I was on a work trip last week to beautiful Phoenix, AZ. Of course, my idol, Stevie Nicks, sold her house there a few years ago, so my excitement waned when I found that out, but my boss and my coworker still wanted to extend our trip a couple of days and visit the Grand Canyon. I’m so glad we did. It’s truly majestic. I even braved a little hike down. I’m terrified of heights and notorious for wearing inappropriate shoes so for me, even a little hike down such a high canyon is a big deal. Above is my official “I’m at the Grand Canyon” picture. Here’s a little guide to how to do AZ:
Where to stay:
We stayed at the gorgeous JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. It was the official hotel of our conference, but proved to be a convenient location. We got a great rate of $139/night since we were there off season and a $50 resort credit each for each day. That really covered a lot of our expenses. We were an hour and a half from Sedona and three hours from the Grand Canyon.
What to see:
Camelback Mountain: Stevie’s house was close to here, but you can’t miss this giant hump the minute you get out of the airport. There are hiking trails you can take to really explore this mountain. We didn’t do that due to time constraints.
Sedona: We stopped by here on the way to the Grand Canyon. We took some magical photos, visited this little artist village and ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
The Grand Canyon: We toured the canyon via Pink Jeep Tours. We got to see a lot of the canyon, get up close to some majestic beasts and watch the sunset over this natural wonder of the world.
Relax: On our last day, we booked one the poolside cabanas at the resort and relaxed by the pool with a drink.
Eat & Drink: You must have a margarita (or any tequila drink) while you’re there – but try a Prickly Pear Margarita, made from the local fruit of the cactus. Mexican cuisine is also a must. We found an authentic, hip and beautiful place called Barrio Queen right across from our hotel. I loved the graffiti and decor so much. The food was awesome, too.
