Sunny Scottsdale, a snowbird favourite, recently became a whole lot cooler with the opening of two new hotels in Paradise Valley that have brought back mid-century, modern design to the desert. Taking cues from architect Frank Lloyd Wright's nearby Taliesin West residence, these reimagined resorts blur the lines between open-plan interiors and the blooming Sonoran Desert. Here, indoor/outdoor living blends on the lively patios of downtown's farm-to-table restaurants, and in the Art District when galleries spill out onto N. Marshall Way for the al fresco ArtWalk every Thursday evening.
Stay
Andaz Scottsdale Resort and Spa
Andaz Scottsdale is built on the footprint of an older resort, with fifties-style low-slung bungalows.
Don Riddle/Andaz Hotels
An art hotel with a heart, the new Andaz Scottsdale – part of Hyatt's high-end boutique brand – collaborated with the local Cattle Track Arts Compound to furnish casita-style bungalows and the open-plan guest house with artwork and colourful chunky ceramics. Staff name tags feature artist Mark McDowell's birchwood drawing of Camelback Mountain, and he can be found at the resort running workshops, having a fire-pit jam session or taking his reserved seat at the bar.
A stylishly whimsical reception area features a rainbow of felt artwork, mid-century-style chairs and colourful stamps that roaming "hosts" use to identify room keys. Built on the footprint of an older resort, the 1950s-style low-slung bungalows have 201 standard, deluxe guestrooms and suites. Surrounded by pink bougainvillea and towering saguaro cacti, the interiors are warmed up with cedar-lined roofs and colourful cushions that follow a colour palette inspired by designer Alexander Girard: Zuni turquoise, sun-baked orange and the grapefruit pink of a desert sunset.
Doodle with colouring pencils at Weft & Warp while chef Adam Sheff cooks up share plates that showcase desert delights, from dates and mesquite desserts to local meats and cheeses. A glass-encased chef's table and open plancha-style kitchen flows onto the patio, overlooking the Turquoise Pool's cabanas and Camelback.
At the breezily chic Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary, bowls of sparkling crystals catch the sunlight in the spacious treatment rooms, and Camelback is the backdrop for the private outdoor pool and Jacuzzis. True Essence signature treatments use the Body Bliss aromatherapy bar and an "international app" to custom blend oils for a heavenly massage.
From $199 (U.S.) a night; scottsdale.andaz.hyatt.com.
Mountain Shadows Resort
Mountain Shadows’s bedrooms feature a minimalist aesthetic with a palette of cool nautical blues and greys.
Mark Boisclair
Reimagined from the original 1950s Mountain Shadows Resort, the new Mountain Shadows is a minimalist ode to mid-century modern architecture that captures the spirit of the hip hotel's 1970s heyday as a hangout for celebrities such as John Wayne.
Original circular blocks have been subtly incorporated into the exterior, and a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired butterfly roof covers Hearth '61 restaurant. Here you'll find hearty pastas, hearth-roasted meats, and an inventive cocktail menu that mixes unlikely bedfellows such as earthy beet juice and smoky mescal.
Flooded with natural light, and built on an open plan that flows into the restaurant and meeting spaces, the reception area's high ceilings, white walls and rotating local artworks give it the air of a contemporary gallery. Anchoring the space is a floor-to-ceiling picture-postcard-perfect view of Camelback Mountain and the 183-room resort's 18-hole short golf course.
Bedrooms echo the minimalist aesthetic with a palette of cool nautical blues and greys, combined with billowing white curtains, floor-to-ceiling windows, and glass cube showers or stand-alone soaker tubs.
Rooms overlook the garden terrace, mountain or the Citizen's Club's two outdoor pools – and currently the resort's residential condo construction. Spa treatments take place at nearby sister resort Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain; a modern-day hideaway for celebrities such as Beyoncé.
From $129 a night; mountainshadows.com.
Eat and drink
FnB
Take a seat on the patio or at the Parisian-style bar; the bright mosaic floor is a nod to the first incarnation of FnB, where co-owners Pavle Milic and chef Charleen Badman tiled the floor with salvaged ceramic scraps. Milic curates the extensive Arizonian wine list, which includes his Los Milics collaboration with southern Arizona's Dos Cabezas WineWorks, and "veggie whisperer" Badman's plates pop with colour, from regal purple beets and blood-red strawberries to juicy green salty tongues of glacier lettuce, a type of succulent. Even hardened carnivores sing the praises of her char-grilled spicy broccoli with tangerine aioli and pistachios.
7125 E 5th Ave., fnbrestaurant.com.
Fat Ox
Chef Matt Carter's new venture is a buzzing Italian-inspired dining room that's fast becoming a local favourite thanks to dishes of plump burrata, juicy local meats and hearty handmade pasta such as rigatoni lamb verde with green tomato, fennel pollen and pecorino.
Carter also helms the Mission, an excellent Latin-influenced eatery that's included on Arizona Food Tours' walking tour.
Get a taste of other veteran kitchens on the walk, from kitschy 1980s modern saloon AZ/88 to traditional Thai at long-established Malee's and the much-loved crunchy "Stetson Chopped" salad at Cowboy Ciao. Cowboy Ciao's executive pastry chef Country Velador bakes mesquite cookies in the cute and cozy Super Chunk Sweets and Treats next door.
6316 N Scottsdale Rd., ilovefatox.com, arizonafoodtours.com.
Carlson Creek Vineyard
Echoing British Columbia's wine industry, Arizonan wineries have boomed since the 1970s to grow to more than 100 vineyards in wine regions such as mountainous Willcox, about four hours from Scottsdale. Head to family-run Carlson Creek's chic new tasting room, complete with lighting fixtures made from old barrels, and try the 2012 sangiovese, which bagged a bronze medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Scottsdale Tasting Room: 4142 N. Marshall Way, carlsoncreek.com.
Shop
Vintage by Misty
Sixties swirls, colourful kaftans and all manner of chunky jewellery can be found in Misty Guerriero's treasure trove of designer vintage fashion. Misty hunts down covetable historic pieces from North America, Europe and Israel to add to her carefully curated collection, which includes a library of pieces from 1980s men's Chanel dress shirts to obscure woven dresses designed in Tel Aviv.
7046 E 5th Ave., vintagebymisty.com.
INSPIRE+D
Check out this newly opened indie artisan marketplace. Each minimalist white shelf showcases a locally made product; from children's books to screen-print artworks, delicate gem jewellery, chunky vegan soaps and hand-poured candles.
7052 E 5th Ave., inspire-d.com.
Carmen
Pick up State Forty Eight casual clothing, as spotted on local hikers at Camelback Mountain, or chat with Jane, creator of Eliza Jane Closet's bamboo skirts, at Carmen Rosenblum's "little blue boutique" on Fifth Avenue.
7126 E 5th Ave., shopcarmen.com.
Giving Bracelets
Founded by handbag designer Lesa Wallace, Giving Bracelets up-cycles her leather off-cuts and turns them into on-trend soft lamb leather bracelets and cuffs to raise funds for the foster children's charity, Casa for Children.
7122, E 5th Ave., givingbracelets.com.
Local secret
Take a tour of Cattle Track Arts Compound, which has been hidden away since engineer George Ellis built the complex using salvaged redwood boards from an abandoned water pipeline in the 1930s. It's been home to artist Mark McDowell for more than 30 years and amongst the rusting Mustangs and old machinery left over from the compound's days as a site for race car construction, Mary Van Dusen makes ceramic homeware (as seen in Weft & Warp), 86-year-old blacksmith Bill Smith creates intricate ironwork in his smoky shack and Brent Bond runs a printing press where he collaborates with artists to reinterpret their original works.
6105 N Cattletrack Rd., cattletrack.org.
The writer was a guest of Experience Scottsdale. Content was not subject to approval.