Boulders Resort & Spa

Nature may have spent 12 million years creating the rock formation that is the centerpiece of this 1,300-acre Hilton Curio Collection resort in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, but late-coming humans have done a commendable job of adding the finishing touches. Although the Boulders, with its casita accommodations blending into the landscape, its championship golf courses, and its upscale shops, is as luxurious as any resort in the Scottsdale area, it’s also where guests are most likely to feel they are truly in the desert. An early-morning walk along groomed paths, when the first rays of light are turning the landscape golden, is as likely to produce the sounds of woodpeckers or owls calling from their nests in saguaro cacti as it is the whack of a ball against club or racket.

Nature may have spent 12 million years creating the rock formation that is the centerpiece of this 1,300-acre Hilton Curio Collection resort in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, but late-coming humans have done a commendable job of adding the finishing touches. Although the Boulders, with its casita accommodations blending into the landscape, its championship golf courses, and its upscale shops, is as luxurious as any resort in the Scottsdale area, it’s also where guests are most likely to feel they are truly in the desert. An early-morning walk along groomed paths, when the first rays of light are turning the landscape golden, is as likely to produce the sounds of woodpeckers or owls calling from their nests in saguaro cacti as it is the whack of a ball against club or racket.

Bringing together the elements of feng shui, a Zen-like ambience, and its Sonoran Desert environs, Spa at the Boulders is a 33,000-square-foot escape where you can easily spend an entire day. Besides the 24 treatment rooms and a running list of innovative experiences—like a revitalizing Turquoise Wrap—you’ll find a path-to-tranquility labyrinth, an authentic tepee for guided meditation, a private Watsu therapy pool, and Vichy showers. Outside, the spa maintains an organic garden, where guests pick herbs for spa treatments and postmassage cocktails! The spa’s setting, amid the resort’s 12-million-year-old boulder formations, invites relaxation and contemplation, and spa-goers have a choice of meditation areas, including a hydrotherapy setting and an indoor rock and sand garden.

Bringing together the elements of feng shui, a Zen-like ambience, and its Sonoran Desert environs, Spa at the Boulders is a 33,000-square-foot escape where you can easily spend an entire day. Besides the 24 treatment rooms and a running list of innovative experiences—like a revitalizing Turquoise Wrap—you’ll find a path-to-tranquility labyrinth, an authentic tepee for guided meditation, a private Watsu therapy pool, and Vichy showers. Outside, the spa maintains an organic garden, where guests pick herbs for spa treatments and postmassage cocktails! The spa’s setting, amid the resort’s 12-million-year-old boulder formations, invites relaxation and contemplation, and spa-goers have a choice of meditation areas, including a hydrotherapy setting and an indoor rock and sand garden.

A new program at the Boulders resort’s Golden Door Spa calls on the Native American medicine wheel to help guests achieve clarity, awareness, and cleansing through such practices as hot yoga.

The land that The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, is situated on includes some of the most beautiful cactus species that I have ever seen. Take their Desert Photo Tour with nature photographer Linda Covey. Linda will show you around the property for about two hours, pointing out the incredible cacti and showing you how to capture the best photos of this beautiful and exotic living desert.