The Ritz Carlton resort in Tucson, AZ offered a deal in Spring of 2011 that we just couldn't pass up. So, we booked this trip for a long weekend getaway back in April as a nice "good-bye" to summer (possibly our last summer as just "Seth and Jennifer" ...). It turns out, a few days before we flew out, we found out we were pregnant. We were overjoyed, elated, you name it. It made the trip all the more fun and memorable. An inadvertent "babymoon," if you will. My first time out to the desert. I must say, it was very interesting and not boring as a Californian might think (or maybe I'm just getting old?). Here are some pics.
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| As we drove along the highway to the resort, it was already neat to see the scattered cacti |
We even drove past an ostrich farm! I think I was too baffled and surprised to even snap a picture. Beforehand, we had spent some time shopping at the Phoenix outlets (selection was good, higher caliber of inventory than the SJ outlets). The hotel just opened in December of 2009 and has a PGA golf course. Check-in was fairly busy, but the resort was so huge that it never felt too busy or full. The resort offered plenty of activities throughout the day, but most of them were geared toward children. While there were lots of families present, it didn't affect our relaxtion at all -- we never even heard one crying baby or yelling child! thank goodness for that!
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| Complimentary dessert on our first dinner there. An early celebration of our 3 year wedding anniversary! |
Even though the temp was in the 90s during the day, and then low 70s at night, the resort had plenty of beautiful landscaping in addition to the gigantic cacti. Outside of one building door was an herb garden which the restaurants use, and outside of another was a lime orchard -- they both smelled wonderful!
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| They also grow their own grapefruits and lemons (for those fresh cocktails!). |
At just 1 month pregnant, they made me a refreshing non-alcoholic drink: the best ever fresh-squeezed rosemary lemonade. Sounds a little funky, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Not the sugary, high-fructose-corn-syrup lemonade that we see everywhere else.
We also stopped at the golf course club one afternoon for appetizers. The food was divine and the scenery was beautiful.
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| This outdoor sitting area at the golf course was gorgeous ... and HUGE! |
I'm including a picture with a 6'2" person in it, so you can get a reference for the size of this place:
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| You can tell he was a bit in awe of the design & craftmanship ... |
It was all very peaceful and quiet. If you want an easy getaway to the middle of nowhere, I highly recommend this place. And trust me, I had my fair share of anxiety about going to any type of "middle of nowhere!" But now I know what people talk about when they mention "relaxation!"
Check out this neat stone artwork on the wall of the golf club restaurant:
and this lengthy sconce, too. After building our house, I have a new found appreciation for decor details such as lighting:
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