Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa

Its spectacular Anza-Borrego Desert setting is a contrast to the typical San Diego County experience, yet Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa is perhaps the most secluded and unique destination that Southern California has to offer. Located on 42 sprawling acres peppered with lush gardens and stone fountains with a nod to Spanish Revival architecture, the ranch is an oasis of comfort with intimate casitas and a collection of deluxe poolside rooms. Your chamber may include chunky wood-beam ceilings, oversize canopied beds, a roaring fireplace to warm the cool desert nights, and deep soaking tubs.

Guests at Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa can keep busy on the fairway of the resort's 18-hole Tom Fazio Signature Golf Course, ranked one of the "Best Places to Play in 2008 & 2009" by Golf Digest magazine. The new spa offers a wide range of pampering options, from body-centered massages to herbal scrubs, plus a rooftop deck boasting spectacular views of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The hotel's signature restaurant is a mix of artful presentation and masterful culinary skills, resulting in a memorable dining experience. The five cabana-flanked pools offer a perfect setting for a midnight dip. Not to be overlooked is the 650,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest in the contiguous United States. The desert floor is filled with unexpected pleasures, from wildflower fields and palm groves to roaming bighorn sheep and colorful iguanas perched on prickly cactus. At night the absence of city lights creates a canvas for stargazing, with a calming silence echoing across the desert floor. In the distance restless wildlife creates a symphony of faint howls as you hunker down for a good night's sleep.