On the evening of December 4, a drumline will play at Cortijo Plaza while the holiday tree is lit at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. Children will decorate cookies and line up for photos with Santa. Omni's holiday calendar lists the 6 to 7:30 p.m. event as complimentary and open to the public. Paradise Valley has no main street, so its most public tree lighting happens at a resort.
The rest of the season follows the same pattern. From the Thanksgiving Eve dance floor to the Thursday dinner seatings and the first holiday cocktails of the weekend after, the shared side of the holiday is held on resort property. Each resort sets its own price, hours and guest list.
The Rulebook Behind the Map
Paradise Valley did not end up this way by accident. The Town's Special Use Permit Guidelines set out how the Planning Commission and Town Council review any non-residential development. Those guidelines include a section written for resorts. They also cap each retail business, office or business service inside a resort at 2,000 square feet. A rule like that keeps shops small and tucked inside the resort grounds. The restaurants, plazas and lawns that would make up a downtown elsewhere sit inside resort property lines here.
The Town's own November calendar is short, and practical. The Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show fills the Town Hall parking lot at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive on Saturday, November 14, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., and features pre-1985 vehicles. One week later, on November 21, the Fall Safely Shred Event runs from 8 a.m. to noon at the Paradise Valley Police Department, 6433 E. Lincoln Drive. Residents may bring up to five standard shred boxes plus flat-panel electronics. Appointments are preferred, and walk-ins are accepted. Both events are useful and worth putting on the calendar. Neither one includes a dinner.
Six Tables, Six Price Points
The dining rooms carry Thursday, November 26. Here is how the resorts in and around town have priced the meal:
| Restaurant and resort | Format | Hours | Adult price | Child price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rita's Cantina, JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn | Brunch | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | $189 plus 20% service charge | $79, ages 3 to 12 |
| Elements, Sanctuary Camelback Mountain | Three courses | 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. | $175 | $55, 12 and under |
| Hearth '61, Mountain Shadows | Three-course feast | Throughout the day | $159 plus tax and gratuity | $35, 12 and under |
| Prado, Omni Montelucia | Four courses | 2 to 7 p.m. | $155 | Special pricing under 12 |
| LON's at The Hermosa Inn | Three-course prix fixe | Noon to 8 p.m. | $135++ | $35++ |
| Weft & Warp, Andaz Scottsdale | Thanksgiving dinner | Noon to 8 p.m. | $95+ | $40+, 12 and under |
The listed prices run from $95 to $189, but the posted numbers are not directly comparable. Once Camelback Inn's 20% service charge is added, the $189 brunch comes to about $227 per adult before tax. Hearth '61 adds tax and gratuity to its $159, and LON's and Weft & Warp both mark charges on top of the listed figure. Prado's $155 buys four courses, one more than most of the other menus.
The hours also shape the day. Camelback Inn's brunch ends at 2 p.m., the same hour Prado's dinner service begins. Hearth '61 serves its holiday menu throughout the day. A shortened breakfast runs from 7 to 10:30 a.m., and a lounge menu is available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Its seats look toward the mountain from inside or out. Hearth '61's menu also names its sources: "Two Wash Ranch" turkey, McClendon's Farm squash soup and Crow's Dairy chèvre. Prime New York strip and braised short rib are on the menu for guests who skip the turkey. Reservations go through Tock. Each guest pays a $25 deposit, which is fully refunded if the reservation is canceled within the window the restaurant sets, and parties larger than four book by phone at 480.624.5458.
The Resort Kitchen, Delivered Home
For hosts who want to stay home, Hearth '61 sells a takeout version of the same meal. It costs $84 per person, or $42 for ages 12 and under, about half the dine-in price. Each order includes a half pound each of turkey, chorizo cornbread stuffing and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, plus gravy, orange cranberry relish, buttered green beans and two Parker House rolls per person. Whole pies are sold separately. Pumpkin with orange chantilly cream is $38, and butterscotch pecan is $50.
The deadline comes before the holiday. Orders close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24. Pickup is curbside or at the Hearth '61 bar between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
The Week, in Order
With the dining rooms booked, the rest of the season fills in around them. Here is the calendar from today forward, as the resorts and the Town list it:
- Thursday, November 12, 11 a.m. Pastry chef Judy Chavez leads a bourbon pecan pie demonstration at the Elements Chef Island at Sanctuary. Tickets are $50 per person plus tax and gratuity.
- Saturday, November 14, 8:30 a.m. The Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show opens at Town Hall.
- Saturday, November 21, 9:30 a.m. LON's hosts "Mimosa & Monet," a painting class themed "Everlasting Sunset." The $120 ticket covers instruction, supplies, a mimosa, coffee and pastries. The Town's shred event runs the same morning.
- Tuesday, November 24, 5 p.m. Last call for Hearth '61 to-go orders.
- Wednesday, November 25, 6 p.m. to midnight. Omni holds its 18th annual Thanksgiving Eve celebration at Cortijo Plaza, with music, dancing and cocktails. Tickets are limited. The resort's listing shows November 26 in its date line and "Wednesday the 25th" in its description, so confirm with Omni before buying tickets.
- Thursday, November 26. Thanksgiving Day, with dinner service at the six restaurants above.
- Saturday, November 28. Blitzen's, Omni's seasonal Christmas bar, opens at Centro Bar and runs through January 3. Weft & Warp at Andaz Scottsdale has a Pour & Pair Happy Hour on its calendar the same day.
- Friday, December 4, 6 p.m. The tree lighting at Cortijo Plaza.
- Wednesday, December 9, 3 p.m. Sanctuary's Holiday Martini Making Class at Elements costs $100 per person and includes a charcuterie station. Guests must be 21 or older.
Who Gets Through the Gate
Because these events happen on private property, each resort decides who can attend. Some have no ticket at all. The Omni tree lighting is free and open to anyone who arrives.
Some events are open to the public but have a set number of spots. Mountain Shadows' Thanksgiving Day Bootcamp starts at 9 a.m. on November 26 and runs for one hour outdoors. The $20 fee includes self-parking, and the class is capped at 15 people. Omni's Thanksgiving Eve tickets are also limited.
Other events stay private. Sanctuary's annual Turkey Trot meets at the bell stand from 8:45 to 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. It is free but open only to resort guests and members.
Those three levels of access describe the town's holiday season. A public event in Paradise Valley is usually one a resort chose to open to the public. Some free events need only an arrival time, capped ones need a reservation, and member-only events need a membership even when they cost nothing.
When a holiday season runs on resort calendars, planning ahead matters, and a move within Paradise Valley calls for the same kind of planning. If you are weighing a move within town or thinking about selling before the new year, Gregory Hidder + TEAM can talk through timing with you quietly and on your schedule. Schedule a private consultation with Gregory Hidder + TEAM at your convenience.
