Road Trip, Day 1 - Tucson

The summer road trip my daughter and I have been planning for months has begun.

We left early last Sunday morning for the start of our three week adventure.

First stop...Tucson, Arizona.

We stayed at the historic and beautiful, Hacienda del Sol.

It began in 1929 as a retreat for girls of elite families.  In 1948, it became a guest ranch that was visited by many famous Hollywood stars.  And, in 1995, it became what it is today.

I've been excited about this stop and it didn't disappoint.  The staff were professional and nice, room was clean and charming, and the property was gorgeous.  It was a visual treat with photo opportunities everywhere we looked.  We probably could have stayed for days just to take photos.

Here are a few...

This is the main entrance that leads into a lovely courtyard area...

This is the same one but looking out...

Here's another view looking out from farther inside...

This is the courtyard area the sidewalk leads to.

There's a fountain, several seating areas, and a great view looking west.

It also leads to two restaurants and the pool area.

Here's the lobby and seating area.

The sun was streaming in and the southwest decor was beautiful.

There were Santos on ledges by the fireplace.  I like Santos.

They're so interesting and cool.  Here are a few...

Here's a closer view of the fireplace area and a seating area next to it.

There were several seating areas in this large room.  This one is my favorite.

I love the cozy corner it's in, the lovely window and the adorable and inviting chairs.

Aren't they cute?  I love the style, the color, and

the flowers painted along the bottom.  It's comfy too!

They have an easel set up in that corner.  There's a pad of paper on it and pastels

for guests to use if they're feeling a little creative.  My daughter couldn't resist!

Off the main lobby was an old library.  The walls were lined with shelves and they were filled with old books.  A very large table went down the center of the room.  

The beams on the ceiling were carved with vines and flowers.

The original rooms were built in a square around a center courtyard.

There are hallways on two sides that lead to the rooms.  There are seating areas along each of them.

Across from the rooms and seating areas are arched windows looking out into the courtyard.

I love how the windows are lined in a beautiful blue with tiles along the bottom ledge.

There are old light fixtures between the windows.  They provide soft, warm lighting at night.

Here's the courtyard seen through the windows...

This is the other hall.  The walls are lined with pictures from

when it was a retreat/school for girls.  They're interesting to look at.

Here's another view looking back from where I took the above photo.

Our room was on this wing.  Our room windows faced the east which was perfect to see the sunrise.

I forgot to take photos before we loaded all of our stuff in the room.

So, to see photos of the historic rooms, click HERE.

I love this bench!

Along the walls were little niches.  Each one had something in it.

This was one of the my favorites.  I like the pop of orange and the colorful figurine.

One wing of the main building was open to the courtyard.

It had more niches and some colorful painting on the walls.

There were pretty little surprises all around.  Like tile wall hangings...

I like how they framed this cute quail tile with blue paint in a nice, curvy design.

Some of the outside doors were framed with curvy blue designs too.

But, they also had flowers.  So pretty and whimsical.

Here's one of the hacienda rooms on the property with it's own outdoor seating area.

It had some pretty tiles in the wall...

There was an interesting air vent built into the wall with native plant material.

There are little tiles set here and there in the walkways around the property.

Here's one of them...

Some of the outdoor walkways and patios were made with old,

rustic blocks stamped with "Mexico".

Here's another hacienda.  I like the logs used as posts for the porch.

There were seating areas tucked in here and there among the native plants.

Here's one of them.  We liked the little fireplace and the old cart used as a coffee table.

If you click on the picture, it should get larger for a better/closer view.

There were a few fountains too.  This one was outside of our room window.

I like the colorful seating area next to it.

It was hot that day and we enjoyed a dip in the pool.  The pool is on the west side and is bright and sunny in the afternoon.  We went back in the morning to get some photos.

It's funny how it gets deep so fast...from three to six feet and then dropping to 10.

Below the pool is a jacuzzi area...

Above the pool is one of the restaurants.  They had live music in both restaurants that evening.

One had classical guitar and the other had a blues trio.

They had a garden in the back.  Looks like it was enclosed to protect it from critters.

I think I read that they use the fresh veggies in their restaurants.

The Hacienda del Sol was located north of town and near Mount Lemon.

The views of the mountain were gorgeous and we were high above town for great views of the city.

We loved staying here and wouldn't hesitate to stay again.

Maybe I'll even have time to enjoy their spa or go horseback riding next time!

I got some wonderful photos of some of the gardens and the native plants and flowers.

And, we got up early and went out with our cameras to capture the sunrise.

I'll post those next time. We've got to hit the road again.  I'll post again as soon as I can.