Camelback Mountain
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
Casitas up the slope with afternoon mountain shade
Explore Hotel
A little local perspective
Worth knowing.
Worth going.
- Destination
- Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- The selection
- 10 hotels
- Your kind of trip
- golf · spa · families · winter sun
$$ to $$$$ — roughly $250-1,200 a night, falling to a third in midsummer
Phoenix and Scottsdale run above 40 degrees for much of June, July and August, and regularly above 45. That is not a heatwave, it is the summer. The desert cools at night in the shoulder seasons and in midsummer it frequently does not drop below 30 until the small hours.
The resorts here were built for it, and the good ones are built for it in a specific architectural way: low buildings oriented to cast shade, deep overhangs and ramadas, courtyards that trap cool air, misting systems on the terraces, and pools that are chilled rather than heated from May onward.
That last detail is the one to check. A chilled pool in Arizona in July is the difference between swimming and sitting in a warm bath.
The season is the whole decision
November to April is why people come: 20 to 28 degrees, dry, sunny, and among the most pleasant winter weather in the United States. It is also peak, and rates in February and March during the golf and baseball season are at their highest.
May and October are the shoulders: hot but manageable, and considerably cheaper.
June to September is extreme, and it is also when the best resorts in America drop to a third of their winter rates. If you will structure the day around an early morning, an indoor afternoon and an evening outside, it is remarkable value. If you plan to hike at noon, it is dangerous.
The ten below are grouped by setting.
Against the mountains
Built into the desert rock, with the best architecture and the most shade.
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain occupies a site on Camelback Mountain with casitas stepping up the slope, a spa, and an adults-focused calm that makes it the most restful property in Arizona. The mountain shades it in the afternoon.
JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa sits at the base of Camelback in a 1936 adobe property, the oldest resort in Scottsdale, with hand-laid brick casitas, two golf courses and a spa. It is the most historically interesting resort here.
Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale occupies a mid-century property below Camelback, rebuilt, with a low-slung modernist layout, three pools and the best design in the area.
The Boulders Resort & Spa sits among the granite boulders of Carefree, half an hour north, with adobe casitas among rock formations that are hundreds of millions of years old. It is the most dramatic setting in the region.
The golf resorts
Large properties built around courses, with the fullest facilities.
The Phoenician occupies 250 acres on the slope of Camelback with nine pools, a 27-hole golf course and the most complete facilities in Scottsdale. It is the answer for a family.
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North sits in north Scottsdale with two Tom Weiskopf courses, a large spa and a level of service that is the best in the state.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess occupies a large site with several pools, a water slide and the tournament golf course, and it is the biggest resort on this list.
Central Scottsdale
Closer to Old Town, the galleries and the restaurants, with less desert around you.
Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows sits in a low-rise property near Old Town with a courtyard, bungalows and a strong art programme. It is the most walkable of the resorts.
Hotel Valley Ho occupies a restored 1956 modernist landmark with a rooftop bar, a good pool and rates below the desert resorts. It is the best value here.
The Scott Resort & Spa sits near Old Town with two pools, palm-lined grounds and a relaxed tone at a mid-range rate.
What we have left off
The Phoenix airport-corridor hotels are excluded. They are cheap, convenient for a flight and built as ordinary boxes with an ordinary pool, which in a place where the architecture is the defence against the climate is the wrong trade entirely.
What to do, and when
Hike at dawn. Camelback and Piestewa Peak are steep, exposed and unshaded, and the city closes some trails on extreme heat days for good reason. Carry more water than you think and turn back early.
Go to the Desert Botanical Garden, ideally in the last two hours of daylight, and to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio, which is the single best thing to do in the area.
Old Town Scottsdale has the galleries and the restaurants. The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is much better than it sounds.
Drive north to Sedona for the red rock, about two hours, or take a day at the Grand Canyon's south rim, which is three and a half.
Play golf early. Tee times before eight are the civilised ones from April onward.
Practical notes
Sky Harbor airport is 20 minutes from central Scottsdale and one of the easiest major airports in America.
Heat safety is a real topic here rather than a formality: hydrate constantly, avoid midday exertion in summer and take shade seriously.
A car is essential; the area is spread out and there is no useful transit.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Scottsdale Hotels
Prices shown are sample rates from upcoming dates — not quotes for specific dates. Open a hotel and choose your own dates and guests to see the exact price.
Questions people actually ask
Is summer really impossible?
For midday activity, yes. For an early-morning, evening-outdoors trip at a third of the price with a chilled pool, it works.
Does the pool being chilled matter?
In July, entirely. An unchilled pool in Arizona in summer is not refreshing.
Scottsdale or Phoenix?
Scottsdale for resorts, golf and the desert setting. Phoenix for the museums and the airport.
How many nights?
Five, or four with a Sedona overnight.
