Tag Archives | the Southwest

Glorious Getaway: Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa

By on April 30, 2012 in Adventure Travel, Family Travel, Trips with Friends, Utah

Today we’re looking west toward Utah and the Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa in Moab. What a serene, gorgeous setting it has along the Colorado River, surrounded by towering red rock formations and a dry, desert landscape (you may recognize the scenery from films like Rio Grande, Thelma and Louise, and 127 Hours).

Sporty types will find themselves right at home, with year-round adventures like trail hiking, mountain biking, ATVing, and horseback riding right outside of the resort’s front door, and Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are only a short drive away. And, good news for animal lovers: the resort is pet friendly, and is one of the few of the country to offer outside boarding of guests’ horses.

After a day of activity, hit the spa for rejuvenating treatments with regionally-appropriate names like the “Desert Rain Soak” in a tub of wild sages and lavender, followed by a 50-minute massage. We’d end the day with a late afternoon dip in the pool, followed by a dinner of locally-sourced fare like the Cherry-Pasilla Rubbed Buffalo filet and a glass of wine at the resort’s River Grill Restaurant.

 

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Glorious Getaway: Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North

By on April 17, 2012 in Arizona, Family Travel, Romantic Vacations, Trips with Friends

It’s sort of a shame that we don’t continue the “Spring Break” tradition into adulthood. I don’t mean that we should all pack our bags and head back to Panama City (margaritas should be served out of a pitcher, not a squirt gun), but building in a few days out of the year solely dedicated to relaxing and catching up with friends in a scenic setting is a pretty wonderful concept.

I’ve been reminiscing about a trip I took a few years back with my girlfriends to one of my favorite springtime destinations: Scottsdale, Arizona. We checked into the Four Seasons Resort at Troon North, a perfect home base for an “adult” spring break. It was an incredibly relaxing three days, most of which were spent catching up with one another around the pool (below). When we did motivate out of our lounge chairs, we took advantage of some of the resort’s onsite activities, like wine tasting at Talavera Restaurant and treating ourselves to massages at the lovely spa. A few of us even got up early one day for a sunrise hike up nearby Pinnacle Peak. I came back home after the trip feeling totally refreshed and recharged and, best of all, better connected with the women closest to me—time well spent in my book.

What are some of your favorite spring break spots for grown-ups?

My friends and I enjoy some poolside margaritas

 

View from the lobby

 

Inside one of the property’s “casitas”

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Video of the Week: The Wild Heart

By on March 14, 2012 in Adventure Travel, Arizona, California, Utah

Come back to Glorious Americana often enough, and you’re bound to notice I’m a big fan of time lapse photography videos. This week I wanted to highlight The Wild Heart, a new portrait of the American Southwest by Henry Jun Wah Lee. He’s captured the region’s most beautiful natural phenomena, from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley to the Vermillion Cliffs. There’s even incredible shots from December’s lunar eclipse. In an interview with The Atlantic, Lee said he began photography as a means to reconnect with nature. “In the wilderness there is nothing between you and the stars,” he explains. “Trying to grasp the infinite is an inspiring, as well as a humbling experience. Seeing in person how nature works helped me also to better understand myself.”

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