The Best Places to Stay and Do in Old Town Scottsdale

A Havana-via-Hemingway resort sitting just off Scottsdale's main drag, where the whole premise is that you're not in the Arizona desert, even when the Arizona desert is right there. Eight acres of hammocks and two pools, one with a sandy beach, do a lot of convincing. Rooms run Art Deco and mid-century, heavy on walnut and brass. The on-site restaurant serves Cuban-American food, and yes, craft cocktails arrive in pineapples.

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. AAA Three Diamonds
3. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

Retro doorknob tassels stand in for standard "do not disturb" signs, which tells you pretty much everything about the vibe here. The REMI. is a hotel in North Scottsdale built for the kind of people who consider the pool deck a social obligation. Rockwell Group did the interiors, all leather headboards and powder-blue velvet, and the Allegra rooftop bar pulls sunset crowds on the 12th floor. Kauboi's yakitori-meets-sushi terrace and the F-16 diner round out a property that locals treat like a neighborhood.

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

1. AAA Four Diamonds
2. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. AAA Approved

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Mall · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Mall · Best of Phoenix

Reclining seats, genuine leg room, and a full bar serving cocktails make this Scottsdale multiplex feel less like a trip to the cinema and more like a minor lifestyle upgrade. Harkins Camelview 14 runs blockbusters alongside art house titles, and the outdoor patio pulls double duty as a pre-show gathering spot and, during cooler months, an actual screening venue. Phoenix New Times named it the valley's top luxury movie theater in 2025.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Luxury Movie Theater · Best of Phoenix

Neon, glitz, and gold cover every surface of this 3,500-square-foot Scottsdale nightclub, which has been an anchor of the entertainment district long enough to feel like a local institution. The format is straightforward: drinking and dancing, with aerialists and guest DJ sets keeping things from going stale. Expect a line out front and a crowd dressed accordingly.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Nightclub · Best of Phoenix

Every Wednesday night at The Hot Chick, a drag queen named Barbra Seville calls bingo numbers with enough side commentary to make ten rounds feel short. It's a weekly event, not a bar night, so come ready: prizes range from gift cards to air fryers to things that would embarrass your mother. Half-off wine bottles and $8 High Noon seltzers run all night, happy hour starts at three, and a DJ keeps things going after the last card is called.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Drag Bingo · Best of Phoenix