5 Best Hotels in Tucson, Arizona

This 32-acre hideaway in the Santa Catalina Foothills is a charming and more intimate alternative to the larger resorts, combining luxury with Southwestern character. Designed in classic Mexican hacienda style, this former finishing school for girls was converted to a guest ranch during World War II and attracted stars like Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy. Hacienda rooms and casitas, with fireplaces and private porches afford sunset views; newer Catalina rooms boast views of the mountains and city lights.

A huge copper mural of cowboys and cacti and a wide view of the Santa Catalina Mountains grace the lobby of this friendly upscale golf and tennis resort. The property draws families and conventioneers, some taking advantage of low summer rates for the excellent sports facilities, the spa, and the pool complex with a 140-foot waterslide. Rooms are either in private one-bedroom casitas or in the main hotel building, and more than half of them have kiva-style fireplaces.

This is one of the most luxurious and prettiest of the big resorts, with dramatic stone architecture and an 80-foot waterfall cascading down the mountains. Rooms, facing either the Catalinas or the golf course and city, are modern and elegantly furnished in muted earth tones and light woods; each bathroom has a miniature flat-screen TV and a double-wide tub. Dining options range from poolside snacks at Bill's Grill to Southwestern cuisine at the Flying V Grill (try the fresh guacamole made table-side here). The scenic Ventana Canyon trailhead is steps away, and there's a free shuttle to nearby Sabino Canyon.

The most upscale of Tucson's guest ranches and one of the oldest in the country, the Tanque Verde sits on 640 beautiful acres in the Rincon Mountains next to Saguaro National Park East. Rooms in one-story casitas have tasteful Western-style furnishings, fireplaces, and picture-window views of the desert. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets are huge, and the spa will help remedy sore muscles. Horseback excursions are available for every skill level, and children can participate in daylong activity programs, leaving parents to their leisure. Frugal travelers seeking a ranch stay can get room-and-breakfast-only rates (with meals and riding as optional add-ons).

Popular with business travelers and families, this sprawling resort, with grand views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and the city below, specializes in relaxation, with an emphasis on fun. The huge pool complex has an impressively long waterslide, as well as a swim-up bar and grill for those who can't bear to leave the water. Kids' programs, including weekly "dive-in movies" during summer months, make for a vacation the whole family can enjoy.