Photo by Brian Goddard La Posada hotel, Winslow

Getting away from it all doesn’t have
to mean getting out of Arizona entirely.
Check out these secluded in-state sanctuaries.


When it comes to staycation options, Phoenicians are spoiled for choice. But can you really recharge your batteries when your boss is a text message and a traffic jam away? To really decompress, you need a place where the cell phone reception is sketchy and the scenery, service, sunsets and silence are a sure thing. Thankfully, Arizona is blessed with backcountry bolt-holes where the itineraries feature a single magic word: relax.

Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain

The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain is slated to open this December 18 near Marana, a prospect that seems at first blush like casting the Queen of England in Blazing Saddles. And it might have been, 20 years ago. But since then, both the emblematic hotel brand and the Tucson environs have reinvented themselves.
Gone is the Ritz’s red velvet-and-crystal elitism; here to stay is understated, comfortable luxury that harmonizes with the surroundings. “This is not your mother’s Ritz-Carlton. It will be accessible, welcoming, casual,” says Jennifer Pelczarski, the hotel’s director of public relations.

Photo courtesy The View Hotel,  Monument Valley The View Hotel,  Monument Valley

Meanwhile, nearby Tucson is looming larger on the traveler’s map, attracting art lovers, foodies and world-class events. The Ritz’s Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, for example, is the site of the Accenture Match Play Championship, when Tiger Woods and company battle for world domination every February.

The 250-room, boutique-y property is secreted away on 850 acres of ochre-colored hills teeming with saguaros. Great effort went into preserving the Old West flavor inherited from the land’s latest owner, cattle rancher-cum-cowboy poet Cush Cayton, and its original owners, the Hohokam. Local art, artisans, stone and woodwork are incorporated into the design. From the tanning island in the center of the pool, you can gaze at a petroglyph-covered mountain, and kids’ programs will include a make-your-own-petroglyph class.

Photo courtesy Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain golf course

In keeping with the welcoming vibe, the restaurants, spa and 20 miles of National Geographic-mapped hiking trails all will be open to the community. This new lower-key atmosphere will embrace girlfriend getaways and family get-togethers. But if Ritz habitués miss the exclusivity, they’ll still find luxury: outdoor treatment rooms at the swish spa and a young but genteel staff that treats its “ladies and gentlemen” (yes, they use that phrase) “in a way that’s elegant but not intrusive,” Pelczarski says.
 
At the four restaurants and wine bar, you’ll have access to a 3,500-bottle wine cellar featuring many recession-friendly bottles. And Chef Joel Harrington’s seasonal, desert-meets-sea menu will change as often as the color of his mohawk. We told you this wasn’t your mother’s Ritz.