The weather was starting to warm up a bit in the Phoenix area of Arizona. Susan Campbell, a friend and fellow travel writer, and I were
happy to keep the car parked while we enjoyed the scenery and learned more
about the Sanctuary at Camelback.
We were supposed to go on a hike in the morning, but my cold
had turned into a sinus infection and walking steady was not my strong point.
Susan did take off for a while and examine the breathtaking grounds of the
property. I was not at a total loss as you didn’t have to walk far at the
Sanctuary at Camelback to be blown away by the views.
Breakfast was in the Elements restaurant, which is full of
windows so we didn’t miss a moment of the mountains. The menu ranged from
healthy, gluten-free and vegetarian, to slightly indulgent. Susan went for the
eggs and bacon with an Arizona Sunrise Smoothie, while I had a decadent Brioche
French Toast, with cherries, almonds and whipped mascarpone.
After breakfast she headed to the pool and I met with the
spa director and operations manager to learn more about Sanctuary at Camelback and what they
offer. I was told the spa is focused
more on “wellness” than “pampering,” though I found the personal attention from
the moment you walk in to be one of the most pampering I’ve received (thanks
again to Daphne for taking such good care of me). They are also said working
with guests to plan customized experiences in advance, whether you want to
train for a marathon, get in better shape, or find yourself through guided
imagery and meditation.
The spa at the Sanctuary is very comforting. I spent the
rest of the afternoon there, reading between the eucalyptus steam baths, Jacuzzi
and a Sabai Foot treatment. Sabai is the Thai word for relax and I’m not sure
that I found it overly relaxing, but my feet never felt so soft and the day had
certainly been relaxing.
Susan was thrilled with her Swedish massage and we were both
ready to continue the relaxation into the evening with drinks on the patio of
the Jade Bar. We got a cheese platter and I had a Moscow Mule (Ultimat Vodka, house
made ginger syrup and ginger beer) and she sipped her beer while the sun went down.
We then walked over to the Elements restaurant, where we had the same table
with a view as breakfast.
Dinner was even better than breakfast thanks to some helpful
hints from our waiter, Mark. My Potato Leek Soup was very good and I continued
the vegetarian evening with an excellent Carrot & Millet Ravioli,
surrounded by sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms and Yuku mint chimici. Susan
had the duck, which came with forbidden rice (my first time trying this treat)
and was in a boy choy black bean sauce. We also had side of roasted Brussels sprouts
and Truffled Macaroni and Cheese, both of which were great.
It’s a rare night that I don’t at least sample some dessert,
but even the thought of the PB Bomb (peanut butter mousse and dark chocolate
ganache in a crispy Nutella base) could not make room in my stomach. We instead
went back to the room and retired early. A full day at the Sanctuary at
Camelback left us rested, relaxed and ready to fall into deep sleep. It was a
good thing because the next day was a full one as we headed to The Boulders.
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