Things to do / Travel Guide
Between Phoenix and Tucson, in sun-drenched southern Arizona, you'll find such an abundance of luxury hotels and resorts that you'll just have to come back again and again. They all rock, and they're all unique and clearly products of the environment. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired hotel, another surrounded by large natural boulders, a mansion resort, a resort made up of close to 100 casitas, and more. It's all about the balance between roughing it and living like royalty. Surely you concede you deserve it!
Luxurious Accommodations and Activities in Southern Arizona
Consider the Arizona Biltmore, a Phoenix point of pride. Constructed by a Wright protégé under the great architect's influence, and renovated in his shadow ever since, the great resort is in a category to itself. It's one of those buildings that, whether looked upon from up close or far away or from anywhere within, you say “wow” as your heart leaps. The vertical lines raise your eyes up, the geometric designs are the unmistakable imprint of one of the last century's most innovative minds.
The Biltmore's accommodations and amenities deserve no less expounding. The dining room and outside gardens are positively Art Deco, while the rooms and suites are Mission-style and furnished with 1930s artifacts. The spa is a center for the treatments of ancient cultures, from the Chinese and from the Native Americans of Arizona's own Sonoran Desert. The golf courses, most particularly the Adobe, are some of the very best in the United States.
By the way, the Biltmore is where the stars stay when in Phoenix on a shoot or to relax. Everyone from Fred Astaire and Marilyn Monroe, to every American President since the 1930s has stayed there.
Now moving on to another Phoenix standard, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa can be described as a cross between a Sonoran oasis and royal residence on the Mediterranean. Whether you stay in the mansion or in one of the private casitas, you'll find surprises of European opulence against the quiet backdrop of the haunting Sonoran Desert and Camelback Mountain. The Presidential Villa, to describe the standard by way of the best, is more than 2,000 square feet in area and is fitted throughout with fireplaces and grand-scale furniture. There are three private patios, and the ceiling is of tobacco-tinted bare wood beams, with chandeliers draping at spaced intervals.
The Royal Palms is laid out like a private estate. You take the tree-lined avenue, past cultivated citrus groves, to the fountained courtyard; cross that and you get to the mansion, with mahogany and iron double doors. On the other side of the resort, past the lawn and the pool, is the spa. The Alvadora Spa is a Mediterranean-style affair, with fresh fragrances of herbs, minerals, flowers, and oils wafting through the hallways.
Across the region, a short ways from the Mexican border, is Tucson, with its own selection of excellent accommodations. Near the city are two fantastic resorts, Canyon Ranch and Miraval. They are different, in that one is a ranch and one a resort, but every whim is majestically granted at both establishments. These are places where the focus is on rejuvenation of the body and spirit, to renew your bond with nature. As such you can visit the spa, meet with nutritionists, and hike and bike the grounds with naturalists as guides - all in view of the prominent Catalina Mountains. Foods are all healthy and at the height of taste, while wines rejuvenate in other ways.
At Canyon Ranch, you'll luxuriate in the Southwestern-style accommodations. Plush living rooms centered around comfy couches, with bay windows looking out over lush greenery or the mountains - it depends on where you want your casita. At Miraval - Life in Balance (yep, that's the name), surround yourself with Southwestern artistry and artisans' wares, with wood-beamed ceilings above and with the most comfortable king-sized beds to sleep on.
Luxurious Dining in Southern Arizona
As a general rule, the best dining in southern Arizona can be found at the resorts. T. Cook's at the Royal Palms, for instance, serves some of the best food in the Southwest. Start with the smoked tomato soup or crab cakes, then moved on to the fire-roasted Mediterranean paella or the raised short ribs with cauliflower and pinenut risotto and citrus kale. This isn't only a dinner place, though. How's this for a satisfying breakfast? - Buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberry and rhubarb chutney, with apple-smoked bacon on the side and your choice of fruit juices. Yum!
Canyon Ranch's restaurant focuses on making healthy choices, and on the perpetual surprise at how nutritional goodness tastes good, too. The gazpacho is probably the best you've ever had. An entrée of seared panko-crusted tofu steak is a revelation in soy presentation, while the sautéed red snapper with wild rice, baby zucchini, and kumquat vinaigrette is positively delectable. For an additional adventure in food, join the demonstration chefs to learn secrets behind eating right and loving it.
Southern Arizona's Sonoran Desert, where the resorts, spas, and ranches are located, is a zone where luxury takes on new characteristics. It's a place to learn to renew your bonds with your body and with nature. Luxury here means taking a course in yoga or in food preparation, playing an extraordinary game of golf surrounded by stoic saguaros, hiking along with a knowledgeable guide - then of course coming back to home base to the fantastic European-style spa for massages and saunas. Now THAT's luxury!
Luxury Vacation Ideas in Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale, Tombstone and Southern Arizona
Luxury-Vacations
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