My husband, Adam, had the desire to go somewhere warm. We considered returning to the One & Only Mandarina outside Puerto Vallarta, but we wanted something more active. We looked into the new-ish 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on Kauai, where we’d surely enjoy the hiking, but a 252-room hive of a hotel sounded unappealing. Checking the list of destinations I sporadically maintain, I came upon Castle Hot Springs, an hour’s drive north of Phoenix, which I must have read about in one of the local glossies. There’s a fair amount to do, including soaking in natural springs; no one under the age of 16 is allowed; and you can fly from Santa Barbara. And that’s how we ended up somewhere colder than here.
It was the first time we’ve ever booked only a couple of weeks in advance, which I loved—the trip was upon us before we knew it. And you don’t have to do a lot of research: it’s the kind of resort you don’t leave, because there isn’t much nearby and the last seven miles is a “primitive” dirt road—which Adam used as an excuse to rent a big-ass Jeep.
After driving through the desert for what feels like a long time, you come upon a true oasis, tucked into a valley and landscaped with the help of the abundant spring water. (That’s lawn, not a golf course.) It calls to mind Brigadoon, Shangri-La, and all the other paradise clichés.
The resort is understandably proud of its history and the boldfaced names to have stayed there over the decades. A documentary about the property is screened every afternoon; for some reason, no one mentions that you could just watch it online, preferably with the sound off.
The layout is kind of shaped like an elephant’s head, with the main building as the eye, the farm as the ear, the Spring Bungalows as the mouth, the smaller Sky View Cabins as the throat, and the hot springs as the end of the trunk. All the rooms are freestanding, which is ideal, and golf carts are on call 24 hours a day to take you anywhere, although the springs are only a 10-minute walk max from the rooms.
We booked a Sky View Cabin…
…but got upgraded to a Spring Bungalow (#12). The decor was exactly what you’d expect from a high-end Western resort.
My favorite thing about the room was the outdoor tub for two, which had a knob dedicated to spring water.
As an Olympic-level nitpicker when it comes to hotel rooms, I feel obliged to mention a few things. I was baffled by the decision to have the doors open inward, so you couldn’t shut the draperies as you were leaving. Our indoor fireplace (there was also an outdoor one) had a fan that was so loud we couldn’t use it. The bathroom lighting was a bit grim, in the way of LEDs. And if we had stayed longer, we would’ve investigated the settings on the Toto Washlet so that the lid didn’t rise every time the toilet sensed movement. It reminded me of Chairry from “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” so I’d say, “Hello, Toilet!” whenever it greeted me. (P.S. Next time you find yourself on a Washlet with no off button, push the fan button to stop the flow of water.)
Last but not least, I would prefer not to have a room near a chipping green, where people tend to whoop after a satisfying shot. Adam was inexplicably drawn to it, despite a total lack of skill, so I was able to get some enjoyment watching him plunk balls into the water.
The very best part of the hotel is the springs. There are three, around 86, 96, and 106 degrees, and none of them have a sulfur smell. The first time we went, I walked up a set of stairs not intended for guests, and I announced to the folks in the water that I was just getting the lay of the land.
“It’s a good lay!” said one gentleman.
There’s a cold plunge, if that’s your idea of fun. I thought Adam looked like a chicken in a stockpot.
The hotel wasn’t very busy during our midweek stay, so we were able to enjoy soaking with few (if any) other people around. That was especially delightful at night—the springs are open 24 hours—when we went after an early dinner.
Many of the activities are included, but some are not, and it’s all explained very clearly here. Perhaps we were in an adventurous mood, because we ended up doing a lot of stuff we had never done.
The most interesting activity was the Via Ferrata, a system of metal rungs and cables you clip onto with two carabiners to make rock climbing easier. Castle Hot Springs offers easy, medium, and advanced routes, and we chose medium, which included walking across a narrow bridge. The payoffs were both macro (views down to the resort) and micro (a stick bug). We were fortunate that no one else joined us, which meant we had the sole attention of our guide, a Ventura native named Matthew, and we didn’t have to wait for slowpokes.
We also signed up for a guided hike to the top of Salvation Peak, where the American flag is slightly visible in the first photo below. A guide was unnecessary, and our pace was hampered by some less experienced hikers (one of whom was Mr. Goodlay), but they were amusing to hang out with. While we were at the top, some military jets flew over, which was pretty cool.
You can also hike on your own. The part where the trail looks like a road was extremely pleasant, an easy walk under a big sky in beautiful silence, and who doesn’t like a yellow ladder leading through a hole in the rock? I will say that the hiking trails could use more/better signage, because there are more trails than indicated on the map.
After Adam and I returned from our UTV excursion—another first—Mr. Goodlay asked how we liked it. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me!” I said. “Because I hope never to do it again.” Honestly, I have no idea why Adam wanted to sign up for it or why I agreed to go along. Cars aren’t my thing, and I refused to do any of the driving, so I spent three hours being jarred and jostled while enduring the kind of engine noise that only adolescent males find thrilling and wearing a polyester bandana over my face. (There’s no windshield.) Adam sort of liked it at first, but quickly determined that the vehicles are so stable there isn’t much challenge. I spent my time thinking about how there are two kinds of people in the world—those who aim to be in harmony with nature, and those who want to dominate it. I also mentally solved the day’s Spelling Bee and came up with a surefire million-dollar idea for X-rated crackers called Snaxxx. More on that some other day.
We probably should have done the e-bike tour instead—we liked taking bikes out on the road for a quick spin, and it would’ve been neat to explore the desert on them. I had never been on an e-bike before, and I can see the appeal, but then again, I kept it on the “turbo” setting the whole time, because why wouldn’t you?
Our last big excursion was a guided hike through Crater Canyon, which the resort calls a slot canyon, but it’s not nearly as dramatic or pretty as Antelope Canyon or Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks outside Santa Fe. Some Via Ferrata–style climbing is involved, which caught some of our group by surprise; we, of course, were experts by then.
Apparently, it’s not uncommon to spot wildlife at the resort, although the best we saw were the rabbits who hang out by the cabin behind ours. And while I was getting a massage, the therapist announced that some baby javelinas were right outside the screen door. I was face-down on the table, so I couldn’t see them, but I heard a lot of snorting.
Beyond the setting and the springs, what makes Castle Hot Springs special is the service. Every single person we interacted with was warm and professional; we got the impression that they enjoy working there. The only off note was the decision to use leaf blowers (electric, but still) around the pool area every morning at 6:30 a.m., which we could hear all too clearly.
I was worried that the dining room would be too fussy, but it wasn’t at all. For the variety as much as anything else, we did enjoy eating upstairs at the bar one night, where you can have the same food as downstairs or order from a small bar menu.
The food was fine, but not stellar: dishes often included one ingredient too many and/or were oversauced; it’s the kind of cuisine where you’ll find gold leaf on a dessert more than once. Other guests liked the food more, so perhaps our expectations were just too high. The best things we ate—fish tacos at lunch, and a delicious Cornish hen with Indian spices—were the simplest.
We genuinely enjoyed our time at the resort. I liked talking to the other guests, and I liked that Adam had other people to talk to. And I slept 10 and a half hours one night, which might be a record. Whether we return depends on whether there will be new things to do. One of our guides said there are plans to expand the hiking trails, which would be great, and perhaps we’d even be able to hire a guide for a private tour somewhere off the standard slate of options.
P.S. We loved this sign pointing people toward Phoenix. You don’t want to head off in the wrong direction.
P.P.S. Time things right and you can stop by Pizzeria Bianco on your way to the airport.
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Previous travel coverage:
••• Driving Through the Heart of Hokkaido
••• Tokyo Is a World Unto Itself
••• Paso Robles, Pinnacles National Park, and Beyond
••• A Review of the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern
••• Another Quickie in L.A.
••• Sitting Pretty at the One & Only Mandarina
••• The Mysteries of Istanbul
••• Palm Springs: Midweek at the Oasis
••• A Summer Swing Through the Northeast
••• Why Is Everyone Going to Portugal?
↓↓↓ Patagonia Made Easy
••• A Quickie in L.A.
••• From Penthouse to Pavement in Mexico City
••• Do Greek Islands Live Up to the Fantasy?
••• Splendid Isolation at Utah’s Lodge at Blue Sky
••• Three Reasons to Visit Paso Robles Now
••• The Rebirth of the Cuyama Buckhorn
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Having grown up in the Phoenix area I’m familiar with Castle Hot Springs, mostly because of the fire that destroyed a lot of it in the 1970’s. Also my father retired to Wickenburg which is another 30 minutes up the road. . . the paved road, that is! This was a great write-up and I had a couple lol’s.