On the grounds of what was originally the 1950s-era Paradise Valley Racquet Club, the resort opened in 2001, followed a year later by a first-class, 12,000-square-foot spa. The 53-acre property has 98 casitas terraced up the northern foothills of Camelback Mountain, whose striking, layered sandstone summit is 2,700 feet above sea level. Home to prehistoric ceremonial cave sites and once a Native American reservation set aside by the federal government in the late 1800s, the land is now protected as part of the Echo Canyon Recreation Area.
I arrive at Camelback in the early evening, and the looming mountain landscape, with its red-rock beauty, is immediately calming. At 8 p.m., I wrap myself in a robe and head out for a swim in the spa's two-lane, 25-yard lap pool, under a deep aubergine sky glistening with stars. It's a treat to swim in an empty pool with the Big Dipper in clear view above. The desert air is warm on my skin even at 10, when I venture to the Sanctuary's Jade Bar for a glass of Fess Parker Viognier. Cool and refreshing with a hint of fruit, the white wine makes an appropriate nightcap.
Sanctuary's generous swell of an infinity pool is the largest in Arizona. Ringed by fluttering palm trees and umbrella-shaded white lounge chairs and served by attendants bearing ice-cold drinks, it's meant to be a place where sun-minded guests can easily while away the days, and many do. But not me. Upon waking, I head straight to the spa's mirrored, modern movement studio, which offers daily classes in yoga, Pilates, BOSU conditioning, and indoor cycling.
