Romantic Getaways in Arizona

For couples looking to recharge their love life, Arizona's spectacular scenery offers a variety of opportunities. Ranging from spas and bed and breakfasts to even clothing-optional settings, Red Rock Country has something for every couple. So plan your next romantic getaway to Arizona and watch its desert beauty bring you and your lover closer together.

Tucson

Tucson is located in the middle of the Sonoran desert and driving through this bustling, colorful city is has a thrill of its own. Against the fantastic desert backdrop, there are quite a few renowned resorts which offer its couples guests pampering spa treatments, healthy gourmet cuisine, golf courses, tennis courts and nighttime skies that are among the best for stargazing. however if you do not fancy shelling out big bucks at any of the resorts, you can your partner can venture off on adventurous hikes in Saguaro National Park and Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina foothills or take a romantic sunset drive along Gates Pass Road into Tucson Mountain Park. For the greater part of the year Tucson is sunny and dry but in July and August heavy rains make driving through this city a slightly challenging. Even then you can make a romantic interlude of a rain-compelled stop - in case blinding sheets of rain make visibility a problem, Rest at a roadside inn or café and listen to some good old country music that Tucson is famous for.

Phoenix

This Arizona city has been attracting celebrity couples since the time Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who stayed at the Arizona Biltmore, an Arizona luxury hotel built in 1929. Like Tucson Phoenix has several resorts where couples can indulge themselves in luxuriant spas, refreshing swimming pools, tennis courts and even practice their swing at 18-hole championship golf courses. However if you wish to experience the offbeat charms of Arizona, there is a whole lot of attractions that Phoenix offers to its couples.  Check out the Mystery Castle perched on a steep hillside in Phoenix’s South Mountain Park. Then there is Tovrea Castle with its “wedding cake” layout as it rises from a cactus-covered hillside in three tiers. If fire-fighters have always impressed you, drop in at the Hall of Flame, a four-room building near Tempe that houses scores of old fire trucks, equipment and the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes.  Among other attractions of this city are the Deer Valley Rock Art Center which contains more than 1,000 examples of ancient rock art, Hunt’s Tomb which is Arizona’s first governor’s final resting place, in the middle of boulder-covered Papago Park and the Orpheum Theater, a fully restored, overwhelmingly detailed 1929 Spanish Baroque building.

The Grand Canyon

Nothing evokes the charm of Arizona as much as the Grand Canyon – and what better way to inject a thrill of romance into your lives than by discovering its myriad adventures. Opportunities for outdoor adventure at the canyon are endless, from rafting down the Colorado River to hiking the North Kaibab Trail alongside Bright Angel Creek and Ribbon Falls. at the end of the day you can – hand in hand with your lover - gaze at the spectacular evening sky at any of the vantage points like Grandview, with Horseshoe Mesa spread out below or Desert View which though more open and flat, has great views of the Colorado River snaking through.

Lake Powell

For one of the most distinctive Arizona romantic experiences, book a houseboat on Lake Powell. The shimmering azure waters of the lake set against the red-gold canyons, peaks and buttes of Glen Canyon Recreational Area provide picture-perfect surroundings. The 186-mile-long lake with 1,960 miles of shoreline invites kayakers to ply its placid waters and explore some of its 96 enticing side canyons. If you can get the services of a local guide, you and your partner can also “play the slots” or explore one of the region’s many mysterious underground slot canyons.

Sedona

The Red Rock Country of Sedona promises a mystical, magical honeymoon couples looking to experience Sedona’s mysterious “energy vortices” – including Boynton Canyon, Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock. the fantastic Arizona landscape not only ensures that you and your partner can enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding or just bouncing in a Jeep on the trails and dirt roads that crisscross the area, but you can also get wet and wild at the Verder River Greenway. The Verde River lends itself to fishing, water play and whitewater rafting.  Once you are through with the awesome physical adventures, it is time to stroll through Alcantara Vineyards, where tastings include a variety of reds, whites and pinks in a beautiful setting overlooking the vineyards. Sedona is also home to abundant arts and cultural activities and attractions, including more than 80 galleries, spiritual and metaphysical shops, specialty stores and local businesses. Sedona’s world-class galleries feature original paintings and multi-media works, jewelry, photography, sculpture, pottery, rugs, art glass, woven textiles, hand-crafted furniture, collectible kachinas and fetishes. Both seasoned and beginning collectors agree that Sedona is one of the best places in the world to buy fine art and jewelry. You can either pick up small mementos at Sedona Heritage Museum shop, or make one of a kind art purchase at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.

Arizona Trail

If you and your partner are avid hikers, few vacation ideas would be more romantic than hitting the Arizona Trail. From winter’s snow-capped San Francisco Peaks to Tucson’s Saguaro National Park, the Arizona Trail, one of America’s newest and most scenic long-distance trails, allows honeymooners to choose among a variety of hiking adventures. Stretching from Arizona’s border with Utah to Mexico, it crosses 21 miles rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon, eight distinct mountain ranges, four national forests and 225 miles of the Sonoran Desert. See Indian cliff dwellings, old mining camps and ghost towns along the way.

Prescott National Forest

For couples who love the romantic solitude of wilderness, a great option is to explore the Prescott National Forest. Here you can find Towering Ponderosa pines, steep canyons, placid lakes and the odd jumble of granite boulders in the Granite Mountain Wilderness on the outskirts of Prescott. You can take their pick of adventures that range from rock climbing, mountain biking and kayaking to hiking and fishing or simply book a lodge or a private resort and gaze at the wealth of natural scenery all around you.