Escape to Paradise: Roundhouse Resort's Arizona Oasis Awaits!
Escape to Paradise: Roundhouse Resort – Arizona Oasis or Just Another Desert Mirage? My Honest Review!
Okay, folks, buckle up, because I'm about to spill the desert beans on the Escape to Paradise: Roundhouse Resort's Arizona Oasis Awaits! experience. Full disclosure: I'm no polished travel blogger. I'm just a regular Joe (or Jane!) who loves a good getaway, and I'm gonna tell you exactly what I found. Prepare for a wild ride with all the bumps and bruises included!
First Impressions & Accessibility: Let's Roll (or Not?)
Right off the bat, getting to the resort was a breeze thanks to their airport transfers! Score! They knew I was coming, and there it was, waiting to whisk me away from the airport… now, as for the accessibility.. Hmmm… it was listed as a feature, but let's just say it was a bit… optimistic. While they did have an elevator, I noticed certain areas, like the path to the pool, were a bit pebbly, and the ramps weren't ideally sloped for all types of wheelchairs. They tried, bless their hearts, but it needs a little… more attention. I'm a walker, but I kept noticing the little details which make a big different.
The Room: My Private Desert Fortress (Mostly)
My room was… well, it was a room! And honestly, it was a pretty nice room. The air conditioning blasted like a blizzard (essential in Arizona!), and the blackout curtains were a lifesaver for my sleep-in tendencies. I was a bit weirded out by the bathroom phone, but hey, maybe you need to call for help from your bathtub? Seriously, the bathtub was a good size, and I loved the bathrobes. Comfort is key, people! The free Wi-Fi – thank goodness for that! Because otherwise, I'd have felt as lost as a tumbleweed. The bed was comfy, the linens were fresh, and the coffee/tea maker meant I could stumble out of bed and brew myself a cup of joe. The fact that it had air conditioning and non-smoking rooms was an absolute win.
Internet: Keeping Connected (Mostly!)
The Wi-Fi was free, thank goodness, and available in the rooms!, the Internet access – wireless was available in the room and everywhere else; but the speed? Let's just say it wasn't quite as fast as I would have hoped. It was good enough for checking emails and browsing, but I wouldn't recommend streaming a marathon of… well, anything crucial.
Wellness & Relaxation: Spa-tacular or Spa-tically-Wrong?
Okay, this is where the resort really shines – and where I spent most of my time! I'm a sucker for a good spa. I mean, who isn't? And the Roundhouse Resort has a doozy. The spa, the sauna, the steamroom (!!!)… YES, please! I got a massage that was so good, I almost forgot my name. I spent hours lounging by the pool with a view, sipping cocktails, and letting the Arizona sun melt away my worries. The added foot bath was bliss. I didn't go to the gym/fitness center, that's a little further than I can walk, but It was clear it was fully equipment or those who cared. This is where the resort really shines. I didn't experience the body scrub or body wrap but was tempted.
Dining, Drinking & Snacking: Fueling the Fun (and Possibly the Waistline)
The food situation was … varied. The breakfast buffet was the standard, offering the usual suspects: eggs, bacon, pastries, the whole shebang. But, there was also an alternative meal arrangement, which was a welcome option for those who had special dietary needs. The fact that there was an Asian cuisine in restaurant was a welcome change. I loved hitting the Poolside bar was the perfect place to end the day, or start the day in a way that I would rather not admit. There were several restaurants, but it was a bit far away, so I didn't visit (I just didn't feel like getting in the car). The coffee/tea in restaurant was a bonus.
Cleanliness & Safety: Is it a Sanctuary?
During my visit, it was clear the resort was taking safety seriously. They had a daily disinfection in common areas, hand sanitizer everywhere, and Staff trained in safety protocol. There were reminders about social distancing and all.
Services & Conveniences: Handling the Details
They had a decent selection of services and conveniences. The concierge was helpful, the luggage storage was a blessing, and the dry cleaning was a lifesaver after a long day of hiking (or lounging by the pool!). The gift/souvenir shop was there. The daily housekeeping was very kind.
Getting Around (and About):
There's car park [free of charge] if you drive there. Otherwise, they have taxi service or airport transfer.
For the Kids: Family-Friendly?
There were kids facilities and they were listed as family/child friendly, as well as babysitting service.
Overall: Arizona Oasis or Just Oasis-ish?
Okay, time for the honest verdict. The Roundhouse Resort is a solid choice. It's got a lot going for it: a fantastic spa, beautiful views, and a comfortable atmosphere after being in the sun. Not bad. I'd give it a strong 8/10.
BUT…
I'd love to see a few improvements. Better ramp access, a faster Wi-Fi, and maybe a few more exciting dining options would really elevate the experience.
MY OFFER FOR YOU!
ARE YOU DREAMING OF ESCAPE? Escape to Paradise: Roundhouse Resort's Arizona oasis may be for you!
Here's the Deal (and it's a good one!):
- Early Booking Bonus: Book a stay of 3 nights or more BEFORE [DATE] and get a FREE Spa Package (includes a massage of your choice!).
- Family Fun Pack: Traveling with the kids? Get a discounted rate on the kid-friendly suite and get a FREE babysitting service!
- Guaranteed Relaxation: Book now and get a guaranteed upgrade to a room with a view!
Why Choose Roundhouse Resort?
- Luxury at Your Fingertips: Indulge in our amazing spa, relax by the pool, and enjoy the finest dining.
- Amazing Hospitality: Experience our friendly and attentive service - that's what's important.
- Memories That Last: Make memories that will last a lifetime!
Don't delay! Book your escape today at [WEBSITE ADDRESS] or call us at [PHONE NUMBER]. Space is limited, so don't miss out on your chance to experience the ultimate Arizona getaway!
Escape to Sligo's Coastal Paradise: Strandhill Lodge & Suites Awaits!
Alright, buckle up, buttercups, because we're about to dive headfirst into my VERY REAL trip to the Roundhouse Resort in Pinetop, Arizona. This isn't your slick, Instagram-filtered travelogue. This is the real deal. Prepare for a glorious mess.
Day 1: Arrival & Immediate Chaos (aka "Where's the Freakin' Coffee?")
- 2:00 PM: Arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Okay, first off, Phoenix is HOT. Like, "melt your mascara off your face" hot. The drive to Pinetop? Surprisingly beautiful. Pine trees stretching for miles! Okay, I can dig this.
- 4:00 PM: Check-in at the Roundhouse. First impression: The lobby is…rustic. Let's call it "charmingly dated." The woman at the front desk was lovely, bless her heart, dealing with me after a four-hour drive.
- 4:30 PM: FIND COFFEE. Immediate mission. Turns out, there's a Keurig in the room. Bless. But…UGH. It’s one of those tiny, cheap ones. I need a real cup of coffee. I'm already getting the shakes.
- 5:00 PM: Explore the room. Okay, the place is…cozy? It smells faintly of pine and… something else? Maybe the ghosts of previous renters? The furniture is definitely from the '80s, but hey, at least it's clean-ish.
- 5:30 PM: Attempt to assemble groceries. Ugh, the grocery, the Safeway, was a disaster, like a high-stakes obstacle course. The parking lot was packed, and I was hangry which is always a BAD combination. Somehow, I survived, carrying my groceries back to the room, which was a mission in itself because of the uneven steps.
- 7:00 PM: Struggle to eat dinner. I ended up overcooking the pasta and burning the garlic bread. At least the wine was good. We watched a terrible movie on the ancient TV (which, by the way, only had basic cable). My partner fell asleep.
Day 2: The Majestic Pinetop & the Great Pine-Tree Sneeze
- 7:00 AM: Coffee mission. The Keurig almost suffices. But I'm already plotting my next caffeine run.
- 8:00 AM: Hike the Aspen Trail. Ah, nature! Fresh air! Sunlight! All lovely. Until…SNIFFLE, SNIFFLE, ACHOO! Turns out, I'm allergic to pine trees. Who knew?! I spent the rest of the hike alternating between bouts of awe and violent sneezing. My partner found it highly amusing.
- 10:00 AM: Lunch in Pinetop. We stumbled upon a little diner called "The Red Onion," and it was DELICIOUS. Homestyle cooking at its finest. I devoured a burger and fries. The waitress called me “hon” three times, I was definitely in the right place!
- 12:00 PM: More exploring. We drove along the scenic byways. The views are absolutely stunning, and the mountain air is crisp and invigorating, even with my sneezing fit. We also spotted a couple of deer.
- 2:00 PM: Return to the Roundhouse for a nap. Definitely needed after all the hiking and sneezing.
- 4:00 PM: Pool time (or attempt thereof). The pool is a little…chilly. But it’s clean, and the kids seemed to be having a blast.
- 6:00 PM: BBQ on the deck! I bravely tackled the grill. Success! We feasted in the crisp evening air. More wine. More laughter. Perhaps not a perfect BBQ chef, but at least I didn't set anything on fire.
Day 3: The Showdown at Sunrise & the Coffee Crusade
- 6:00 AM: Wake up. Another attempt at coffee. A new plan is brewing in my head to make a great coffee.
- 8:00 AM: Adventure on the Sunrise Ski Resort. More views! So many trees! Luckily, the adrenaline kept my allergies at bay. We hiked to the top of a gorgeous viewpoint, I even took some spectacular photos.
- 10:00 AM: Coffee Crusade. I’m not proud, but I hunted down the only fancy coffee shop in Pinetop. It was worth the drive. I bought a massive latte. This is the fuel I need.
- 12:00 PM: Visit the local shops. The stores were actually super cute, with some of them being owned by the local people. I did some souvenir shopping.
- 3:00 PM: Back to the Roundhouse. More chilling, more planning for the next day.
- 6:00 PM: Dinner at the resort's restaurant? Yeah, I thought about it. But then I realized I had perfectly good wine and leftover BBQ.
Day 4: Goodbyes & a Slightly Sad Farewell to Caffeine
- 7:00 AM: Devoured coffee.
- 8:00 AM: Did some final packing. I’m not usually the type who gets sentimental about leaving a place, but this trip had been a blast.
- 10:00 AM: Check-out. Goodbye, Roundhouse. It wasn’t perfect, but it was home for a few days. And honestly, the imperfections are what made it memorable.
- 11:00 AM: Hit the road! Back to Phoenix.
Final Thoughts: Pinetop is a gem. The Roundhouse is…characterful. Sometimes, you take a trip expecting perfection, and you get chaos, burnt garlic bread, and a severe pine-tree allergy. And you know what? That's okay. Those are the memories that stick. And at least now I know where to get a decent cup of coffee when I'm back.
Escape to Paradise: Del Mar Royal Suites Awaits in Punta Cana!
1. Okay, so like, why ukulele? Seriously. Is it a mid-life crisis purchase?
Alright, let's get this out of the way. My ukulele journey started, NOT with a mid-life crisis, but with a REALLY bad breakup. I was a mess. Like, walking-zombie-living-on-a-diet-of-instant-ramen kind of mess. I saw some adorable little uke in a window, and it was this tiny, wooden siren call. "Pick me! Pick me!" it seemed to whisper. And, I'm a sucker for anything that promises to be cute and distracting.
Plus, the idea of lugging around a full-sized guitar – forget about it. I'm clumsy, remember? Tripping while carrying something that costs more than my rent would be a disaster that I couldn't handle.
So, yeah, emotional impulse buy? Maybe. Best impulsive buy of my life? Absolutely.
2. This thing...it looked EASY, right? Like, four strings, small, cute. Lies. ALL of it, LIES!
Oh, the hubris! The sheer, unadulterated ignorance of my younger, ukulele-naive self. I thought I'd be strumming "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" flawlessly within the hour. Ha! More like, fumbling through C chords that sounded like a dying cat.
The first lesson I took...I almost cried. My fingers hurt, the chords weren't clean, and my voice...well, let's just say singing and playing at the same time is harder than it looks. My teacher, bless her heart, must've seen the defeat in my eyes. She just patted my hand and said, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." (And you know the worst thing? That platitude actually worked!) I'm a sucker for a good, cheesy motivational speech.
Seriously though, the finger pain is REAL. Calluses are your friend and the enemy. It's a love-hate thing.
3. What kind of ukulele should I even buy? Concert? Soprano? Tenor? Is this a guitar-sized rabbit hole?
Ugh. The choices. It's overwhelming, right? It took me AGES. I started with a soprano because, you know, *cute*. But then you realize your big clumsy hands are all over the freaking fretboard. The strings were so close together that it felt like a finger-yoga class just to get a chord!
So I upgraded (because, let's be honest, I'm a sucker for a new toy) to a concert uke, and it was a game-changer. More space, a slightly deeper sound... It was like finally being allowed to inhale after being underwater.
My Advice? Don't overthink it. Start with a concert, unless you have tiny elf fingers. And then, good luck.
4. So, I bought a ukulele. Now what? Where do I EVEN begin?!
This is the fun part but also the part where you might want to throw your ukulele across the room a few times. YouTube is your friend (and sometimes your enemy). There are a MILLION tutorials. But try a few. See what style works for you. I had to sift through a LOT of them before I found a teacher whose teaching style didn't make me want to scream.
Take it at your own pace. Learn some basic chords. C, G7, Am, F... they're your best friends. And don't be afraid to sound awful. That's part of the deal. I mean honestly, for a while, I just played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" over and over. It was literally the only song I could play that even remotely resembled music.
Also, here's a pro tip: Don't try to learn barre chords until you're, like, actually ready. That's a recipe for instant ukulele-induced rage. I nearly burnt my house down when I first tried those.
5. Playing with others? Is that a thing? I'm terrified.
Okay, here's an uncomfortable truth. You WILL, at some point, have to face other humans. Trust me, it's worth the terror. Find a ukulele group, a jam session, *anything*. It's where you'll learn the most, get the most inspiration, and realize you're not the only one who sounds like a beginner.
I joined a local ukulele circle, and at first, I was a nervous wreck. My hands would shake; I'd mess up every chord. I swear, I was the one person who played the wrong chords the entire time. I even managed to mess up the high G. But then you know what? Everyone was super supportive. They laughed with me, not at me. And slowly, I got better, and it's actually become one of my favorite things. It's like therapy, but with ukuleles and questionable song choices.
6. Okay, so the ukulele is fun. But what's the point? Like, what's in it for me?
This is the best part. First off, it's a great hobby to pick up. It can be a great time to relax. Yes, there's work, but it doesn't take a lot of time. Secondly, the ukulele is a great ice breaker. You can meet other people in this way too!
Ultimately, for me, it's about joy. Sound cheesy? Maybe. But nothing beats that feeling of finally nailing a chord change, of playing a song all the way through without messing up (too much), of making music. It gives you a creative outlet, a way to express yourself. And in a world that can be pretty chaotic, it's a little pocket of peace.
Plus, let's be real, strumming a ukulele on a beach at sunset? It's a cliche, but damn, it's a good one.
7. I'm still struggling! Help! Any practical tips?
Okay, let's get practical.
- Practice Regularly (Even if it's just 15 minutes a day): Consistency is key. Even a little bit every day is better than a three-hour marathonBook Hotels NowRoundhouse Resort by VRI Resorts Pinetop (AZ) United States
Roundhouse Resort by VRI Resorts Pinetop (AZ) United States
