I stayed in 2 of Arizona's top hotels. They explain why Scottsdale is a luxury travel hot spot.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Left: Exterior of the Phoenician with a fountain in front. Right: A fountain in front of a casita at the Hermosa Inn
Business Insider's reporter stayed at the Phoenician in Scottsdale (L) and the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I'm a New Yorker who spent 2 days in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. 8 things surprised me.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The author in a cowboy hat and sunglasses stands smiling in front of cacti and an adobe building in Scottsdale
Business Insider's reporter encountered a few surprises during her trip to Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I thought I'd have to get my driver's license to move out of NYC until I visited this car-free neighborhood in Arizona

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The author stands in a courtyard with trees and picnic tables. Behind her is a white building with boutique storefronts
Business Insider's reporter visited a car-free neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona, called Culdesac.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I visited a car-free neighborhood in Arizona and was surprised that it felt 15 degrees cooler than the surrounding blocks

Tech Insider : Travel
Culdesac Tempe. Left: The author stands in a courtyard with trees and picnic tables. Behind her is a white building with boutique storefronts. Right: An alleyway lined with white buildings with red trimmings
Business Insider's reporter visited Tempe, Arizona's Culdesac neighborhood.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

A private village in Scottsdale houses some of Arizona's priciest real estate. I got a tour of its guarded neighborhoods.

Tech Insider : Travel
Mansions on a mountain dotted with bushes and cacti
Business Insider's reporter visited Silverleaf Village in Scottsdale's DC Ranch neighborhood.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I toured an Arizona neighborhood that banned cars and found a walkable oasis in the middle of a Phoenix suburb

Tech Insider : Travel
Culdesac Tempe: An alleyway lined with white buildings with red trimmings
Culdesac is a housing startup with a car-free neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent an afternoon in Scottsdale, Arizona's most elite neighborhood, where homes cost up to $50 million. It felt like a private small town.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Mansions off of a winding road on a mountain dotted with bushes and cacti in DC Ranch in Scottsdale
Business Insider's reporter took a tour of Scottsdale, Arizona's most expensive neighborhood — DC Ranch.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Step inside Scottsdale, Arizona, where migrating millionaires have created one of the hottest housing markets in the country

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
A large gray mansion on a hilltop with mountains in the background
Big-city millionaires around the US are flocking to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Joey Haden/Business Insider

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