I took my first solo trip to Arizona for Spring Break this year! I have been talking about taking one for months but kept feeling anxious about actually doing it and deciding on a location. After some encouragement from the internet and friends, I finally took the plunge. I officially planned the trip on March 25th, a few short days before my April 5th flight. Scottsdale was chosen because of the resort options and nature views! I figured I could have some time for wellness while also exploring some of the state!
I live outside of Washington DC so with Arizona being across the country, I knew it was going to be a long day. But, I had no idea HOW LONG! My flight was scheduled for 9 am EST with a layover in Chicago and a final arrival time to Phoenix at 1 pm MST.
My flight ended up being delayed multiple times. The first delay was due to Chicago weather. After that, we weren’t given a reason for the delays. At this point, I had to change to a much later connecting flight.
Five hours later, at 2 pm EST, we finally headed out to Chicago! Thankfully, my connecting flight from there was also delayed, otherwise I wouldn’t have made it!
I finally landed in Phoenix at 6:00 pm and made it to my hotel, Hotel Valley Ho at 6:45 pm MST.
I was thrilled when they gave me a complimentary room upgrade!
After traveling for like 12 hours, I was EXHAUSTED and just wanted to go to bed. But, I had a dinner reservation and didn’t want the day to feel like a total wash, so I changed and went to the hotel’s restaurant, Zuzu to grab dinner.
I was a little scared to be seen eating alone so I asked to sit out on the patio, there was only one more couple out there.
After the appetizer, I realized I wasn’t all that hungry so the only other thing I ordered was their famous Showstopper shake, this month’s flavor was Ube with a tiki theme. It was so cute!
I had to squeeze quite a bit into day 2! I started with a podcast interview at 7:30 am then went straight to breakfast!
9 am – 10:20 pm Breakfast
I walked from my hotel to Jojo’s Coffeehouse in Old Town Scottsdale. It was super busy so I snagged the last seat at the bar! There was one more solo diner at the bar and we chatted for a bit. That helped me be a little more confident. I was excited to try their coffee flight, it was so cute! I enjoyed their French toast for my main course and added a side of country potatoes. Everything was fantastic.
10:30 am – 11:15 pm Desert Botanical Garden
While I waited for my Uber, I reserved my ticket at the Desert Botanical Garden (since it was a holiday weekend, I had to book in advance.) I was immediately blown away when I arrived. The cacti are HUGE! I wandered around for about an hour and it took me roughly 20 minutes to get comfortable enough to whip out my handy dandy tripod to get some photos and videos. I went off on some trails where I could get some good pictures without any others being around.
11:30 pm – 12:30 pm Pool Time at Hotel Valley Ho
I squeezed in some sun and read a little before changing to head to The Scott Resort for lunch and a spa day!
1 pm Lunch at The Scott Resort
The Scott Resort is beautiful! I was originally planning to stay here because they offered an Educator Discount Rate but after reading a few negative reviews about the rooms, I switched to the Hotel Valley Ho (and saved about $250). But, omg, the lobby and restaurant are STUNNING! The details blew me away. For my solo lunch, they sat me at the back of the restaurant which I was happy about. It was semi-private and I was able to people watch. I ordered the Cobb Salad and it was the BEST I’ve ever had!! I finished just in time to head over to the spa at the resort, La Vidorra Spa.
2 pm Spa Time
No wellness trip is complete without a spa day, am I right?? I went with the La Vidorra Experience at La Vidorra Spa. For $260 it included a soak in their copper tub, body scrub, and massage. It was a 90-minute experience and felt so luxurious. Again, just like the lobby of the hotel, the details at the spa did not disappoint. I will say, I could have done without the bath soak but overall I was satisfied.
3:30-5 pm Pool Time at the Canal Club
As a spa visitor, you get to enjoy the hotel’s pool so that’s exactly what I did! I ordered the Sin and Santeria cocktail and headed to the pool to listen to my audiobook. The weather was perfect.
6 pm Dinner Time
I planned to go to dinner but my body was on East Coast time so I went back to my hotel room and ordered room service. I watched Southern Charm until I drifted off to sleep! Tomorrow is going to be another long (but exciting) day of adventure!
On day three of my solo trip to Arizona, I booked a small group day trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon with Viator. You can check it out here!
6 am The Day Begins!
I was the first passenger to be picked up. My tour guide, Jennifer from Detours was awesome. We had three more stops (10 more passengers) to pick up before we headed to our first stop, Sedona!
9 am Sedona
Sedona is a picturesque town known for its red rock formations and spiritual energy. I will be going back to hike in Red Rock State Park and explore some of their art galleries.
The drive was picturesque, we saw hot air balloons, snow-capped mountains, and some wildlife!
We stopped to see Bell Rock in Sedona and then we had some free time in the town. I walked to Starbites (Starbucks) but a chai tea latte and a strawberry and creme croissant! I sat in the sun (it was chilly) and enjoyed a view of the mountains with my breakfast.
Our stop was only for about 30 minutes so we soon continued to the Grand Canyon!
I didn’t get bored on the 3-hour trip because our tour guide was entertaining and shared fun facts the entire time. It was awesome!
The most heartbreaking part of the trip was driving through the Navajo Nation and seeing/learning how they live. Many of them don’t have running water or electricity (aside from generators).
12:00 pm Grand Canyon Arrival
Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it took my breath away! Seriously. It still doesn’t feel like it’s real. I’m so happy I got to see it!
When the tour guide was with us she took many of my photos! We were given 2 hours of free time to explore/get lunch on our own so I walked to some tour shops.
I ended up running into the other solo traveler in our group, she was visiting from Argentina. We connected and took pictures of each other! She got so many good shots, I’m so grateful.
We got back to Scottsdale around 6 pm but with all of the stops, I didn’t get back to my hotel until 7 pm!
The trip was wonderful, I 10/10 would recommend: book here.
After snacking on most of the road trip, I was full so I opted to skip dinner and go straight to bed!!
But I would have gone to SumoMaya, an Asian/Mexican fusion restaurant!
One thing about me, I’m going to use every moment! I woke up early to binge the latest 3 episodes of Love is Blind on Netflix, sip some coffee and then I enjoyed a bubble bath in the super-sized tub in my room. So relaxing. I then sat out on my patio for a while to do a devotional.
One of the places I planned to visit on day one was Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles. My flight wasn’t until noon so I decided to go as soon as they opened at 8 am! My Uber dropped me off around 7:58 am so I waited until 8 am to walk in. The hostess jokingly said, “How did you get in?!”
I sat at the bar and the bartender was super kind and welcoming. He suggested I get the margarita flight so I got that and chicken and a waffle. EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT!!! The music, the vibe, the food, and the service. By the time I left, there were like 5 others in the restaurant. I wish we had a location on the East Coast!
I had the best time on my first solo trip to Arizona, the only thing I would change is adding one more day! And next time, I will spend a couple of nights in Sedona too.
I’m so glad I decided to book this trip for myself. It helped me feel confident and I truly enjoyed my own company! The best part was probably being able to go to bed early without feeling bad about it. If you get the chance to take a solo trip to Arizona, DO IT!! Just make sure you pack a tripod and some courage!
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I started The Sassy Math Teacher in 2020 to help teachers like you increase classroom engagement and teach with confidence!
I also love to share about my life as a teacher including my favorite outfits, home items, gadgets and trips!
