Scottsdale bachelorette

Where to stay

Old Town puts you within walking distance of the bars, restaurants and the Scottsdale Waterfront. A rental house with a pool is the classic choice for a group; check whether the pool is heated, because spring mornings can be cool. Resorts further north or in Paradise Valley trade the walk to Old Town for big pools and spas.

Whichever you pick, check the rules for groups and noise.

The classics

A pool day is the centerpiece, at the house or with day passes at a resort. Old Town’s bars around Craftsman Court and Saddlebag Trail are close together, so the group can move on foot. Camelback Mountain’s Echo Canyon trail is steep and partly a scramble, best at sunrise.

Hole-in-the-Rock in Papago Park is an easy short climb for sunset. The Desert Botanical Garden and Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, fill a slower morning.

A 3-day plan

Friday: arrive, a welcome dinner in Old Town, then the bars. Saturday: a sunrise hike for the early risers, then the pool day, sunset at Hole-in-the-Rock, a big dinner and a night out. Sunday: the Desert Botanical Garden or brunch by the Waterfront, then flights.

Keep the afternoons slow; desert sun is stronger than it feels by the pool.

What to book early

The house or the resort comes first. March is the busiest month, with spring training baseball in town, and prices rise with it. Then the big dinner, any cabanas or day passes, and a time slot at Taliesin West, which is visited by guided tour.

Put every booking in the trip as you make it, so the group sees the times without asking.

Budget per person

A rough range for two nights is $700 to $1,500 per person, before flights. The house or resort is the biggest share, then dinners, drinks and any day passes. Late spring and summer are cheaper but hot.

Agree on a number before booking, and on whether the bride’s share is split among the others.

Scale this range to your group and your nights

What to pack

Swimsuits, a cover-up, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Real shoes and a big water bottle for the hike. Something warmer for the evening: the desert cools fast after sunset.

Floats and decorations go on the shared list, each with a name, so the group brings one of each and not five.

Keep the surprises secret

In Awayfolk, the planners can make a card secret, so only the planners see it, while the bride sees the rest of the plan. Everyone joins the same trip from one invitation link and signs in with Google or email.

Splitting the money

Record the house, the groceries and the dinner deposit in Awayfolk with the payer and how it is split: evenly, or by exact amounts. It works out who owes whom and records repayments when they arrive. Awayfolk does not transfer money, so settle up with the app your group already uses.

A copied example trip starts its money in US dollars.