I couldn’t be more excited to share the first part of this travel guide with you guys! I have been getting tons of questions from both pregnant and non pregnant ladies about our trip to Arizona and we absolutely loved it, so I thought I would share some of our favorite parts! With Zika on the rampage, we didn’t have a ton of options as far as a vacation. Trevor wasn’t going to be able to take vacation till I was in my third trimester and I just wasn’t sure how comfortable I would be on a long flight to Hawaii or Iceland by then, plus I wanted some hot weather and a pool to relax by! 

After investigating a couple destinations, we decided Arizona was the perfect answer for us. It was a short flight (3 1/2 hours from Chicago), direct and guaranteed to have warm weather. What we didn’t realize was how great that warm weather would be. Although the heat can be unbearable at certain times of the year, we found it to be perfect in April. That dry heat is so nice and with the wind blowing you avoid the normal humidity. The mornings and evenings also cool off substantially. It would be in the 50’s or 60’s when we went for breakfast and dinners, making it perfect to dine al fresco. 

We decided to stay for 4 days and try two different resorts. Since Scottsdale is so close to Phoenix and easy to navigate, we thought it would be fun to try out different spots and transferring from one hotel to the next was seamless and stress free.

Aren’t the grounds pretty? We spent a lot of time walking around the property

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of flowers, they were all so pretty!

Day 1

We arrived early Sunday morning and checked into our first hotel, Hotel Valley Ho. It’s such a cool spot! It’s a midcentury hotel that is designated as a historic landmark since much of it has been preserved. The room was insanely gorgeous and included a patio, full kitchen, living room and spacious bathroom. We were immediately relaxed and couldn’t wait to get down to the pool. But first, food! We decided to explore the neighborhood a little bit and happened to stumble into Arcadia Farms. It was a quaint little spot that had tons of indoor/outdoor seating and a menu full of fresh farm to table items. We enjoyed one of the yummiest breakfast’s we’ve had in a while and actually went back the next day for lunch! After filling up, we threw on our pool attire and headed down to the main pool. It was so bright and had great spots in the shade. I overheat and Trevor is almost clear, so we aren’t professional sun bathers by any means! The staff was amazing at constantly having cold water for us and making fun concoctions for me to drink! After a full afternoon at the pool we relaxed on our personal patio before heading to Zuzu, the hotel restaurant for dinner. We were happy to head to bed early that night with a full belly after traveling. 

I mean, cutie!

Outdoor patio at Arcadia Farms, wish I could have sampled the Bubble Bar…

My Pool Accessories: 

My Travel Favorites:

Yummy smoothie creation at the Hotel Valley Ho pool

Day 2

The next day we kept plans light again so we could really just relax. We woke up early in search of coffee and wandered down to Sip Coffee and Beer House. We had seen it the day before when searching for lunch and thought it looked perfect. We sat outside and were so happy they had board games to borrow! The great thing about Hotel Valley Ho’s location was that so much was in close walking distance. We could walk to coffee shops, restaurants, and stores which makes everything on vacation easier. You don’t need to have a plan and can wander around and take your time. 

After another full day by the pool, we headed to a new Mexican spot for dinner Crujiente Tacos. The name comes from their signature ‘crunchy tacos’ and we really indulged on everything from queso fundido to guacamole and several tacos. The flavors were really unique and coming from Chicago where there is a ‘innovative taco joint’ on every corner, we were really impressed. The chef and owner were chatting with us and everyone in the restaurant and seemed so passionate about their spot. Doesn’t that make you love the food more? 

Can we talk about that croissant lathered in Nutella at Sip Coffee House?

We kept these first two days pretty light so we could really relax and enjoy some downtime. Check back next week for our last two days and all the spots we tried out plus the next hotel! 

Special thanks to Visit Phoenix for providing our travel and trip accommodations!