Scottsdale

Scottsdale is in the Sonoran Desert, a long drive from any sea, so there is no beach life here. Water time means the hotel pool, and pools are a large part of a stay. Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake in the Tonto National Forest are about 40 minutes to an hour away, with small sandy coves and boat hire. In summer people float down the lower Salt River on inner tubes. These are pleasant outings, but a visitor who wants to swim in the sea should go somewhere else.

Eating out in Scottsdale is comfortable and well done, though it seldom feels distinctive. Old Town and the resort corridors are full of steakhouses, patio grills, sushi and modern American kitchens built for golfers and groups, with smart brunches and long happy hours. The most local food is Sonoran-style Mexican: carne asada, flour tortillas the size of a plate, chimichangas and green chile, best found in family places across the wider Phoenix area. There are farmers' markets, local wineries and plenty of good coffee. Still, the scene is broad but shallow, and many of the best and most characterful tables are in Phoenix, a short drive away.

The city's best sight is Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio in the desert foothills. It is part of a UNESCO listing of his work, and the guided tours are well worth taking. Old Town keeps a few blocks of western-era storefronts and the old Little Red Schoolhouse. Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West covers frontier art and history, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is small but has a good eye. Many galleries sell southwestern and Native American art. Beyond that the city is low-rise and modern.

For Indigenous heritage, visitors drive into Phoenix to the Heard Museum, which has deep collections of Native American art and culture. Just over the city line, the Musical Instrument Museum holds a large collection of instruments from around the world and is well worth half a day.

Going out in Scottsdale happens almost entirely in Old Town's entertainment district. A few blocks of patio bars, sports bars, dance clubs and rooftop lounges fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, and also in spring when baseball training and bachelor and bachelorette groups arrive. The mood is glossy and party-minded, with dress codes, bottle service and a lot of noise until the bars close at 2am. Calmer cocktail bars and wine rooms sit around the edges. Outside that pocket and the busy season, evenings are quiet and resort-based. Anyone looking for an underground or alternative scene will find more in Phoenix and Tempe.

Scottsdale sits right at the edge of the desert, and that is its great outdoor asset. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve covers a huge stretch of protected land on the city's north side, with well-marked trails among saguaro cactus, granite boulders and wide views. Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak are short, steep climbs. Further east, the Tonto National Forest and the Superstition Mountains have longer hikes, horse riding, kayaking on desert lakes and the wild horses along the Salt River. Hot-air balloon flights, jeep tours and dozens of golf courses complete the picture.

Timing matters. From late autumn to spring the weather is ideal. From June to September daytime heat often goes above 40°C, so hiking has to happen at dawn or not at all.

The best day out is north on the interstate. Sedona, with its red-rock setting and galleries, is about two hours away. Old Verde Valley sites lie on the same route: Montezuma Castle, a cliff dwelling built into a limestone wall, and the hillside mining town of Jerome. Prescott has a historic courthouse square and saloon row. To the south, Tucson and the San Xavier mission are a similar distance. Closer in, the old Apache Trail stops and the Goldfield ghost town make an easy half-day, and Phoenix and Tempe are next door. The Grand Canyon is a long drive and is best done with an overnight stay.

Families mostly come for the resorts, many of which have lazy rivers, water slides and kids' clubs, and a stay can revolve around the pool. In town, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park has miniature train rides, a carousel and big playgrounds. The OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland share a complex just east of the city, and the Phoenix Zoo is a short drive away. In March, spring training baseball games are relaxed and easy with children. The city is safe, clean and set up for cars and strollers. The difficulties are distance, since everything means a drive, and the summer heat, which keeps children indoors or in the water from midday onwards.

Scottsdale is laid out for cars. Resorts, trailheads, golf courses and shopping are strung along wide arterial roads across a long, narrow city, and the regional light rail does not reach it. Old Town is compact enough to walk, at least outside the summer heat, and a free local trolley links it with the main shopping areas. For almost everything else, including the airport, the desert preserve and Phoenix, visitors hire a car or use ride-hailing. Driving is easy, with a simple grid, plenty of parking and light traffic by big-city standards.

Shopping is one of Scottsdale's real draws. A large luxury mall on Scottsdale Road holds the big fashion houses and full-line department stores. Open-air outdoor centres further north add more mid-range and upmarket brands. In Old Town, the gallery district along Main Street and Marshall Way sells southwestern painting, sculpture and glass. Nearby shops deal in Navajo and Hopi silver and turquoise, Pueblo pottery, cowboy boots and western hats. The quality at the better dealers is high. There is little in the way of independent fashion or street-market browsing, and the overall feel is polished and suburban rather than local.

Scottsdale is an upmarket resort city, and its prices show it. In the winter and spring high season, resort rooms, golf, spa treatments and dinners in Old Town all cost a lot, and a rental car with resort parking adds more. The main relief comes from the calendar. In the hot summer months, the same resorts drop their rates sharply. Business hotels and motels along the main corridors, plus Mexican food and casual dining across the metro area, also keep a careful budget manageable. Hiking in the desert preserve costs nothing.

Scottsdale's own stage is its performing arts centre in Old Town, which programmes chamber music, jazz, comedy, dance and touring acts. The theatre at the Musical Instrument Museum, on the Phoenix side of the line, hosts a strong run of world music and acoustic concerts. Phoenix, about half an hour away, has the symphony, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona, and Tempe's Gammage auditorium takes touring Broadway shows. A visitor can fill a few evenings with something good, especially in the winter season. Beyond the cover bands on resort patios, though, there is little local live music with a character of its own.

Rest and pampering are a central reason people come to Scottsdale. The city has a remarkable concentration of large resort spas, many with desert-inspired treatments, outdoor pools, steam rooms and long menus of massages and body therapies. Several are open to day guests. The setting does a lot of the work: dry air, mountain views, palm-lined pools and a pace built around golf, long lunches and early nights. Yoga, meditation and wellness retreats are easy to find. What it lacks is a bathing tradition of its own, so there are no historic baths or public bathhouses, only polished, private and fairly expensive comfort.