Have you ever wondered what it would be like to vacation at a dude ranch/spa?  This type of trip has been on my bucket list since 2016.  Seriously!  Back then I printed out a list of recommended resort type dude ranch/spas and posted it to my bulletin board for “one day” in the future.  Last week that dream became a reality.  I finally had my dude ranch/spa experience, and it was AMAZING!  So, if this type of travel is on your bucket list also, read on for more details.

Just for a little background, I grew up on a farm.  We had a horse and sheep and other assorted farm animals.  That being said, I never took horseback riding lessons, but I did have my share of experiences getting thrown off our horse and actually once getting stepped on by him.   As I got older, I loved doing trail rides when I could, especially if I were traveling and could see my destination by horse.  Over the years I have ridden in Bermuda, Sardina and Bryce Cannon.  All of these experiences have been very memorable.

From the moment I discovered that there were places I could go on vacation where I could go horseback riding, but also engage in my other favorite vacation pastime of soaking up spa treatments, I was sold.   Due to my need to use an expiring airline miles credit, I started researching and booked a 5-day trip to Wickenburg, Arizona to stay at Rancho de los Caballeros.  It did not disappoint.

Rancho is located about an hour north of Phoenix.  Since my boyfriend and I were visiting in late May, this meant that it was a bit cooler than the hot Phoenix temperatures.  The week we stayed, we enjoyed a high temperature of 85 degrees, with the evenings cooling to the low 70’s.  It was absolutely perfect.  Rancho has a large main lodge which houses the dining room, saloon, breakfast seating, a gift shop, pool table, fireplace, and game tables with every type of board game at your disposal.  There is an outdoor firepit and beautiful pool.  Lunch was served at the golf course club house during our stay, but they also do cookouts on the weekends.

The resort has 3 room blocks of buildings set throughout its property, all within a short walk to the main lodge.  Our accommodations were delightful.  We enjoyed a small kitchen area with a table and chairs, a king size bed, fireplace, spacious bathroom/dressing area and a lovely patio with chairs.  The linens, pillows and towels were first rate.  How often can you say you loved the pillows when you travel?  I could and did.  Our room had the added bonus of allowing us to see the daily “running of the horses” from our patio.  It was quite a sight to see 60 horses running each day from the stable to the barn each morning and night!

We selected a package that included 3 meals a day and a daily horse ride. I have to say that all of our meals exceeded our expectations.  There was an abundance of food and all of it was delicious.  Drinks were extra, which makes sense.  We enjoyed salads, soups, steaks, and so much more.  We did not have any bad meals.   The staff were exceedingly attentive and delightful to get to know.

We started our days with a delicious breakfast, and then headed over to the stables for our horseback ride.  The first day, we rode for two hours up hills and down in the desert.  It was beautiful.  They offered a ride at 9:00 am and an afternoon ride.  We chose the early ride to avoid the heat.  After the ride, we enjoyed lunch and then I headed off to the spa. 

The spa is housed in a separate building and is an oasis.  While I have enjoyed larger, more robust spas, this one was also enjoyable.  It has a lovely gift shop.  I had a pedicure as my first spa experience and was properly pampered.  Day 2, feeling sore from my Day 1 horseback ride, I opted for a massage and a facial.  While my boyfriend returned for another ride in the desert, I slipped off to the spa to have my sore muscles stretched and coaxed into blissful relaxation!  (What is the point of horseback riding if you can’t get a good massage afterwards?  Right?!)

Day 3 I had recovered enough to “get back on the horse” so to speak and set off for another two-hour ride.  This time, instead of the valley, we headed to a plateau and enjoyed a lesson about all the various types of cactuses.  Did you know that barrel cactuses always point south?  Neither did I!  But they do, so if you are ever lost in the desert, perhaps that will help.  We also learned about the “teddy bear” cactus that looks soft and fuzzy, but actually drops small cactus balls around it to keep people away.  Fascinating.  If only people could do that!   And of the course, the star of the desert show, the Saguaro cactus, with its telltale arms raised high.  Who knew that if you messed with a Saguaro cactus you could face up to 25 years in prison! 

On our last day, time did not permit another ride, so we spent some time in the “old town” Wickenburg when we enjoyed shopping and wondering about.  It was the perfect end to our stay.

So, for my 2 cents, a ranch/spa experience is not to be missed.  There are numerous ranch vacations out there.  I’ve looked into most of them.  Some are more pricy and others are more rustic.  Feel free to reach out if I can help guide your selection in the future and share what I have learned.

 XO

Mary

We hope this article was helpful!  If you are a solo woman traveler looking for a curated experience with a group of other women, consider checking out our website, https://www.oneweekeachyear.com for our upcoming trips. If you would like help booking a ranch vacation, feel free to email the author at [email protected].