Summer is coming to an end. Kids are back in school. It’s time for an adult break. What better way to regroup than with a girlfriend’s getaway? Chill by the pool, relax in a spa, go shopping, sip a cocktail, savor great food. There’s no better place for a girlfriend’s getaway than Phoenix, Arizona. We have partnered with Arizona-based Susan Lanier-Graham, who wanders around the world for her blog Wander With Wonder but loves to hang with her girlfriends in Phoenix, to get some ideas on what you can do to relax with your gal pals this fall.
I travel the world looking for great experiences, but there’s something about coming home to Arizona at the end of every trip that gives me a thrill. I’m fortunate to call the Valley of the Sun home and I love relaxing at some of our local treasures with my best girlfriends. After the long summer, you know you deserve a break. Book a girlfriend’s getaway in Phoenix and relax before the holiday season gets into full swing. Here are some of my favorite spots for you to check out on your visit to Phoenix.
Shopping the Camelback Corridor
The Camelback Corridor is one of the most popular shopping districts in Phoenix. Running along Camelback Road from the residential area of Arcadia through the upscale financial district of The Biltmore, and extending to Central Avenue, the area is known for its upscale shopping and dining.
Biltmore Fashion Park. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
The heart of the Camelback Corridor is Biltmore Fashion Square at Camelback and 24th Street. This mid-century shopping plaza is the premiere shopping destination for Arizona. You will find many of the top national luxury brands, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Ann Taylor, Tumi, and BCBG Maxazria. But you can also find some upscale shops unique to Phoenix. Be sure to stop by Citrine Natural Beauty Bar, where owner Melissa Lenberg offers not only the biggest names in all-natural beauty products, but also practical tips and advice on how to use products you didn’t even know you needed.
There are two great hotels you can stay in during a visit to the area. Both provide visitors with unique-to-Arizona experiences. For a classic stay, check out Arizona Biltmore. Built in the late 1920s in collaboration with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Arizona Biltmore has long been a favored playground for Hollywood A-Listers, world dignitaries, presidents and royals for decades. The resort has been newly revamped, but the history is still alive and well.
Enjoy drinks by the firepit at Arizona Biltmore. Photo courtesy Arizona Biltmore
If you and your girlfriends stay at Arizona Biltmore, be sure to grab a seat by the firepits, order up drinks, and watch the setting sun cast shadows on Piestawa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak). Arizona Biltmore is just north of Biltmore Fashion Park and surrounded by beautiful golf courses and the rugged mountain peaks. You’ll feel the seclusion of this desert oasis, but will be only five minutes from shops and restaurants.
If you’re looking for something playful and modern, check out the newly opened The Camby across Camelback Road from Biltmore Fashion Park. I love the eclectic feel of The Camby, where crystal chandeliers and neon lights just make sense.
Eclectic Design Awaits at The Camby. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
The boutique hotel offers both regular rooms or — ideal for a girlfriend’s getaway — larger suites where you can laugh and talk well into the night. There’s even a passage under Camelback to reach shopping across the street. After a day of shopping, you can relax back at The Camby in the small urban Zest Spa on the hotel’s second floor, float in the rooftop pool, and share a selection of small bites at Artizen. Before turning in, be sure to order up a nightcap at The Bees Knees, where you can sip on classic drinks with a twist, from a Pisco Sour, Negroni, or Vieux Carre to the Mark Twain (Scotch and lemon), Sazerac or Dark Knight with Rittenhouse Rye and Chocolate Bitters.
Relax on a Spa Retreat
If your idea of a perfect girlfriend’s getaway is more about relaxing than shopping, head to Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia for a retreat at Joya Spa.
Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. Photo courtesy Omni Hotels
Hands down, this is one of the best spas anywhere. The Omni Montelucia is located in beautiful Paradise Valley, between Phoenix and Scottsdale. The views of Camelback Mountain, particularly at sunset, are spectacular. But the spa, for me, is the real gem on this property.
Joya Spa Grand Palace Suite. Photo courtesy Omni Hotels
Joya Spa is relaxing and inviting. It has a Moroccan feel and probably the most comfortable relaxation room of any spa I’ve visited. The ideal way to enjoy a spa visit for you and your girlfriends is to book the Grand Palace Suite or one of the private suites. These spacious suites include treatment tables, private entrances to the Joya Terrace, and bathrooms. The Grand Palace Suite has a king-sized bed, infinity bath, and rooftop access. The Joya Suites have outdoor showers and baths. The terrace suites have doors that open to the terrace and pool.
Joya Terrace Pool at Omni Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Montelucia. Photo courtesy Omni Hotels
I love Joya’s Terrace Pool. It is secluded, reserved only for spa guests. You can lounge poolside, order drinks or a glass of bubbly, and nosh on a flatbread or salad after your treatment. And those views are simply breathtaking. Sunset from Joya Pool Terrace is nothing short of heart stopping.
After a day of indulging in the spa, you’ll be ready for drinks and dinner at Prado, the resort’s signature restaurant. You can enjoy the ambiance of the wood-fired tapas display kitchen or find a table outside on the patio with views of the resort pool and Camelback Mountain.
Explore North Phoenix
When I first moved to Arizona almost 25 years ago, the area now known as Desert Ridge didn’t even exist. It was all wide open desert. Today, it is a vibrant part of the city, about 20 miles north of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. There is shopping and nightlife in the area and vibrant desert sunsets that will make every visit special.
If you want to check out North Phoenix, I suggest staying at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. The luxury resort has everything you and the girls will need for some time to yourselves. There’s world-class golf, pools, spa, and great food. Book a room that also gives you Griffin Club access. The Griffin Club lounge serves a hot breakfast, midday snack/light lunch, evening appetizers and dessert. You can also get complimentary cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, and an assortment of sweet treats. Rooms with Griffin Club access also include access to the adult-only pool at Revive Spa along with all the spa amenities.
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Photo courtesy Marriott Hotels
Revive Spa is a great spot for you and your girlfriends to spend a day. The spa offers a relaxing lounge, whirlpool, sauna and beautiful adult-only pool with private cabanas where you can whirl away your time.
Revive Spa at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Photo courtesy Marriott Hotels
To really relax after the long summer and get you ready for the hectic months ahead, I recommend booking the Sami Zen Energy Ritual. This is a 90-minute treatment that blends Japanese Zen customs with relaxation rituals from Sweden’s native people, the Samers. After a scrub, you have time alone to soak in a warm herbal bath. The tub has air jets that carefully caress your body as you relax. After the bath, the therapist applies a birch-bud extract on your skin and then gives you a face treatment. If you aren’t already zoned out in la-la land, you’ll be there for sure with the stone massage that concludes the treatment.
After a day of relaxing at the spa, you can start the evening with a cocktail or glass of wine at Twenty6. Aptly named because this gorgeous resort is the 26th JW Marriott around the world, Twenty6 features delicious handcrafted cocktails. I enjoy the signature Twenty6 Pinot Noir created exclusively for the resort by Paul Hobbs of CrossBarn Winery. It’s perfect to take a glass of wine, sit on the open patio by the fire pit and nibble on the meats and treats from a charcuterie platter.
Twenty6. Photo courtesy Marriott Hotels
If you still want to get out and about, head to nearby High Street, a modern new neighborhood just minutes from the resort. On High Street, you’ll find great restaurants, boutiques, fun experiences, and salons. For a not-to-miss activity that is custom designed for your girlfriend’s getaway, you simply must check out Pinspiration. You know all those fun projects you see on Pinterest? The ones you never do because you have to buy the items and assemble them and clean up the mess at home? At Pinspiration, you can try your hand at a fun Pinterest craft with a little guidance and a whole lot of fun. Grab a glass of wine or bubbly — there are bottomless mimosas on Saturdays and Sundays — and choose a project you and the girls can create together. This is a part of your getaway that you’ll remember long after you head back home.
Pinspiration has bottomless mimosas every weekend. Photo courtesy Pinspiration
Other fun places to check out on High Street include La Bocca Wine Bar & Urban Kitchen, Primp and Blow “A Blow Dry Bar”, and Fuschsia Spa.
Explore Downtown Phoenix
Another great spot to hang with your gal pals is in downtown Phoenix. If you make your home-away-from-home at Kimpton Hotel Palomar, you’ll find yourselves in the middle of all the activity. I love the vibe at Hotel Palomar. It screams funky, eclectic Arizona. The fuzzy pillows on the sofa in each room always make me smile.
Room at Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
The hotel features a rooftop bar, LUSTRE, that is great for enjoying the Arizona sunshine during the day, watching the sunset across the city, or listening to DJs spinning tunes at night.
LUSTRE Rooftop bar. Photo courtesy Kimpton Hotels
You’ll also discover that the hotel is in the heart of downtown Phoenix. I would recommend lunch at Squid Ink Sushi next door. You’ll want to grab dinner at Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails and be sure to opt for the deviled eggs as a starter.
Dine at Blue Hound and Squid Ink during your stay. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
During your stay, head across the street to Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour.
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour. Photo courtesy Bitter & Twisted
This world-class cocktail lounge is in the historic Luhrs Building, which once housed the Arizona Prohibition Headquarters. The atmosphere is relaxed, the drinks are great and the food is fun and delicious. Be sure to order the bar’s take on roasted marshmallows for a sweet snack.
If you’re visiting downtown Phoenix on the first Friday of the month, you’re in for a real treat. The Artlink First Fridays Art Walk takes place throughout downtown. You can hop on the First Fridays Trolley Tour to visit studios, galleries and museums. It gives you a chance to see the work of local and national artists. Spend the evening chatting with the artists, listening to music, and grabbing a bite at one of the local eateries or food trucks.
Hotel Palomar is also right on the Phoenix Metro Light Rail. An all-day pass is just $4.00 and there are some great nightspots north of the hotel up Central Avenue or you can take the train into Tempe, home of Arizona State University, where you can uncover an abundance of great shops and restaurants along Mill Avenue. Check out some of the favorites online at PHX Rail Food.
Phoenix is a great spot for that getaway with the girls and there’s no better time to visit than in the shoulder season before the holidays hit — September, October, and November — when there are plenty of great deals around the Valley. Even after more than two decades here, I can still head out for a weekend with my best friends and find something fun and new happening in Phoenix. If you have other suggestions for those not-to-miss experiences in the Valley of the Sun, be sure to comment below.
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