Four Seasons Scottsdale

If sipping Champagne from a hot-air balloon soaring like a falcon over the Sonoran Desert is on your bucket list, this is your stay. The resort has curated a wondrous range of guest activities, from a wine-tasting jaunt (on bikes, no less) through Red Rocks to roving through towering saguaros in a Hummer. Of course, plenty of guests simply opt to R&R—and they’ve perfected the art of that too, with gold-infused facials in the spa and poolside cabanas decked out with entertainment systems (if vegging out is the only order of the day). Included in your stay? Pastries and coffee to kick-start your morning in the lobby; sunscreen and the latest magazines poolside; loaner tennis racquets and guided nature walks. In other words: don’t give tomorrow’s itinerary another thought. You’re well taken care of, here.

A collection of ultra-luxe casitas and a regionally-inspired spa abutting Pinnacle Peak.

Cliched. Yes, you’re in the desert here, but the resort’s design is clean and fresh—including clean-lined guest rooms swathed in sandy neutrals.

Unlike many Scottsdale resorts, this one treats children as bona fide VIPs. Bonus: you can borrow anything you need— bottle warmers! Baby bouncers! Swim diapers!—with one phone call.

Somehow, the ice cream sandwiches of your youth don’t quite hold up to this one: a strawberry-ginger dream coddled between lemon-poppyseed cookies. Or maybe it’s the setting? Under the shade at Saguaro Blossom restaurant, overlooking the turquoise pool and the Sonoran hills in the wilds beyond.

Talavera - Contemporary Spanish steakhouse Proof - Traditional cuisine Saguaro Blossom - Light poolside fare Onyx Bar & Lounge - Sophisticated small plates and fresh handcrafted cocktails, beer, and wines