Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Fairmont commands a presence in resort destinations where scale and legacy matter, and here in Scottsdale the property carries that tradition of large-format hospitality into the high Sonoran Desert. The city itself sits in Arizona's Valley of the Sun, a place where Spanish colonial roots and mid-century modernism blend into a landscape of saguaro and sandstone. Winter brings the snowbirds, galleries open their doors along Main Street in Old Town, and the light takes on that crystalline quality that photographers chase across the Southwest.

Step outside the property and you're in North Scottsdale's resort corridor, where championship golf courses unfold beneath the jagged silhouette of the McDowell Mountains. The TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course lies just over half a kilometre away, home to the raucous 16th hole that defines the Waste Management Phoenix Open each February. Beyond the fairways, the Sonoran Preserve stretches across nearly 31,000 acres of protected desert, its trails threading through cholla forests and granite outcrops.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport sits 25 kilometres south, an easy drive along the Loop 101 that skirts the city's northern edge. Rental cars are the practical choice here; Scottsdale sprawls in the manner of desert cities, and much of what you'll want to see requires wheels.

The property anchors a neighbourhood built for golf, and the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course delivers the signature Arizona experience, all desert wash carries and risk-reward theatrics under unrelenting sun. Grayhawk's Talon Course, three kilometres north, plays through more dramatic elevation changes. After the round, Coopers Hawk Winery offers tastings a kilometre away, though the serious wine exploration happens at Postino, 25 kilometres southwest in Phoenix proper, where Italian-leaning small plates pair with an approachable list.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve, nine kilometres east, is where the desert reveals itself properly. Tom's Thumb Trail climbs through granite formations to panoramic ridgelines; early morning or late afternoon light transforms the cholla into something almost architectural. Start with the easier Gateway Loop if the heat is rising. Desert Ridge Marketplace, six kilometres south, functions as the area's outdoor shopping hub, useful for provisions but not a destination in itself. The rhythm here follows the sun: move early, retreat midday, re-emerge as temperatures soften.

Winter is Scottsdale's season of grace. January through March brings highs in the low twenties, evenings cool enough for fire pits, and skies so reliably clear that the city fills with visitors fleeing northern cold. This is when the desert blooms, when hiking feels like pleasure rather than endurance, when golf courses justify their reputation.

Summer is a reckoning. June pushes past 40 degrees, and the air shimmers with heat that makes outdoor activity impractical between ten and six. Monsoon storms roll through July and August, brief and violent, flooding washes and perfuming the air with creosote.

Shoulder seasons offer the best value for those unbothered by warmth. April and October still reach into the thirties, but mornings remain temperate, and the crowds thin as school calendars dictate departures. November through early December recaptures winter's appeal before the holiday rush takes hold.