Phoenix Staycations // Hotel Valley Ho

Hotel Valley Ho is truly a destination resort. Founded in the 1950’s, the hotel still retains the classic splendor of a celebrity escape, with a mid-century, modernist aesthetic permeating throughout the hotel. When we arrived, the DJ at the pool had just starting spinning TLC’s “No Scrub”, and I knew I was home.

After we spent time jamming and tanning at the pool, we checked into our room. I immediately knew I wanted to take a bubble bath in the bathtub but for now, I lazed about reading a book in the comfy lounge chair on the balcony.

Soon we explored this Scottsdale oasis and found cute palm trees and vegetation. We also found a great view on the 6th floor landing! I could see the OH pool on one side, and views of Camelback Mountain on the other!

Later on, we departed for dinner, and “swanky” is the word I would use to describe the ambience of ZuZu. We were in for a  delightful evening. For appetizers, we ordered the Yellowtail Hamachi Crudo, Maine Lobster Rolls, Crab + Sweet Corn Cannelloni, and Pork Belly Mac + Cheese. Our waiter was so sweet and even brought us his favorite, Organic Maktoom Dates which were chorizo stuffed and bacon wrapped! Everything tasted absolutely delicious, and Chef Russell LaCasce even came out to greet us! “You bring the most innovative flavors to you dishes!” I told him. He thanked me graciously and said he acquires inspiration from everyday life, eating out with his wife for instance, and then taking notes of what flavors sound good, and writing them down as reference for menus later. As we returned to our meal, I truly fell in love with the Crab + Sweet Corn Cannelloni. The dish simply surprised me; I just didn’t expect crab, corn, brioch, tomato jam, bacon and cream to work together, but it did. This is why ZuZu is blessed with an amazing chef. For entrees we ordered the Hokkaido Scallops and they were simply divine. The bartender was kind enough to even make us her specialty coffee drink, a mixture that included Kahlua's and Bailey's - it was spectacular. We were definitely stuffed by the end of dinner, but it didn’t stop us from ordering dessert.

We brought dessert, the humongous Show Stopper Shake back to the room. This month's flavor's mint, so if you enjoy mint ice cream, you'll enjoy this green shake! Dressed in our robes, we ended our night with mint chocolate on top.

The next morning we rose to a wonderful brunch with a DIY mimosa bar! I mixed my champagne with strawberry juice and fresh berries for a berry-tastic mimosa. We dove right into the Cinnamon Roll Donut Bombs, and they oozed out delicious goodness. Our staycation at Hotel Valley Ho had finally come to an end; we were sad to say good-bye, but thank you Hotel Valley Ho for the memories!