A few weekends ago my sisters, mom, and I went to Phoenix for my sister’s birthday. It was just for a quick weekend getaway, and it was only booked a few weeks in advance, but thanks to points and miles, we were able to make it happen.
Normally, June-August is prime travel time, but not for Arizona. It’s actually their down season because it gets so hot during the Summer. While we were there, it was over 100 degrees everyday. I don’t mind the heat though. I like the dry heat. It’s different than Florida, where you have all the humidity. As long as I have a pool to dip in and out of, then Arizona heat is fine by me…especially if I can get a good deal out of it!
So let’s dive into how we got there, where we stayed, and what we did!
How We Got There
My mom, sisters, and I all used points to fly Southwest Airlines. I was coming from Colorado and they were coming from Portland, Oregon.
We all have Chase credit cards and transferred points directly from Chase to Southwest and then booked our flights through Southwest.
My flight was 23,000 points, which for a last minute flight is pretty good. This is not the best deal I’ve ever gotten, but in the end, I’d rather use points instead of paying out of pocket in this season of life. I think the lowest deal I ever booked was for 12,000 points (roundtrip) and that was from Colorado Springs to Portland, OR. That was also booked while Southwest was running a sale so there’s multiple factors at play when you book a ticket.
When I arrived in Phoenix, as I was walking out of the terminal, I saw that they have a Chase Sapphire lounge. Now, I don’t have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which is required to get in, (I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred) but I think I can use my Priority Pass card to get in at least once a year.
On my way home, I tried to get in, and they put me on the waiting list, thanks to my Priority Pass card, but the wait was too long and I ended up having to catch my flight. Maybe next time I’m in Phoenix I’ll try again. Phoenix also has a Priority Pass lounge, but it’s in a different terminal and I’d have to leave security so I decided to stay put.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at a Hyatt property for 9,000 points a night, and we stayed two nights. They have lots of options in the area. We opted to stay at Tempe Mission Palms which is in downtown Tempe and right by ASU. Thankfully, it was summer and school was out, so it wasn’t crowded and the area seemed pretty quiet. There’s lots of restaurants within walking distance.
This is a Destination brand by Hyatt. Hyatt has over twenty different brands in their portfolio. The Destination brand is considered one of their classic brands. Has a touch of the local flair that surrounds the hotel while still feeling like a traditional Hyatt.
Overall, I liked the hotel. It had a nice courtyard in the center of the hotel and I was upgraded upon check in to a courtyard facing room, otherwise you’d face the street. It had a pool, which is a must in Arizona. The pool is right under the flight path to Phoenix Airport so it was kind of fun to see all the planes coming in. The pool had free towels to use, a filtered water station, cabanas, and part of the day you can order drinks and food. By the pool is a nice, big patio area with tables and chairs if you just want to hang out. The workout center is right by the pool area too.
The hotel rooms were a bit outdated. The bathroom was definitely too small for 4 adults to be sharing, but we made it work. One thing to note, the hotel only offers extra long double beds and single, king size bed rooms. No queen beds. Thankfully, my sisters and I are close so it was fine to share a double bed, but I probably wouldn’t stay here again if I was going to share a bed.
I appreciated that they offer free parking. You can do valet parking for free as well. The parking is around the hotel at metered city spots, but the hotel will give you a paper to put on your dash so that you’re not charged.
I appreciated that the hotel was fairly close to anywhere we wanted to go. Scottsdale was only a 20 minute drive, and the Phoenix airport was only 10 minutes away.
Overall, for only 9,000 points a night, I was happy with our stay.
To book a Hyatt hotel, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Reward points directly to your Hyatt Rewards account and then book through Hyatt.
If you have the Bilt card then those will transfer directly to Hyatt as well.
Where We Ate
I wanted to highlight some fun places we enjoyed eating at. We were able to find lots of healthy options and the area seems to have a thriving food scene. Score!
Jasmine Jo Coffee-
Wow, this place was our last stop before heading to the airport and boy am I glad we did. It’s an absolute gem. It’s a flower shop as well as a coffee and tea shop. Not only is it Instagram worthy, but their drink menu is next level. I’ve never experienced so many interesting flavor combinations. I wanted to sit there all day ordering drinks. I opted for something off their seasonal menu- the Turquoise Rose Matcha.
“This is a matcha and blue spirulina blend poured over rose water milk of your choice, and topped with our house blackberry cold foam and rose petal garnish.”
I mean, come on! Not only was it a beautiful drink, but tasted great too!
They also offer different toasts. Think avocado toast, chicken salad toast, and banana toast. They also have a seasonal menu for the food, so you’ll be sure to want to come back again and again to try their innovative creations.
Oh, and they also offer outdoor seating with misters for those scorching hot AZ days.
The Farm at South Mountain-
This place has a Magnolia feel to it. It’s a farm, an event venue, an outdoor restaurant, and an indoor restaurant all wrapped into one. They close the outdoor restaurant, Morning Glory, a breakfast spot, for the summer because it gets too hot. Thankfully, we got in on the second to last week! While we were there in June, it was over 100 degrees and even in the shade we were dripping sweat. Despite the heat, it was a wonderful experience.
You order at the counter, and then grab a table and wait for your number to be called. They use as many ingredients as possible from their farm. I ordered the “Brisket & Egg Sandwich” on gluten free bread. Gotta load up on that protein! It came with potatoes on the side.
This would be a great place to bring kids because they can roam free outside while the adults talk.
Gelato Cimmino-
One night after dinner, we went out for a treat, seeing as we were there to celebrate my sister’s birthday afterall. She chose this gelato shop and it was really good! They claim to source many of their ingredients from Italy and I really appreciated that. They also clearly mark which flavors are gluten free or dairy free. I went with Amerana Cherry and Coconut. I wouldn’t normally go for cherry, but after having a sample, I loved it and wanted more. They have 5 locations throughout the area.
Call Her Martina-
This restaurant is right in the middle of all the action in Scottsdale. It’s right by the Fashion Square Mall. We went on a Saturday night and the whole area was abuzz and alive. Inside the restaurant was super loud, so we asked to sit on the patio. There are people walking by, but at least we could hear each other.
The food is what I like to call sophisticated Mexican food. It tasted really fresh, and I didn’t walk away feeling greasy and gross. My mom and I split the chicken tacos and all 4 of us shared the brisket queso, which was a little different than the traditional queso experience, but still really good.
Jewel’s Bakery & Cafe-
This restaurant was my favorite meal of the whole trip. I think I enjoyed it so much because the entire restaurant was gluten free and they had more than just salads and eggs. They had options like chicken and waffles, waffle sandwiches, popcorn chicken, donuts, breakfast tacos, etc. They even had cinnamon rolls to go, and french pastries, and other cookies and treats. And it tasted amazing for being gluten free.
I ordered biscuits and gravy, and one of my sisters ordered the waffle breakfast sandwich and we shared. We also split an order of their mini donuts between all of us. They have this special syrup called buttermilk syrup and it was divine. We were googling what buttermilk syrup was and decided we definitely need to try and recreate it at home.
I will definitely be back to try their lunch menu!
The Herb Box-
We had dinner at The Herb Box in old town Scottsdale and were able to eat outside on the patio. I really liked the atmosphere of this place. The menu has a great selection. I ordered the Arizona Grass-Fed Burger and the topping combination sounded amazing. I’m always a sucker for a good burger. I confirmed with the waitress that they offered gluten free buns, but then when she brought it out, it was on sandwich bread. It was a little disappointing because sandwich bread doesn’t give off the same effect as a hamburger bun. If I knew it was coming like that, then I would have probably ordered something different. I ended up eating it open faced. The smashed potatoes it came with were delicious though. Especially the spicy aioli dipping sauce.
My sister ordered the brisket tacos and those definitely looked like a better option. I guess I’ll have to go back and give it another go.
Firefly Coffee-
If you’re looking for a healthy, next level coffee experience, then Firefly is where you should go! It recently opened in April of 2025. They offer organic coffee, raw milk, sourdough cinnamon rolls and so much more! I tried an iced raw milk latte with Holy Kakow chocolate and it was divine! I wish I had this kind of coffee shop where I live. They go the extra mile when it comes to making your coffee healthy. They were even selling Masa chips- IYKYK.
What We Did
So what did we do on this short weekend getaway?
Well, we spent one afternoon at the pool just reading, lounging, sunbathing, and taking a dip in the pool.
We spent Sunday morning walking around Tempe Town Lake before it got too hot. It was within walking distance to our hotel.
As mentioned previously, we ate out and explored some coffee shops.
We shopped around at Fashion Square Mall. We had a family wedding coming up so it was a great place to shop for an outfit. We also strolled through Old Town Scottsdale and explored some of the shops.
We went to church, and mostly kept things pretty low key. We like to explore around. We didn’t have anything major on our agenda.
Now, when I go back, I’ll have a better idea of what to do and other areas I want to explore. I hadn’t been to Arizona since I was probably a teenager so now I know what to expect. I loved it and am already trying to plan a trip back!
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