To celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided to plan a little Vegas-style getaway right in the heart of Phoenix and booked a room at the Talking Stick Resort and Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A hop, skip and jump away from our home in Mesa, we were on the Loop 101 and found ourselves parking in the massive parking lot just in time for lunch. After checking in, we stopped by the Black Fig Bistro on the casino floor for a quick bite. I indulged in a veggie sandwich with sweet potato fries while my polar opposite husband noshed on a double-cheeseburger, both of which were impressive considering we were dining in a café open 24/7!

After polishing off our food, we went to check out our digs for the night. “Wowed” would be an understatement. The room was huge, modern and full of great amenities like an iPod dock with speakers, a rainfall shower and a view of the glistening pool.

As much as we would have loved to just lounge around in the room, we continued to explore the resort and ventured up to the 14th floor to the spa to see what treatments we could pamper ourselves with before the night ended. I booked myself a manicure for later that afternoon, and we went back downstairs to enjoy some rest and relaxation by the pool.

After my soothing manicure, we got dressed and headed to dinner. We ventured to the  . Once again, we were quite impressed with the fare at this casual restaurant. We dined on Asian-inspired cuisine and tasty margaritas (a surprisingly good combination) before heading over to Dueling Pianos at Talking Stick for some live entertainment.

After listening to piano renditions of “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” we had enough courage to take our chances on the casino floor. We stopped by a few roulette tables and finished up the night on some of the arcade-style slot machines with interactive bonus rounds like we’d never seen before. Thankfully, we left the casino with only a few dollars less than when we started.

The next morning we were up bright and early and stopped by the Wandering Horse Buffet for some breakfast before checking out. Piles of fresh eggs and home fries lined the walls and made our mouths water before we could even sit to eat.

Completely satisfied, pampered and well rested, we left the resort on a high note, more than happy to return again soon.

Kim Higdon is a Phoenix native and a new mom who is always looking for new things to do with her growing family here in the Valley. Appreciating the active side of Phoenix, Kim likes to get out and explore all that this burgeoning city has to offer.