Tag: Staycation

Hello Lovelies!

The pups and I recently got invited to stay at the Graduate Tempe Hotel, located in Tempe, Arizona. It sits across from the ASU campus and is in walking distance to Mill Ave, which has a lot of restaurants and shops. We got there early on a Saturday afternoon and we met up with my friend and photographer/Tia to the pups Jacqueline.  I was happy that the check in process was really easy. The front desk staff members were so sweet and helpful, since I had all my stuff, and Whiskey and Cleo both with me. This was the ultimate treatment in pet friendliness!

The biggest surprise was that each pup got a Barkbox full of awesome toys and treats. These boxes are especially designed for the Graduate Hotel’s theme of school/university fun.

Whiskey was so excited he kept sniffing at the boxes, it was hard to get him to take a photo haha. Another nice touch is that the hotel lets you borrow a bowl for your stay. Thank you to Bark Box who makes you pet feel so spoiled!

The hotel room is decorated so colorfully with a touch of whimsy and nostalgia about school all about. The pups were so funny posing with their Barkbox with idea they want to be insta-famous haha!

She couldn’t wait to tear into her box!

The pups lost no time in getting comfortable, especially Whiskey he claimed his spot right away!!

Since I don’t have a balcony at home, the pups were  a bit reluctant to come outside. I thought the view was fun haha.

I wanted to find an outfit that would be comfortable to explore the hotel in; yet, not get messed up playing with the pups. I’ll link all the pieces down below for you from my FIRST outfit!

The hotel has two restaurants on the property. The Normal Diner is just that, a retro inspired diner. This place is open early for breakfast at 6:30 am and I had really good chai tea latte in the morning.

The main restaurant Cafe Tapacubo is Mexican food with one side opening to a cute dog friendly patio and the other side open to the pool where they serve poolside eats too!  When my photographer, Jacqueline and I got to the hotel we were both starving! We didn’t eat right away because we wanted to shoot some of the photos you’ve already seen due to limited daylight. Basically, we waited because we had some work to do!!

I ordered their chicken fajitas, which were gluten-free and my cocktail was called Perfectly Orange. It had gin, aperol, orange bitters, cucumber and simple syrup (the menu actually lists tequila, but I’m not a fan).

Jacqueline got some tacos and a mimosa. So good!

After dinner we decided to take the dogs on a walk over to Mill Ave, they behaved ok! Whiskey tried to start a brawl with a passing Golden Retriever, but other than that, it all went well. We later had some Sangria and ice cream sandwiches for desert (the humans not the pups).

They listen to her better than me!

When we came back to the hotel the pups were properly tired out. They posed so very cutely for us then.

The next morning Jacqueline and I had an early morning photoshoot on the rooftop terrace at the hotel. The hotel had hosted a weeding reception the night before. We actually met the bride and groom in the elevator that night. The rooftop has a full service bar and the hotel hosts yoga classes sometimes up there too. I wanted to feature my SECOND outfit on that colorful rooftop.

I saw these pants in the window of store and knew I had to try them on. I super excited they fit. I’m also loving all sorts of colors this season that I’ve never worn before, such as yellow. I’m obsessed!

The hotel lobby is so cute! It has the comfy big chairs that sit along this fun gallery wall.

Now for the pup’s photoshoot! Whiskey (a Yorkie mix) and Cleo (a Jack Russell mix) both got some cute hoodies awhile back so we brought those along for their staycation. We spent a little time trying to get them to both to look at the camera haha

Our stay was filled with lots of fun memories and a little adventure thrown in when the pups momentarily locked themselves in the room. No it wasn’t my fault (I secretly think Cleo planned it)!  We want to thank the staff so much for being very nice, from the front desk, the staff at Tapacubo and even the nice Engineer who helped the pups finally get  out! We really loved our stay at the Graduate and we hope to see you again soon! So amazing to have a complete pet friendly hotel right in my own town!

Hotel: Graduate Tempe Hotel

Photography: Jacqueline Treviño Photography

FIRST OUTFIT:

Top: HERE (my new fave $11)

Shorts: HERE (on sale for $16)

Sandals: HERE (mine were from last year, but they’re back!)

Sunglasses: Warby Parker

ROOFTOP SECOND OUTFIT:

Top: HERE (under $13)

 Pants: HERE (hurry selling out fast)

Shoes: old; Similar–here

Bag: HERE

Sunglasses: Sunglass Warehouse ($14–Dolores style)

DOG HOODIES:

Amazon (only $9!!) Cleo’s is a Large and Whiskey’s is an X-Large

Leave me a comment below if you’ve ever traveled with your pups. Also if you have any questions about the hotel feel free to DM me! Oh and I found this GREAT resource for tip and tricks for traveling with your pet. Check it out right here:  The Ultimate Guide to Pup Friendly Travel