Castle Hot Springs — Hotel in Four Corners States

Wow. I am late writing the review. My wife and I celebrated ten years of marriage with Castle Hot Springs in November of ‘24. ||After booking, expect a call from the resort to confirm, and to begin shaping your trip. I was very impressed by the time and attention the young lady took to explain all there was to do, and how to ensure we had the best time. She emphasized that any plans we made, could be changed, but it was nice to have a sense of what to expect. We called them twice before our arrival to make tweaks to the schedule, and they never seemed bothered and encouraged us to continue to call with any questions. ||To start, we loved the drive in. The long dirt road gave us an immediate feeling of going somewhere remote, special. We did not feel that the road was particularly rough, but it is a dirt road. Allow it to give you a sense of beginning your adventure! ||The moment the resort came into view, my wife and I knew we had arrived somewhere special. It is a true oasis in the middle of a beautiful mountainous desert. The grounds are immaculate, timeless, and bestow a sense of true luxury. ||We were greeted by staff at the gate and escorted to check-in. The staff knew our names, and were extremely helpful. The check-in process was simple and smooth. They give you a printed itinerary for each day of your stay. ||We stayed in the sky view lodge and loved how each room was an individual building. The furnishings and small touches in the room speak to the intentional approach the resort takes to each stay. The personalized small gifts each evening. The local healthy snacks (always replenished). The art and books. It truly is a 5* resort/room. My wife loved the private outdoor bath. ||The hot springs themselves are incredible. I’ve never been to a hot spring before and wasn’t sure what to expect. We really enjoyed the different levels of heat. We stayed at the top two for our stay, alternating between the very hot and warm springs. They also have a cold plunge to enjoy as well. The grounds around the upper springs are very nice. Small loungers for sitting. A changing room and locker room for personal item storage. Fresh towels are also provided at the hot springs. My wife and I would go each evening after dinner and usually had the hot springs to ourselves. It was a unique experience to see the stars, and with the resort being a low light resort, it was very relaxing. ||I am not sure what to say about the food that hasn’t already been stated. It’s amazing. Do the farm tour, it was one of our favorite activities. We loved everything we ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Istvan, the restaurant manager, was INCREDIBLE. He was extremely attentive, knew our names after our first lunch, and has a great team. Every server (I wish I remembered everyone’s name), was great. They truly became friends our four night we were there. ||One of our favorite things about Castle Hot Springs is you can do as much, or as little, as you would like. We stayed very busy with hiking, archery, axe throwing, e-bike riding, yoga (wife), sound bath (wife), and the mindfulness activities (bath salts were awesome!). However, if you want to relax and enjoy the weather, read a book, or go on a short walk, that is available and encouraged. The activities team was always willing to help, and if we had an idea that wasn’t on the schedule and they had time. They ensured we did it. ||The service at Castle Hot Springs is not going to be white glove. This isn’t that type of property. However, it is going to be meaningful and purposeful. Case in point, one evening my wife and I wanted to play pickle ball. We walked to the pickle ball court and found the items in a very well organized outdoor chest. We began to play, when someone working on the irrigation system noticed. He walked over to us, asked if we had played before, and offered to play with us. He radioed for someone to come down, and we had a 2v2 game for about an hour. Turns out, it was the assistant GM. He surely had a check list of things to accomplish that evening, but he put them on the back burner to assure his guest had a memorable experience. He also allowed one of his employees, who also had task I’m sure, to take part. ||I had just completed reading the book, “Unreasonable Hospitality” prior to arriving. I truly felt that the book was playing out before my eyes. ||Experience is the word I can best use to wrap up this review. You will have a mind blowing experience at Castle Hot Springs. The best maybe of your life. Every detail is thought of, and if it isn’t, just communicate it to someone. If you’re on the fence about going, do it. It is expensive. We thought we may get to go back again for our 20 year anniversary, but we loved it so much we will be budgeting for a return trip this...

Where to begin... Castle Hot Springs (CHS) takes your relaxing getaway to a level I’ve only dreamed of. Literally everything from the personal customized service to the farm-to-table culinary experience sets itself up as an example that other luxury resorts should follow even as young as Castle Hot Springs is.

Each employee strives to make your visit as pleasant as can be by catering to your needs. Romaine, Shane (and Natalie once) took good care of us in the dining room where the agronomists (or farmers as they preferred to be called), Ian and David - with whom we toured the farm - coordinated with the chef to bring the absolute freshest and most flavorful dishes presented beautifully.

Making the gastronomic delicacies even more interesting is the Farm Tour offered twice daily. The tour should be called a Tour and Tasting because we tasted all kinds of herbs and vegetables along the way. You’ll then find them on your plate at meals. The drive up to the main lodge is lined with citrus trees ripe for the picking if you’re so inclined. If not, try the fresh juice or for breakfast, the grapefruit brûlée.

Back in the dining room, called Harvest, Romaine had a sense of humor that kept us laughing, but not so much as to be intrusive and without ever sacrificing service. Despite other special requests and on the busiest of our dinners, the chef prepared fresh potato pancakes (“latkes”) and apple sauce at my request for a surprise Chanukah treat. He then came out to the dining room to ask if we were satisfied as he’d never made these. They were as delicious as everything else we ate at Harvest.

I’ll next sing the praises of “Hey Bartender”, both the drink and its namesake. Jessica and Russell and the third bartender whom we saw less frequently work magic with the bounties of the CHS farm. Tell them your taste preferences whether they include alcohol or not and watch them using botanicals in all forms to conjure up a drink uniquely yours be it sweet or sour, fresh or warming, spicy or smooth with garnishes so unique, you know you have to taste them!

Life at Castle Hot Springs may seem to revolve around food and drink, but there is plenty to keep you active, if you so choose. Although we had uncharacteristically cold and rainy weather, we hiked, took the mountain bikes for a spin, and road through the river bed on horses after which hot toddies and hot springs were awaiting us. We also followed massages by Carol, Christy (and a third male therapist) with a relaxing float in the hot springs which are nestled at the juncture of two small mountains up a slight hill. Fear not, though, should you decide you’d rather not walk, a CHS valet will take you to or pick you up from anywhere on the property in a golf cart. We never had to wait for one. Each valet or staff member friendlier than the next, all so professional and genuinely interested in your comfort and satisfaction. I only wish I’d recorded their names as I have the others.

Our party of five, my husband, two adult daughters in their late twenties, and my husband’s 84 year old mother, stayed in three of the four rooms in the Lodge. I cannot speak to the other types of accommodation, but the rooms are quite spacious with beds so comfortable that my mother-in-law is set to find bedding to replicate that comfort in her own bedroom. The old fashioned tub keeps with the decor, but includes the currently popular rain shower type shower head. Just be sure to tuck the shower curtain in!! The bathroom is also spacious and includes a large upholstered built-in bench behind the door, a nice touch and convenient way to keep unsightly laundry and such out of view.

A stated goal of Castle Hot Springs is to take you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and offer calm and quiet. As such, the WiFi password is Digital Detox; there are no televisions in the rooms and guests are encouraged sit and enjoy the quiet on benches scattered along the brook. Meditation and yoga are offered most mornings and we very much enjoyed our instructor for the several sessions...

Castle Hot Springs is pure tranquility and luxury, recently remodeled and updated but upholding the true natural beauty and history of the location. I am not ever a repeat visitor for any place, let alone any single resort (there's so much to see in this world!) BUT I will be back to CHS. That I think is the biggest compliment I could ever give a resort!

GROUNDS: The resort is honestly a little heavenly oasis in the middle of the Sonoran Desert: a palm lined drive, flowers and gardens, fire pits, activity spaces (putting greens, pickleball, bocce, etc), and of course the beautiful hot springs. There are 3 ranging from very hot (I could only spend ~10 minutes or so before needing cooler waters), hot, and warm. The water is pristine and clear and the surroundings are immaculately groomed with easy access stairs, natural and built waterfalls, soft gravel and sand bottom, changing room, bathrooms, drinking water, fresh towels - everything you need (even a secret grotto!). Getting around by foot or bike is easy, and the staff are always available to give you a lift. We had a great time getting historical and nature facts from Bradley, and certainly appreciated his expert rattlesnake wrangling! (This is still a wonderfully natural place, so take care to take precautions against snakes and scorpions here.)

LODGING: Like the grounds, you want for nothing in your little bungalow from electronic shades to the Nesresso maker. Lounging in the private outdoor spaces with bath tub (fed by the springs!) were a favorite part of my trip. So peaceful lying in the shade and warm healing waters, listening to the breeze through the trees! The Red Flower botanical soaps were a nice touch. The porch lovely for evenings.

FOOD: This really should have been the first thing mentioned, but the excellence of this food can not fully be appreciated without trying it. I attribute this to the freshness of not only farm-to-table dining (farm on site!) but also the extreme care of the farmers (also on site!) who love to show you around and talk about their specially designed hybrid tomato plants, relocations and love of the bee colony, excitement over the upcoming agave harvest, or future plans for improving their composting adventures. A special shout out to David who was more than generous with sharing of his knowledge and seeds! Secondly, to complete the experience of dining at CHS, the staff and servers were so enthusiastic to speak to us about every single ingredient and how it was prepared, and so attentive to my partner's food allergy. Any requests to try a sauce or taste from another dish were generously fulfilled. Mixologists concocted beautiful drinks, sometimes out of thin air if you float them an idea or a flavor you love. Props to Jana and Gavin for their amazing service.

ACTIVITIES: We did paddle board yoga, archery, and the farm tour. All the tours of the grounds are a must! Our instructors were warm and fun for all activities. We struck a balance between our desire to lounge and forget the outside world (no service here! but there is Wifi, I suggest forgetting about your phone completely) and do the (mostly) free enticing activities. We found 1 morning and 1 afternoon activity to be perfect. In May, morning, midday, and evenings were beautiful to be outside, but at the peak of the afternoon, you may crave a nap in the A/C. I wish we stayed more days so we could have tried a few more activities!

TIPS: Make a "reservation" for dinners early before your stay, especially if you anticipate needing to plan meals around activities, 6-7pm is popular. Book your activities before your stay as some may be filled if you wait until you are there. They will email you the list as soon as it is set. They suggest a high clearance car for the drive in. It's about 7 miles of dirt road, which we traversed in about 30-45 min with a low clearance compact car. There are shallow ruts and some small to medium stones. Bring what you need (sunscreen, alcohol, etc.) as there isn't...