Today, I'm sharing ALL of the details from our anniversary staycation--and a special thanks to Hotel Valley Ho, for providing us with all of these luxurious and complimentary accommodations!
Once we finished last-minute packing (like we usually do), Adam and I took a cab down to Scottsdale and checked into Hotel Valley Ho. Right after we checked in with the friendly front desk, we dropped our bags upstairs in our suite and headed back downstairs to ZuZu's, the restaurant inside Hotel Valley Ho, for some breakfast. Adam ordered Bananas Foster and continued to make audible "mmmm" and "ooooh" sounds while he enjoyed his breakfast, and I had the best Eggs Benedict of my life.
Our breakfast was lovely! Probably my favorite things from breakfast were the retro songs playing over the restaurant radio like "Wipeout" and "The Twist", and how kind and attentive the staff was. I loved the rock wall and all of the decor, too! The rock wall reminded me of something I might see in an episode of "The Brady Bunch."
With happy tummies, we headed back up to our suite to unpack. When we got back upstairs, we dropped our iced coffees in our personal refrigerator and gave ourselves a self-tour of our home for the next few days. We were just so stunned with how incredibly chic our suite was. All weekend, if felt like we discovered new and amazing amenities that we hadn't realized were there (it took us an entire 2 days to realize that we had a washer and dryer unit in our suite, too!
Isn't this suite spectacular?!
Our bathroom area basically felt bigger than our entire apartment. It was EPIC! For the first time, Adam and I each got to have his & hers sinks--which was amazing for me, since I always feel like I have to be cautious and clean up after myself at the sink whenever I brush my hair or put my makeup on. The shower and in-bathroom appliances were very luxurious. I loved getting ready in our big bathroom at Hotel Valley Ho, and I probably spent 3x longer doing my hair and makeup than I normally do! Hah!
Once we were ready to go, we headed down to the lobby and walked down to the trolley station. I loved that the city of Scottsdale provides a free trolley! It was just a 3 minutes walk to the nearest trolley stop from the front desk at Hotel Valley Ho. Adam and I explored all around Old Town Scottsdale through the afternoon, and then headed back onto the trolley when we wanted to head home (I loved not having to take a cab!)
When we got back to our suite, we decided to take a nap so we could explore later on at night. But to our surprise when we woke up from our nap, the entire valley had a storm so we decided to stay close to the hotel. Our lunch was delicious--my burger was great! For those of you who are already following us on Instagram, you already knew that! ;-)
After more lounging and cooling off in our suite, we had a lovely dinner at ZuZu's that night! When we came back to our room we discovered that the front desk had sent us a surprise gift for our wedding anniversary!
They gave us a handwritten note, champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a goody bag!
We went to bed feeling so blessed and incredibly entertained. We spent a good chunk of our night playing Scrabble inside our hotel room (yes, Hotel Valley Ho is just THAT awesome that they have Scrabble and other board games in the room), and then afterwards we cuddled up on the couch and lit some candles. I loved that our hotel was quiet all through the night, too. We had a great night's sleep!
The next morning, we had breakfast at ZuZu's downstairs. Adam had the Eggs Benedict (he was feeling jealous that mine was so good the day before that he had to order it for himself), and I enjoyed a fried egg sandwich. When we were nearly finished with breakfast, our waiter came by with a large plate of fresh fruit--he told us that the front desk wanted to send us some fruit to help us kick off our anniversary! It was another lovely surprise, and just goes to show how thoughtful and considerate the Hotel Valley Ho staff is!
After breakfast, we spent a little bit of time enjoying the pools and hot tub! Seriously, these pools are stunning and it felt like paradise. And I loved staying in the middle of the week, because it felt like we had the pool all to ourselves! We learned that there are actually two pools so we ended up taking a dip at the back pool, too!
After spending some time at the pool, Adam and I went our separate ways for a few hours. He sadly had a few work-related things to attend to, so I treated myself to getting my hair and makeup done. When we both met up for lunch, I was all dolled up and ready for our anniversary dinner that night.
And we took some silly selfies before we got dressed up and headed downstairs!
Needless to say, our dinner downstairs at ZuZu's was utterly perfect!
After we had ordered some drinks, salad, and lettuce wraps for appetizers, the manager came over to our table to congratulate us on our anniversary and brought us a plate of Giant Shrimp Cocktail. As most of you know, Adam and I grew up in Massachusetts so we absolutely LOVE seafood! The shrimp was fresh and delicious--and really big! Once we finished off our shrimp and appetizers, our waiter brought each of us a plate of Filet Mignon. The steak was incredibly lean, but also very rich and savory. It was seriously one of the best filets I've ever had in my entire life!
We sat and laughed through our dinner, and at some point we started talking about when we first started dating; we reminisced in our awkward high school years, when we both acted like we didn't like each other but that we were just friends. We agreed that we were glad we were just really good friends in high school and nothing more--and at one point we had tears running down our faces from cracking up at our awkward memories from when we were in school together. Our waiter came to our table and gave us a huge smile--I could tell we were probably being a little loud since we were just having a blast.
Just minutes later, the manager returned to our table and greeted us! He asked us how we enjoyed our meal, and we were raving about how awesome it was. Then he asked, "how about some room for dessert?" And we both just laughed and laughed. We were so full! Not even a minute later, one of the waiters brought over a dessert plate for us; my eyes quickly informed my stomach of the news, and then I instantly felt like I had room for the incredible-looking desserts that sat before me.
And boy oh boy--that dessert was AMAZING! My favorite was their Peanut Butter Crunch Bar, and how well it paired with the banana ice cream. I think I'm going to have to try and make my very own crunch bar at home! After we finished our incredible dinner which left me feeling like I needed someone to wheel me out of there since I felt like I was in a food coma, we returned to our suite. I was surprised to see that my mom even sent us a care package to our room! After I thanked my mom for our anniversary gift, Adam and I curled up on the couch in our suite and stayed in for the rest of the night.
Adam ended up giving me a wedding anniversary gift and I was beside myself (even though we actually agreed on no gifts this year!) Last year, I lost the earrings that I wore on our wedding day. It was absolutely devastating! Well, Adam bought me the same pair of earrings for our anniversary this year!! He is so incredibly thoughtful that way ;-)
You know, I could just sit and relax in my suite all day and night and be totally happy! All of the in-room amenities made it feel so comfortable and livable. I loved having a full kitchen while we had our staycation (and the kitchen smelled like lemons and clean laundry--which was heaven to me); although Adam and I decided to splurge and go out to eat every day while we stayed at Hotel Valley Ho, I could have certainly cooked every meal in our suite if I wanted to; the full-sized fridge was perfect since Adam and I kept a gallon of water with us, as was the freezer where I could quickly cool a bottle of water. In the mornings, I was even able to use the in-room teakettle and stove to make a hot cup of tea.
The next morning was sadly our last morning for our vacation. We slept in, brewed some coffee in our suite, and then cuddled on the sofa in our pajamas and watched some television together. I loved having the option for a late check-out, so we could choose to stay in our suite and put in a little bit of work before we left.
Adam had some emails to dig through, and I knew I wanted to start uploading my pictures from our vacation and start writing this blog post. I also had a chance to sit out on our patio and enjoy the view! It was gorgeous! Once it was after lunch time, we headed downstairs and had a smooth check out.
Everything was fantastic--and we had a great anniversary staycation! The hotel was beautiful and fun enough that we didn't have to even leave the hotel to have a great vacation. Our room was luxurious--but more importantly, it was also comfortable and very functional.
When we were finally settled back at home, we went through our pictures and couldn't believe how perfect our vacation felt. That night, we made dinner at home and had an unplugged date night ('unplugged' refers to not using any technology).
I baked us some cupcakes, and we lit up some of our leftover sparklers from the 4th of July. Adam wanted to make an exception to our unplugged night--so he could take this picture, and we could save it to help remember how wonderful our anniversary vacation was this year!
Do you have any plans to visit Scottsdale in the near future?
Once we finished last-minute packing (like we usually do), Adam and I took a cab down to Scottsdale and checked into Hotel Valley Ho. Right after we checked in with the friendly front desk, we dropped our bags upstairs in our suite and headed back downstairs to ZuZu's, the restaurant inside Hotel Valley Ho, for some breakfast. Adam ordered Bananas Foster and continued to make audible "mmmm" and "ooooh" sounds while he enjoyed his breakfast, and I had the best Eggs Benedict of my life.
Our breakfast was lovely! Probably my favorite things from breakfast were the retro songs playing over the restaurant radio like "Wipeout" and "The Twist", and how kind and attentive the staff was. I loved the rock wall and all of the decor, too! The rock wall reminded me of something I might see in an episode of "The Brady Bunch."
With happy tummies, we headed back up to our suite to unpack. When we got back upstairs, we dropped our iced coffees in our personal refrigerator and gave ourselves a self-tour of our home for the next few days. We were just so stunned with how incredibly chic our suite was. All weekend, if felt like we discovered new and amazing amenities that we hadn't realized were there (it took us an entire 2 days to realize that we had a washer and dryer unit in our suite, too!
Isn't this suite spectacular?!
Our bathroom area basically felt bigger than our entire apartment. It was EPIC! For the first time, Adam and I each got to have his & hers sinks--which was amazing for me, since I always feel like I have to be cautious and clean up after myself at the sink whenever I brush my hair or put my makeup on. The shower and in-bathroom appliances were very luxurious. I loved getting ready in our big bathroom at Hotel Valley Ho, and I probably spent 3x longer doing my hair and makeup than I normally do! Hah!
Once we were ready to go, we headed down to the lobby and walked down to the trolley station. I loved that the city of Scottsdale provides a free trolley! It was just a 3 minutes walk to the nearest trolley stop from the front desk at Hotel Valley Ho. Adam and I explored all around Old Town Scottsdale through the afternoon, and then headed back onto the trolley when we wanted to head home (I loved not having to take a cab!)
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After more lounging and cooling off in our suite, we had a lovely dinner at ZuZu's that night! When we came back to our room we discovered that the front desk had sent us a surprise gift for our wedding anniversary!
We went to bed feeling so blessed and incredibly entertained. We spent a good chunk of our night playing Scrabble inside our hotel room (yes, Hotel Valley Ho is just THAT awesome that they have Scrabble and other board games in the room), and then afterwards we cuddled up on the couch and lit some candles. I loved that our hotel was quiet all through the night, too. We had a great night's sleep!
The next morning, we had breakfast at ZuZu's downstairs. Adam had the Eggs Benedict (he was feeling jealous that mine was so good the day before that he had to order it for himself), and I enjoyed a fried egg sandwich. When we were nearly finished with breakfast, our waiter came by with a large plate of fresh fruit--he told us that the front desk wanted to send us some fruit to help us kick off our anniversary! It was another lovely surprise, and just goes to show how thoughtful and considerate the Hotel Valley Ho staff is!
After spending some time at the pool, Adam and I went our separate ways for a few hours. He sadly had a few work-related things to attend to, so I treated myself to getting my hair and makeup done. When we both met up for lunch, I was all dolled up and ready for our anniversary dinner that night.
And we took some silly selfies before we got dressed up and headed downstairs!
Needless to say, our dinner downstairs at ZuZu's was utterly perfect!
After we had ordered some drinks, salad, and lettuce wraps for appetizers, the manager came over to our table to congratulate us on our anniversary and brought us a plate of Giant Shrimp Cocktail. As most of you know, Adam and I grew up in Massachusetts so we absolutely LOVE seafood! The shrimp was fresh and delicious--and really big! Once we finished off our shrimp and appetizers, our waiter brought each of us a plate of Filet Mignon. The steak was incredibly lean, but also very rich and savory. It was seriously one of the best filets I've ever had in my entire life!
We sat and laughed through our dinner, and at some point we started talking about when we first started dating; we reminisced in our awkward high school years, when we both acted like we didn't like each other but that we were just friends. We agreed that we were glad we were just really good friends in high school and nothing more--and at one point we had tears running down our faces from cracking up at our awkward memories from when we were in school together. Our waiter came to our table and gave us a huge smile--I could tell we were probably being a little loud since we were just having a blast.
Adam ended up giving me a wedding anniversary gift and I was beside myself (even though we actually agreed on no gifts this year!) Last year, I lost the earrings that I wore on our wedding day. It was absolutely devastating! Well, Adam bought me the same pair of earrings for our anniversary this year!! He is so incredibly thoughtful that way ;-)
You know, I could just sit and relax in my suite all day and night and be totally happy! All of the in-room amenities made it feel so comfortable and livable. I loved having a full kitchen while we had our staycation (and the kitchen smelled like lemons and clean laundry--which was heaven to me); although Adam and I decided to splurge and go out to eat every day while we stayed at Hotel Valley Ho, I could have certainly cooked every meal in our suite if I wanted to; the full-sized fridge was perfect since Adam and I kept a gallon of water with us, as was the freezer where I could quickly cool a bottle of water. In the mornings, I was even able to use the in-room teakettle and stove to make a hot cup of tea.
The next morning was sadly our last morning for our vacation. We slept in, brewed some coffee in our suite, and then cuddled on the sofa in our pajamas and watched some television together. I loved having the option for a late check-out, so we could choose to stay in our suite and put in a little bit of work before we left.
Adam had some emails to dig through, and I knew I wanted to start uploading my pictures from our vacation and start writing this blog post. I also had a chance to sit out on our patio and enjoy the view! It was gorgeous! Once it was after lunch time, we headed downstairs and had a smooth check out.
Everything was fantastic--and we had a great anniversary staycation! The hotel was beautiful and fun enough that we didn't have to even leave the hotel to have a great vacation. Our room was luxurious--but more importantly, it was also comfortable and very functional.
When we were finally settled back at home, we went through our pictures and couldn't believe how perfect our vacation felt. That night, we made dinner at home and had an unplugged date night ('unplugged' refers to not using any technology).
I baked us some cupcakes, and we lit up some of our leftover sparklers from the 4th of July. Adam wanted to make an exception to our unplugged night--so he could take this picture, and we could save it to help remember how wonderful our anniversary vacation was this year!
Do you have any plans to visit Scottsdale in the near future?
Thank you again to Hotel Valley Ho (and their hotel restaurant, ZuZu's) for having us! It was one of our best vacations to-date, and we're very grateful that we had the opportunity to enjoy these accommodations in exchange for writing this unbiased, and completely honest blog post.
That sounds like such a great anniversary trip!! We usually try to get away at least for one night every year for our anniversary too, but this year it just didn't happen. :(
ReplyDeleteThat hotel looks so amazing! And all of the food looks delicious... drooling on my keyboard over here!
Thank you! It was such a blast at Hotel Valley Ho! I am sorry to see that you weren't able to make your night away happen in time for your anniversary this year! That can be a bummer for sure. But maybe it's not too late--some hotels have some great deals this time of year, or maybe you can see if you can plan a spontaneous night away! And sorry about the drool ;-)
DeleteThat hotel looks so nice and relaxing. I am dying to get away on a vacation. My husband and I are planning on going to San Fransisco for our anniversary next month and it can't come soon enough!
ReplyDeleteOh how fun! I hope you and your hubby enjoy San Fransisco! And happy early anniversary!
DeleteWhat a fabulous looking vacay! That hotel seems wonderful and those earrings...wow! Happy Anniversary!!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! :-) It was a wonderful vacation.
DeleteI'm so happy you guys had such an awesome anniversary getaway! That was a very sweet surprise from Adam. Well played, sir. I love the retro vibe of Hotel Valley Ho. Jacob and I will definitely need to make this the location of our next staycation. The hotel seemed amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Irene! Yeah, Adam made me cry happy tears. He totally and completely caught me off guard with that, too. I hope you and Jacob decide to go there! It is seriously so amazing!!
DeleteHappy anniversary! Sounds like you had a beautiful time and what a magical hotel! xo Rianna
ReplyDeleteAww thank you, Rianna! It was definitely beautiful AND magical!
DeleteWhat a lovely getaway Cathy! Glad you enjoyed your anniversary celebration!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lori! :-)
DeleteOMG this looks like a dream getaway!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt really felt like a dream getaway, too!
DeleteWhat a great anniversary gift. I have been to that hotel too. I thought that it is pretty cool retro look and I LOVED The food. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! So you know just how amazing it is at Hotel Valley Ho since you've been there, and yes the food is to-die for! Thank you so much!
DeleteSO happy to hear that you had a great getaway. That sounds like a lovely hotel.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes the hotel is very lovely!
DeleteWOW!!! This place looks AMAZING! I would love to stay here. I especially like how the decor has a retro vibe to it. Super cool! And anyone who gives me chocolate-covered strawberries is OK in my book.
ReplyDeleteKristin it is seriously amazing!! I hope you have a chance to stay at Hotel Valley Ho some day, so you can enjoy their retro vibes and yummy chocolate-covered strawberries! :-)
DeleteWhat a wonderfully luxurious place to spend your anniversary. The rooms are so large and comfortable.
ReplyDeleteYeah the rooms were SO big, but definitely still very comfortable and inviting!
DeleteAw, you two are beyond adorable! Happy 4 year anniversary, too :) It really sounds like you guys got the royal treatment at this absolutely gorgeous hotel! I love how the hotel itself looks so retro and yet it's so posh and inviting; I'd love to stay there if I ever get the chance!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kayla!! :-) And we definitely did get the royal treatment and it was fabulous! You should totally check them out if you're ever looking for a reason to visit Scottsdale, AZ!
DeleteThe hotel is stunning! Love all of your pictures, you make me really want to visit Scottsdale!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Scottsdale is so much fun--I hope you do visit some time soon!
DeleteHappy 4th wedding anniversary so glad that you had a wonderful time.What cupcakes did you make? xx http://www.fadedspring.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteThank you! I made vanilla cupcakes with french vanilla frosting!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous hotel! I love the modern looking designs. I am also drooling over that food! I need to visit asap!
ReplyDeleteRight?! I totally agree.
DeleteWhat a beautiful hotel! So modern! Happy 4th anniversary - glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! It was such a blast.
DeleteScottsdale looks like a great place to go to. The hotel looks amazing. Those earrings are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHotel Valley Ho is totally amazing! And thank you--I love my earrings so much :-)
DeleteHappy Anniversary!! What a great getaway and nice gifts!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteThis hotel is simply stunning! I hope you guys had a great anniversary.
ReplyDeleteWe absolutely did! And Hotel Valley Ho is stunning for sure!
DeleteHow nice! Happy anniversary to you and your hubby!
ReplyDeleteI love Scottsdale. I'm an AZ native :) And Scrabble totally sounds like my kind of party too.
(The anniversary gift was so sweet and thoughtful.)
-Shelly
www.shellyscabaret.com
Awww that's awesome! Yay AZ natives! :-) Thank you!
DeleteNow this sounds like a fabulous place to celebrate an anniversary. I love everything about it... it is clean, organized, and super-nice looking. And those strawberries? How awesome
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I completely agree. Hotel Valley Ho was clean, organized, and definitely super-nice looking for sure! And the strawberries were da bomb! ;-)
DeleteHappy anniversary!! What a relaxing hotel to get to visit and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer!
DeleteWhat a fun suite and get away! I have never had the chance to visit Arizona, but it looks beautiful. Glad you were ale to enjoy your anniversary there!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to come and visit AZ soon!
DeleteWe just moved from AZ and I am so sad I never had a chance to stay here! It was totally on my list of thing to do before we moved! Gorgeous hotel!
ReplyDeleteAww I hear you!! Well if you come back to AZ to visit you should definitely stay at Hotel Valley Ho!
DeleteThat hotel looks beautiful! Happy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteIt totally was! And thanks Janell!
DeleteWow, that suite AND the restaurant are just stunning! I didn't have plans to visit Scottsdale, but I might now! :D
ReplyDeleteYou for sure should!! :D
DeleteWow, what a gorgeous place. I love AZ. I used to live there and miss it!
ReplyDeleteAww I bet! AZ is such an awesome place to live, and equally an awesome place to visit! Hope you come back to Scottsdale real soon!
DeleteI have GOT to get there. There is so much to love and that suite is just incredible! I love everything about the place. GREAT way to spend your anniversary!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah!!! It was such a blast and a great way to spend our anniversary. So glad we took a staycation at Hotel Valley Ho!
DeleteWow, talk about a gorgeous place to celebrate. I would love to stay at a place like this, how lovely. It looks so relaxing and cozy too! - Jeanine
ReplyDeleteIt was seriously so gorgeous there!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous suite! Board games in a hotel room is the best idea! Happy anniversary <3
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing--it seems genius to have board games in the hotel!
DeleteCongrats and that is a gorgeous hotel!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jamie!
DeleteAwesome! Looks like a fun time!
ReplyDeleteIt sure was!
DeleteThis sounds like an amazing anniversary! I would love to be able to do this with my hubby and just enjoy each other! Looks like you two had an awesome time.
ReplyDeleteAww I hope you and your hubby get to have a getaway like this some time soon! And thank you!
DeleteHappy Anniversary!! And man oh man.. what a great romantic getaway for you two!! I think the Mister and I need a little escape just like this one. Of course, with 3 girls, we may never want to go home!!
ReplyDeleteIt was very romantic and we definitely enjoyed the time away! I hope you and the mister can try to swing some time away for an escape real soon :-)
DeleteHotel Valley Ho looks amazing! If I ever get to Scottsdale I am checking it out. I love the decor and all of that food looks so yummy! Happy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteThanks Stacey! And yes Hotel Valley Ho is amazing--their customer service and their accommodations are just perfect!
DeleteWhat a fantastic mini-vacation you two had. Those rooms look fantastic. Modern and elegant.
ReplyDeleteIt really was SO fantastic! We had such a blast, and yes the rooms were very awesome!
Delete