First of – it’s been some time since I’ve written the last blog post here. I am sorry for that, it was (and somehow still is) a crazy time with a lot of fantastic things going on in my life. But I’ll do my best to get back on track. So this post is about the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. I had the pleasure to be a guest there a while ago. And it was, to say the least, fantastic.
The ranch is located about 16 miles from Tucson. It is surrounded by 3.000 acres of Arizonan nature, with cacti, rocks, desert and brush, blue skies and serene atmosphere. When we arrived we were welcomed in a very warm manner by the staff, some dogs were playing in front of the reception and everybody was supernice, right from the start. Be it the other guests, the staff or members of the True family, the owners. We were given all the important information, such as meal times and the locations of amenities like the hot tub, the pool, the fitness center, the movie courts and the tennis courts. And our room – which was simply amazing.
There are little buildings scattered along a pebbled path, every building housing two rooms. Ours faced the beautiful yard with it’s flower beds. There is no TV in the rooms, cause they want you to engage either in the activities at the farm or spend time with each other. The smell in the room immediately made me feel at home; it was a mixture of leather, wood and desert smells. A cozy bed, a couch and a table, a desk, a bathroom with a tub and everything cozy and designed with a lot of thought. I could see me living there for like eternity.
But not only the rooms and amenities were perfect – what made our stay unforgettable were the people, just all of them. But outstanding were the Trues themselves. 50 years of mindful stewardship of the land and exceptional guest service brings now the third generation of the family to the forefront. Now Russell’s sons David and Steven are serving breakfast, guiding rides, wrangling, mending fences and taking care of guests, cattle and horses. They are following what Allen and Cynthia True, who came 1965 from Colorado, started with 17 rooms, 17 horses and 200 acres of land. Now there are 41 rooms, a 4 bedroom hacienda and, as mentioned before, 3.000 acres of land.
You can get involved in the daily ranch life as much as you want; in our case we made a little trip to the Biosphere 2 while staying at the ranch, we had some guided horseback rides with an amazing cowboy breakfast in the middle of nowhere and with the loveliest horses ever, we took a lot of pictures of sunsets and cacti, played chess and enjoyed the meals, served outside and with live entertainment on Saturday evening. The stay was relaxing, it was a fun time, it was pure and genuine, I laughed till I teared up, I finally got a chance to ride horses again, I was at peace, I was happy. Leaving the Ranch and the good times behind was a hard thing to do.
More information:
White Stallion Ranch
9251 W Twin Peaks Rd
Tucson, AZ 85743
www.whitestallion.com
Room rates start at 175 USD per day for a standard double room; keep your eyes peeled for specials!
This was a gift to my sister for her birthday.