Scottsdale Travel Forum

I will be staying in Scottsdale later this year in a vacation rental. Please could anyone tell me where it's best to be based.
Should I opt for Kierland and other places within the 101 loop or would it be best to be further out say at Troon or Tatum Ranch.

How urban is it at Kierland? I like to shop but it would be good to see some countyside too
Thanks
Darcey

I always found Troon to be a fairly long drive from where the nice shopping and restaurants are. It's been awhile since we vacationed in Scottsdale, but the area near the Princess always seemed a pretty good one to me - a bit quiet but close enough to all the action. I know the area has changed a lot.. hopefully a native will have some good ideas.

Southern Scottsdale is the best place to be for shopping. You're close to the Camelback corridor and right next door to Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Troon and Tatum Ranch are both pretty far out. They recently built Desert Ridge Marketplace, which is 101@Tatum, but it's mostly big-box stores and is really just a glorified strip mall.
Kierland Commons is also reasonably close by, but still doesn't offer the upscale shopping that you'll find to the south.
It's more suburban in the Kierland area. It's not dense like Downtown Scottsdale, but is certainly not countryside. The way Phoenix has developed, you have to go pretty far north now to get to the countryside. If you go north on Pima a bit, then east on Dynamite/Rio Verde, you hit a beautiful wilderness/national forest area, but it's still a bit of a drive.