An Arizona Getaway

Over the years we have had a number of friends and family urging us to visit Arizona. We spontaneously booked this one (and wanted to use up expiring flight credits). We landed in Phoenix and my first impressions were that the weather was perfect, there were palm trees among everything else green and splashes of colorful flowers everywhere.

It is a gorgeous city and it exceeded my expectations immediately. Living in Austin, we have been spoiled by the nice people there. People of Phoenix were very reminiscent of the folks at home; extremely friendly and warm. 

Evening 1: The nicest Airbnb!

We checked into our Airbnb which turned out to be the most magical slice of heaven. It was expertly designed and gave me Greek villa vibes. I was not expecting it to be as gorgeous as it was. It was a sizable bungalow in the backyard of an equally beautiful renovated home in which our hosts lived. The hosts were so kind and clearly took pride in the art of hosting.

We were greeted with Prosecco in the fridge, Alexa controlled lights and music, a stunning design of the interior. The outdoor area made you want to sink into one of the lounge chairs to relax with a book or take a swim in the heated pool. It was the best Airbnb experience I’ve had overall.

Our first night we had dinner at Chelsea’s Kitchen, a vibrant and upbeat restaurant with a dreamy outdoor area. The service, food, drinks and atmosphere were all amazing. This was definitely not a fine dining establishment but I would categorize it in “upscale” dining for sure.

Day 1: Exploring Phoenix

We have been on a coffee kick lately, so we made it our mission this trip to check out a new coffee joint every day. Day one, we tried Fillmore Coffee- the coffee was well balanced and reminds me a lot of Mexican coffee. As a coffee novice, I could totally be making that up. On day 2 we had coffee and donuts, very nice staff, but just a basic cup of coffee. Day three, we stumbled upon what may very well be the best coffee I’ve had- maybe ever: MFG Coffee. If you are ever in Phoenix, go check them out- seriously amazing.

Hubby wanted to catch up on some writing, and I some reading so we opted for this gorgeous park with plenty of picnic areas and stunning views. We traded going to a museum for this and the perfect weather made it 100% worth it.

Later that afternoon, we stopped at Dobbin’s Lookout to check out some mountain ranges. The sun was beginning to set and we captured some sick photos.

That evening we had dinner with friends at Culinary Dropout. Ironically, we have a CD right in Austin, but never went. I suggested that when our Phoenix friends visit Austin we can check out the Austin location too. Solid spot for meeting up for drinks and playing games like shuffle board and beanbag toss.

Day 3: Hiking in Sedona!

Sedona was visually stunning. We sadly didn’t get to hike our originally planned trails due to limited parking at the trailheads. There was also relatively heavy traffic for a Wednesday so I imagine it’s a tourist location and usually busy in warmer months.

We did, however, get to hike a few trails including the gorgeous one pictured above.

The drive to and from Phoenix to Sedona was enjoyable and incredibly scenic. It is definitely possible to make a one day trip out of it, however, we are going to stay in Sedona a few nights next time to really experience it.

We closed out day 3 by having some delicious Korean food for dinner at Takamatsu Restaurant. It was the best Korean food we had since New York City!

Day 4: Let’s see the cacti one last time

We had an extra hour before headed to the airport so we hit up Vista Point South Mountain Park and stumbled upon hills and hills of cacti. It was the perfect way to cap off our Arizona trip.

Overall, this trip has quickly become one of our favorites. The food is great, people are nice, the place is stunning, and the weather is perfect this time of the year. If you haven’t been to AZ yet, I highly recommend it. There is PLENTY to do if you’re into the great outdoors.

Have you been to AZ? Leave your recommendations below for our next visit!

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Thank you so much for reading!

Love & Light,

Cindy Natalia