Spring Break 2018

Last Monday I headed to Scottsdale, Arizona with my parents and friend Ellie for Spring Break 2018! This was our first time to Arizona, and it did not disappoint. Monday afternoon we quickly settled into our room at the Omni Scottsdale Resort and were immediately so impressed by the customer service, ambience, and beautiful views. Ellie and I headed to the pool all afternoon while my parents played golf. Afterwards we stuck around the resort property and grabbed some yummy tacos and margaritas from Centro while catching the NCAA Basketball Championship Game! My dad's childhood friend and his wife met up with us, which was such a treat since my dad hasn't seen him in 32 years!

View from our room 

Tuesday we headed to Camelback Mountain for a hike! Once again the views were phenomenal. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some relaxation time by the pool! That evening my parents headed to their friends' house for dinner while Ellie and I scoped out The Henry. This restaurant had the cutest decor and such creative cocktails! We ate at the bar to avoid a wait, but we really enjoyed it.

We had an early wake up call Wednesday morning as we headed to Sedona! It was about an hour and a half drive from our hotel, but the views along the way were incredible. Once we arrived, we were speechless! I have never seen such beautiful scenery. After picking up some must do recommendations from the visitor's center, we immediately started exploring. The first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This was a really cool spot since the church overlooked the city. Afterwards we headed to Boynton Canyon to check out a recommended vortex. What we were told was going to be a .6 mile hike turned into 8 miles due to a wrong turn. 😳 However, with a few stops along the way, we all survived and the view at the end was worth the mistake! To reward ourselves, we headed to the Airport Mesa for more views and margaritas. Despite being exhausted, we rallied (minus dad) to check out The Mission in Olde Town Scottsdale for dinner. I loved exploring a new part of town and would definitely visit this restaurant again! We all ordered the butternut squash tacos and ate every last bite.

Thursday was an early morning for all of us as my parents headed to play golf and Ellie and I had spa appointments. Among arriving, we were so impressed by the tone and decor of the Joya Spa at the resort. After exploring the amenities, we were treated to a 50 minute classic massage- a perfect cure from our rigorous hikes! We grabbed lunch at the spa's terrace pool and soaked up every last minute. We celebrated our last night at Olive and Ivy for what might have been my favorite dinner of the trip. We started off with a few bruschetta appetizers and sangria, followed by our entrees. I ordered the Brussels sprouts flatbread and oh. my. gosh. We were all so stuffed but could not help ourselves from topping it off with some homemade gelato. We spent the rest of the evening lounging by the fire pit at the resort before calling it a night.

For our last day, we took advantage of the spin class offered at the resort overlooking Camelback Mountain. From there we soaked up every last bit of sun we could before having to check out. We grabbed a quick lunch before heading to the airport at The Farm at South Mountain, which was recommended to us from Aunt Susan! This cute little restaurant was located in the middle of a big farm, offering great sandwiches and salads! We fueled up before heading back to Atlanta that afternoon :(

It was such an amazing trip and I definitely plan to visit again soon! There were so many fun things to do and the change of scenery was much needed!