Tanque Verde Ranch

We have been back to TVR 5 years in a row and always look forward to returning. From the horseback riding, the views, the food, comfortable beds and an authentic Arizona experience we would highly recommend this for your next vacation. Time slows down here and relaxing and enjoying nature is your most important job!

Beautiful site for an outdoor wedding...We were guests for a wedding held at Tanque Verde last Saturday. Amazing venue with the Cactus View deck overlooking Saguaro National Park against a backdrop of the dramatic Rincon Mountains (8000ft)..A truly magical Sonoran Desert setting. Reception Dinner was on the Desert View raised terrace, another near perfect setting with wonderful views at sunset...Very formal including white tablecloths... My wife and I both had the tenderloin, which was large, and warm when served.. Great job of serving a couple hundred guests... We stayed in a well appointed casita, with a spacious seating area, comfortable beds, and very clean... Staff...Reception, ranch hands all very friendly It was an in/out for us, we did not take advantage of the Nature center, horseback rides or other amenities... We live in Phoenix. Arizona is a state blessed with many unique, beautiful scenic locations: Grand Canyon, Red Rocks of Sedona, the Chiricahuas, San Francisco Peak, Verde Valley, Vermilion Cliffs, and multiple points along the Colorado River.. My top 10 now has to include the Cactus View at Tanque Verde. It is stunning. Intend to return with my DSLR....

We stayed two nights in a hacienda suite: Separate bedroom with king bed, large bathroom with tub and separate shower, HUGE living room (inc. 2 Murphy beds), mini-fridge, lovely patio with lounge chairs, and a magnificent view. Breakfast includes a very nice buffet or you can order from a limited menu. Lunch is also buffet-style. We had a special rehearsal BBQ, so I unable to comment on regular dinners. They have a few different dinners on a few evenings, but basically you eat in the main dining room. Need to drive off the ranch for any nearby restaurants. The outside swimming pool is very nice, but can get crowded; plenty of umbrellas and chairs. There's also a hot tub and a kids' pool. The website lists a variety of activities. One family member went on the horse ride and really enjoyed it. Three of us did a 2-hour morning desert walk; this almost 72-year-old got a workout, but wasn't exhausted. We definitely enjoyed our stay. I do have to say, though, a small criticism in that some renovations are in order--chipping tiles, paints, clogged shower heads, etc. A few touch-ups here and there would make a big difference.

As a local Tucson resident for over 35 years this was my first visit to the Tanque Verde Ranch. It was delightful and will not be my last visit. I booked this one night stay through Travelzoo and it turned out to be a truly fantastic deal and a wonderful experience. $99 per night included accommodations, breakfast and a 1 hour walking horse ride for one person. This turned out to be an amazing bargain. The accommodations are very quaint and rustic and nicely maintained. We enjoyed sitting in two large leather chairs facing out through an expansive corner window with a view of the Rincon and Santa Catalina mountains. It was very peaceful and pleasant to sip on some wine and watch the birds and small wildlife move by our window scene. We saw roadrunner, goldfinch, doves, verdin, ground squirrel, bunny rabbits, and hawks from the comfort of our porch window. The grounds at this ranch are just beautiful! It's a great example of historic desert dwellers from the mid 1800s that has been maintained in a caring way. The outdoor swimming pool with its waterfall was a delight in the late afternoon to early evening. Numerous butterflies and hummingbirds visited the pool area because of the gorgeous flowers In bloom all around it. The property also has an indoor swimming pool and an indoor hot tub that looked really nice. We opted not to have lunch or dinner on the grounds because of high prices and better choices off site. However the breakfast that we enjoyed the next morning was over-the-top fantastic. The southwestern omelet with chorizo and cheeses and fresh parsley was superb. The biscuits and gravy were among the best we had ever had anywhere! The horseback ride was a highlight for my partner. She said it was one of the most glorious experiences in the desert that she had enjoyed during her 50 years living in Tucson. The ride took a very small trail into the hills above the property where she could gaze out over the distant City of Tucson and a forest of Saguaro cacti. The pass went up and down through washes and was very scenic . This ranch covers over 600 deeded acres of land and has leased rights to 60,000 acres Moore in the National Forest. It is a working Dude Ranch as well as a cattle ranch. She absolutely raved about this peaceful riding experience and promised that she would return to do it again. She was excited enough about it to contemplate an all-day ride the next time we returned. This ranch has examples of its long history peppered about the grounds and the buildings. Coming here one really does experience the old west. Don't expect five-star luxury facilities here. This is the real deal with the addition of many optional activities that bring it to the modern day. There are reasonably priced excursions on mountain bikes, for fishing at a local pond, for hiking, horseback riding and more. It's wonderful to look at all the mementos that have been accumulated over the years by the few families that have owned and maintained the heritage of this desert locale. This one night getaway was a perfect staycation for us. We hope that the Travelzoo deal will appear again in the future because we will surely take advantage of it as an inexpensive summer experience that is just a few minutes away from our Tucson home. We have always known that the Sonoran Desert is beautiful but we did not know that we had such a wonderful little place so close to home.

My wife is English so she thought this place was great. As an American, I thought it was kind of hokey (naff in British English). The food was not great. Lots of cactus everywhere and great views of a green desert.