Last Updated: July 21, 2025

If you can handle the heat, you may want to consider a weekend getaway to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in the summer. Because it gets so hot, it’s actually considered low-season which means you can find some really amazing flight and hotel deals to enjoy warm weather in luxury. In this post, we share some tips to help you plan a similar getaway.

The Hotels – Where to Stay

Throughout the year, we have stayed at a number of hotels in the area, and the one we keep coming back to is the Andaz Scottsdale (link to our review “Review – Andaz Scottsdale: Modern and Stylish Desert Oasis“).

Here is a list of the hotels we have stayed at with general comments:

• ADERO Scottsdale Resort, Autograph Collection: The ADERO is a nice hotel with great view of the valley, but it is quite far from most things. The rooms are really nice, comfortable, and some have fantastic views. Service has been a little disappointing and they do have annoying things in general, like charging $6 per person for coffee at the complimentary Titanium breakfast when you can get it for free by the spa, mandatory valet parking, and high resort/parking fees. There are 2 nice pools though, one just for adults and a well equipped gym.
• Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa: We stayed here a long time ago, but the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa is a very special place. It is a calm and peaceful resort with more of an emphasis on wellness and tranquility.
• Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort: We stayed here while it was undergoing a renovation. The room itself was nice and comfortable but the balcony was not very private and more do not have good views. The pool area is quite large, but the resort has many rooms and it does still get crowded. Overall, it just feels like a generic large scale cookie cutter resort.
• The Camby, Autograph Collection: The Camby is more of an urban hotel located in the Biltmore Fashion Park shopping area in the East Camelback neighbourhood in Phoenix. It has a pool, gym, and dining facilities onsite. Overall, it was a pleasant stay.

The Food – Where to Eat

We have tried a lot of other places in the area but they weren’t memorable enough to include. Here are a few places we have enjoyed over the years.

Little Miss BBQ: On all our trips to Phoenix, we always visit Little Miss BBQ for some legit BBQ made and served by very genuine, friendly, and hard-working people. Thankfully, Little Miss opened up a brick and mortar restaurant in Sunnyslope with a full bar for those who want to enjoy their delicious barbecue without waiting. If you do decide to visit the original location in University and don’t mind waiting in line, we recommend arriving by 10:00 to grab a number. Once you have a number, you can leave and come back and find your place in line right before opening at 10:30 which is a great option during the scorching summer heat. In addition to the delicious food, the staff at Little Miss always bring their A-game to make the experience a fun and memorable one as you wait in line. We really enjoy the BBQ here and it rivals the best stuff we’ve had in Texas. For more information about Little Miss BBQ, have a look at our review.

Gadzooks:If you are a fan of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Mexican inspired food in general, you may love Gadzooks, a casual fast-food restaurant with 3 locations. While their specialty are enchiladas, they also offer tacos, soup, and salads. I was very impressed with their chopped salad that came with really fresh lettuce and toppings but the enchiladas were the best we ever had. They actually roll out the tortillas for the enchiladas and tacos and grill them with each order for the ultimate in freshness. Like Chipotle, you choose from base ingredients and then customize your meal with various sauces, cheeses, salsas, and proteins. We recommend eating there because they heat up the enchiladas and tacos in a gas-fired wood stoned oven and serve them in cazuela bowls.

Taco Viva: Taco Viva serves up some really delicious al pastor and carne asada tacos in a space that reminds you of a street-style taco stands in Mexico. You order at the counter, they give you a ticket, you hand the ticket to one of the staff by the taco station, and choose between basic or “con todo!” (with everything), and are handed a delicious place of tacos!

Taco Boys: Taco Boys is another local street-style taco restaurant offering “tacos al carbon” (grilled over mesquite charcoal). They do have a variety of items, but the carne asada is the specialty. You can season your tacos from all the options at their salsa bar.

Joyride: Joyride is a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix that serves a wide variety of share plates, entrees, and drinks in a fun and casual setting. They offer a really great happy hour too from opening to 6 pm daily with food and drink specials.

Brat Haus: If you like sausage and you like beer, a visit to Brat Haus is a must because you can do a sausage “brat” and beer flight. For about $15, you get 3 beers and 3 brat sliders. We really enjoyed our lunch here and they do have a shaded patio for those who are brave enough for the heat.

Where to Drink – Craft Beer

There’s a lot of great craft beer in the area and some of our favorites are:

Roses by the Stairs Brewing: Roses by the Stairs Brewing is always a must visit for us, to grab a beer and also to buy some to go. They have a great selection of lighters beers and tasty IPAs. The vibe is fun inside and outside.

Wren House Brewing: Wren House Brewing’s Big Spill Pils is one of our favorite beers to have when we’re here. They also have some really nice west coast IPAs and some really light lagers. As for the environment, Wren House Brewing’s tasting room is in a 1920’s converted bungalow and they have a nice little patio at the back with fans and mist. You can buy cans and crowlers to enjoy elsewhere, which we did.

The Shop Beer Co: Located in Tempe, The Shop Beer Co, they have a really nice patio here too with mist and string lights. We enjoy quite a few of their beers, and our new favorite might just be the Crispy, a light blonde lager.

Sip Coffee & Beer Garage: Sip Coffee & Beer Garage is the type of place you might visit twice in one day; in the morning for some coffee and later in the day for some beers. Featuring coffee beans by Cartel, Sip’s mandate is to bring people together over high end coffee and craft beers. In addition to coffee and beer, they also have food and often have live music showcasing singer/songwriter music. We love it here and no matter how warm it is, we find a seat on the patio which has that cooling mist so popular in the Phoenix area. They have two locations for your convenience.

Greenwood Brewing: Greenwood Brewing in downtown Phoenix is a nice place to grab a beer on the patio with some mist! Their Purpose Pilsner is always a go to for us!

Barcoa Agaveria: Barcoa Agaveria is a fun cocktail bar located in dowtown Phoenix. They have a great selection of cocktails and spirits you can enjoy in their funky indoor space or cozy outdoor space.

Huss Brewing Co: Huss Brewing is the first brewery we ever visited in the area and if you can’t visit in person, you’ll find their beers on tap elsewhere. Compared to other breweries, Huss makes lighter beers to enjoy in the warm weather which is nice for when you don’t want a heavy and strong beer; their Scottsdale Blonde and Sunday Funday are good choices.

Other Things to Do:

Camelback Hike: With an elevation of 1,250 feet over 1.42 miles, the Cholla trail to the top of Camelback Mountain takes about 2-3 hours for those who want a good workout with nice views and who aren’t afraid of heights. We always plan to do this hike but we always end up sleeping in since you’d have to start it by 06:00 before it gets too hot in the summer.

Papago Park Hole-in-the-Rock: If you’re in the Tempe area around sunset, you may want to visit Hole-in-the Rock at Papago Rock to experience one of those magical desert sunsets. There is also a Zoo and Botanical Garden here.

Sedona: If you have enough time, you may want to plan a day trip to Sedona, about a 2 hour drive north from Phoenix to visit the red-butte rocks and other natural wonders. There are a number of very easy hikes/walks that you can go on to explore the red rocks and other notable sights like the Chapel of the Holy Cross built into the landscape. For a quick and easy hike/walk, check out the Bell Rock Trail and for a more advanced hike if you have 1-2 hours, check out Cathedral Rock. For a relaxing and meditative hike, check out the West Fork Trail, a 6.6 mile return hike where you cross 13 streams along the way. For the best view of the red rocks and landscape, take a drive up to Sedona Airport and stop at the vista point. If you’re hungry, the Mesa Grill have a very nice setting and good food.

Jerome: Jerome is a historic copper mining town at an elevation of 5,200 feet. While insanely touristy, it is a fun drive and you get nice views of the valley. Wine lovers will appreciate the wineries located in the downtown area, including Maynard James Kennan’s Caduceus wines. If you are driving here from Sedona, we highly recommend a minor detour to visit Page Springs Cellars in Cornville to enjoy their wines, snacks and beautiful riverside setting.

Flagstaff: Another option for a day trip is Flagstaff, about 2 hours and 15 minutes away from Phoenix. If you detour through Sedona, it will only add about 30 minutes to your journey and you will get to visit the Oak Creek Vista which provides a view of the Oak Creek Canyon in the Coconino National Forest. Craft beer lovers will love Flagstaff where there are 6+ breweries to visit. Our favorites were Mother Road Brewing Co and Historic Brewing Co.

 

 

Have you been to Phoenix/Scottsdale during the summer? Have you hiked Camelback mountain? What is your favorite craft beer brewery in the area?

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