Our Babymoon In Scottsdale, Arizona
Baby G will be here before we know it, so my hubby and I decided to take a few days to ourselves for our babymoon in Scottsdale, Arizona! I’m sharing the highlights of our trip because it was a magical few days!
We booked our babymoon about 3 weeks before we were supposed to leave. Yes, we’re last minute (hence, not having ANYTHING done in our home for the baby yet!). And we were all excited to go to sunny… Grand Cayman Island!
Grand Cayman is one of the few warm locations that has the all-clear on Zika from the CDC, and we were excited for a few days of R&R in the sun (OK, so I usually sit under an umbrella, but you get the jist).
Oddly enough, my husband (Scott) randomly checked the CDC website for Zika updates (again) the Sunday before we were supposed to leave and the warnings changed! WHAT?! Since the health of our baby comes first, my husband naturally started researching, texting all of his doctor friends, and calling our doctor. Turns out, the classifications did change, and our OB suggested that if we could, we should change the trip to someplace safer, just to err on the side of caution.
Luckily, we had trip insurance (we figured it was a good idea since I’m pregnant and all), so we could (somewhat) easily rebook our trip. I’ve always wanted to go explore Arizona, so suggested it to Scott, and he was on board (after hours of researching and going back and forth about the weather or if we should head to Miami, or just cancel altogether).
Our Babymoon in Scottsdale, Arizona…
So Thursday morning we left chilly NYC bright and early for our flight to Phoenix, Arizona. For some reason, the flight felt too long (it was 5 ½ hours), and I’m neurotic, so I was getting up to walk around the plane and chug a glass of water every 45 minutes (to avoid blood clots). I was also donning my cute compression socks to improve circulation even more. I’m usually not a nervous flyer, but flying pregnant has brought out a whole new side!
We landed to 70s and sunny weather, which was a welcome reprieve from the 20 degree temps we were feeling in New York that week. We splurged and stayed at the Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, which was absolutely GORGEOUS! They treated us like kings and queens, and were so supportive of our babymoon (and even sent a bottle of sparkling cider to our room)!
Scott was the cutest though and sent pink and blue flowers to our room for me with an adorable card – he really does know how to make me feel like a million bucks while I waddle around!
After we freshened up and explored the property, we sat by the pool to soak in some rays. I ordered an Old Bay Spiced Shrimp Cocktail that was amazing (so much so that I continued to order the same thing every day thereafter, but never once snapped a pic!).
I’m obsessed with this maternity bathing suit and hope the weather warms up so I can wear it again – it was SO flattering! I was asked a bunch on Instagram, so figured I’d share that my sunglasses are a couple of years old from Diff Eyewear. Here’s a similar style!
Just being out in nature felt so relaxing! I mean, look at this sunset on our first night…
We didn’t feel like going to a fancy dinner, and Scott wanted a burger, so we went to In n’Out Burger for dinner. I got my burger “protein style” (wrapped in lettuce) and was SO excited for the fries (they don’t use any nut oil!), but they seriously disappointed. French fries are probably on of my all-time favorite foods, but these weren’t even worth it. I couldn’t eat them and was so upset.
So we hopped over to the grocery store and I picked up some treats (chocolate chips and raspberries – random, but it looked good!) to make sure I was fully satisfied. Suffice to say, we were in bed by 9pm (really 11pm in NY) and it was glorious!
Day 2 – Friday
On Friday we woke up around 7:30am (which was like sleeping in until 9:30 in New York), and fueled up with a delicious breakfast before hiking. I’ve always loved hiking and we don’t get to do it enough in New York, so I was seriously stoked!
We hiked up the Cholla trail at Camelback Mountain, which was categorized as “extremely difficult,” but the concierge told us I’d be able to handle it. It was hard, but it wasn’t until we were around the bend from the top that I felt like I was scaling a mountain and my husband made us turn around… he didn’t like the risk/reward for mama and baby.
The entire hike took us about an hour and 15 minutes, but would’ve taken probably an hour and a half if we went to the tippy top. And this trail was CROWDED! Make sure you go on the earlier side because it was even more crowded with bachelor and bachelorette parties on our way down.
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The trailhead was a couple of miles from the hotel, so we decided to walk back and enjoy the amazing weather. I’m still wearing my pre-pregnancy leggings from Old Navy and lululemon most days.
On our way, we stopped by a neighboring hotel to visit with two of our friends who were coincidently staying for a wedding. It didn’t matter what we were doing because the sunshine and scenery were just gorgeous!
Friday afternoon we grabbed a bite to eat (the same old bay spiced shrimp) and then headed to the spa for an afternoon of zen. We got a couples massage (mine prenatal), which felt absolutely blissful. I was so tired after, that I took a serious nap!
We went to one of the top rated Italian/pizza spots in Scottsdale for dinner that night – Pizzeria Bianco. It may seem ironic that we went for pizza as New Yorkers, but hey, when The New York Times calls it “perhaps the best in America,” you gotta try it! My husband got pizza and I got a homemade pasta (food allergy note: one of the pizzas contained pistachios, so I didn’t want to risk cross-contamination while traveling to try the pizza, but I sure felt like I was missing out!).
After our gloriously busy, but relaxing, day, we were in bed again by 9pm! HEAVEN!
Day 3 – Saturday
Our last full day of our babymoon in Scottsdale was left open. We woke up with no plans and decided to play it by ear. I was feeling particularly tired, so didn’t want to do as rigorous of a hike as the day before.
We headed to a much easier trail, with a different, more desert-like landscape called Lost Dog Trailhead. There were several paths you could take here, but we hiked mostly flat land. Unlike the Cholla trail, which was SUPER crowded, this time there were times when we saw no one else around for long stretches at a time. Just us + nature. It was serene and beautiful!
After hiking for a couple of hours, we headed back to the hotel. We changed into bathing suits and relaxed by the pool (with a side of old bay spiced shrimp again!). When the clouds took over, I headed back to our room for a peaceful bath and nap, while my husband went back to the sauna and steam rooms at the spa.
We had a fancy dinner at The Phoenician hotel steakhouse that night and I wanted to be well-rested! I had probably the best baked potato I’ve ever had that night. And my husband was in love with the miso butter they served with warm bread.
Overall, we relaxed, we ate, we connected with each other and nature, and flew home the next morning ready to go full force into prep mode for our babe!
If you have any questions about planning a babymoon in Scottsdale, Arizona, let me know!
XO
PS – My 2nd trimester update is coming next week – I can’t wait to share what’s been going on. For now, catch up with my previous pregnancy updates and info here: