Last month my husband, Aaron, and I did a staycation at the new Moxy Hotel in Tempe. His weekends are Fridays and Saturdays, so we figured that the perfect time to go would be Friday after I get off work. He dropped Simon (our dog-son) at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and met me there. The hotel happens to be about 15 minutes from our house, but for some reason it felt like we had left Arizona and were visiting a cute familiar town that we hadn’t been to in a while. Technically we live in Scottsdale, but it’s south Scottsdale so we’re not that far from Tempe. However, we never have a reason to travel across the bridge and into Tempe for a date night. The Moxy Hotel staycation was the perfect excuse. [The dress below is a vintage velvet sheer dress available at Desert Loom.]
One of our favorite hotels to stay at when we travel to the University of Arizona basketball games is the Aloft near campus. The Moxy Hotel reminds me of an amped up version of Aloft. Moxy Hotels is a new brand of hotels by Marriott and it is geared towards the millennial demographic, which is funny considering the retro vibe I got from the decor and the rooms that dates back before millennials were born. The Tempe Moxy is the first location in the United States and the second location worldwide after the Milan Moxy, but there are many more Moxys stateside and globally popping up this year and next. Overall the hotel is very clean and modern, but has an underlying retro and vintage feel, which is actually Aaron’s and my favorite. For example, our house is very modern inside, but built in the 1950’s and our wedding was modern-vintage themed as well. In my opinion Marriott Hotels hit the nail on the head with their interior design. [The outfit on the right is a lace jacket from Express, borrowed from my bff Jess, the silk tank is from Urban Outfitters, and the shorts I made from adhering a lace trim to a pair of old Paige jeans that I cut into shorts. The vintage dress on the right is available at Desert Loom.]
When you arrive at the hotel, you walk into a large room with glass garage doors and windows on the south side looking at the pool and patio. This room has various sitting areas, my favorite is the old western/Arizona wall photographed above. There is a kitchen area with open refrigerators for snacks and drinks, a long rustic looking dinning table, big couches and little nooks to play board games, a desk area with Apple computers, and towards the front and center is the bar. I didn’t mention the area to check-in because that actually doubles as the bar. Upon checking in we ordered their specialty cocktails, because #staycation, am I right? Mine was their Oaxacan on Sunshine, which is mescal and Mexican bittersweet syrup. Tastes like a skinny margarita. It was strong, but since it is made with mescal it didn’t taste too strong and strawberries were the perfect garnish. Aaron had a gin mojito, which apparently he loved because it was gone in seconds. Usually I’m running late when getting ready for date night and Aaron’s bored in the hotel room. With the Moxy bar, Aaron was able to get the drinks and I joined him a few 10 minutes later when I was ready. Happy Hour and drinks at the Moxy is much better than running around trying to find a spot to go to before dinner. After drinks we went to the place where we had our first date four years ago, La Bocca. Another great date spot in the area is House of Tricks. I have yet to try it! [Vintage swimsuit shown below are from Desert Loom.]
Day two is for laying pool side all day! It’s the best way to spend a staycation. The Tempe Moxy pool is full of swan, pink flamingo, watermelow and donut rafts for you to relax on. They also have comfy cabanas available too! On the patio, there are more games and an area to play bags. [The sheer white dress below is from Desert Loom. Shop the Etsy store or message through Etsy for availability.]
The best part that I haven’t even begun to talk about yet are the rooms. They have a Euro feel to them as the don’t have a traditional closet, but there are pegs along the wall for you to hang your items. The bathrooms are gorgeous and very modern with white subway tiles lining the shower and walls. The beds are comfortable and low to the ground. In our room there was a sitting area with a couch. Some rooms have bean bag chairs or a desk area. It seems like most of the rooms have small details that are different from room to room, but the one thing that is the same is the record player with Hendrix and Cash records and a guitar. One thing that I forgot to do is call the special number from the hotel phone to hear a bedtime story. Yes, supposedly there are bedtime stories recorded from your favorite celebrities. If you plan your staycation #atthemoxy, let me know how it was and don’t forget to call for a bedtime story so you can tell me what story you heard.
Aaron and I had a blast at our staycation and we can’t wait to go back!
Other details and information…
All photos by: Daniel Kim Photography | Facebook | Instagram |
Vintage dresses and swimsuit: Desert Loom | Facebook | Instagram | Etsy |
Shoot location: Tempe – Moxy Hotels | 1333 S Rural Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281| Facebook | Instagram |
Be you, bravely.
The Foxy Kat
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