitchen, a new eatery with best-selling author and healthy-living-advocate Dr. Andrew Weil as a partner.