Scottsdale a combination of Scotch and Snakes

The American Southwest - full of palm trees, cactus, red rocks and all sorts of snakes.   My southwest adventure this summer began with flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. In summer in the southwest, the temperatures can get very high and sometimes the airport has to cancel flights due to the air temperatures being so hot in the area that the planes cannot take off.  This extreme heat happened in July in Phoenix when it was 118 degrees in the full afternoon sun. Luckily when we were arriving, it was only going to be around 100 degrees. This Arizona airport was very easy to fly into and more accessible to navigate out of with our rental car.  The airport is located east of the city and was a short 30-minute drive north to Scottsdale, Arizona. ​

In Scottsdale, we stayed at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, a Starwood Resort.   The Westin Kierland is an excellent resort for families, couples, and cousins traveling together.  The hotel offers spacious rooms with many overlooking the golf course and the pond with the Imagine Sculpture.  When you walk into the lobby of the Westin Kierland, the view out to the grounds is lovely. The full glass wall of windows opens up to lower lobby where there are plenty of areas to relax. Outside on the Dreamweavers Canyon courtyard, there are great areas to relax and enjoy the beautiful Arizona sunshine.  At dusk the resort offers a special treat to all its guests, a Master Bagpiper plays the Scottish pipes each evening at sunset.  From our room,we could listen to the bagpipes being played from the courtyard below. It was a beautiful, relaxing treat to start off our evening.

Also, in this area, they have two cases with common reptiles from Arizona from a Western Diamondback to the California King Snake. If you ask some locals, they say it is not common to see snakes outside in public areas of Arizona unless you are in the wilderness. But within an hour of being at the resort, walking down the path to the restaurant, I came upon a snake, needless to say, I was very watchful of where I walked after that. 

The hotel offers two pool areas, one a kid’s adventure pool with a lazy river and water slide and the Tommy Bahama Relaxation Reef and Paradise Point, which are private areas by the Lazy River that can be rented out for your group or family.  You can also experience the Flow Rider surf machine and get a lesson on riding the waves. For the adults that want the quiet relaxation, there is the Aguameil Adult Pool.  This peaceful retreat is located near the Agave, The Arizona Spa and offers a fun place to relax with friends. 
The hotel has several places to eat from fine dining at Deseo to the golf course bar, the Brittlebush Bar, andGrill.   There is also a fun bar called the Scotch Library.  This bar was established to celebrate the Scottish immigration to Arizona and offers aficionados and anyone new to Scotch the opportunity to taste over 250 labels in the Library.  

The resort is in a great area to explore, and they also offer a complimentary shuttle to the Kierland Commons.  This outdoor dining and shopping area offers many restaurants and shops to explore during your stay at the Westin Kierland. For an adventure to Phoenix and the Scottsdale area, the Westin Kierland is a great place to call your base camp. ​