Tanque Verde Ranch

Tanque Verde Ranch is a beautiful Ranch oasis for one and all... Horses, Adobe buildings, friendly staff, heated pools, jacuzzis and lovely landscaped pathways lead you to the maintained natural walking paths through the Sonora desert with views of Mt. Lemon and more.... Treat yourself and enjoy a few days of R&R.

I was at the ranch for a workshop with Madeline Island School for the Arts. The food, lodging, and customer service exceeded my expectations.

Our stay at TVR was mostly an excellent experience. The staff are friendly and do their best to make sure you are having a pleasant stay. There are many activities available in addition to the horseback riding, and the equestrian activities staff are knowledgeable and attentive to safety. The area, in the Sonoran desert, is truly magical and the ranch is right up against the Saguaro National Park, which multiple activities visit or approach - including horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. The food is fine. I wouldn’t say it is the highlight - but some of the meals were quite good and it was varied enough for us over 4 nights and five days. The room we stayed in (Rincon Vista) was very spacious and comfortable - it is maybe the only time I can remember when a room seemed larger in person than it did in the pictures on line. The beds and shower were both great. Two relatively minor issues that both seem very fixable to me: 1) The communication around activities and meals - both signing up and/or reserving and whether and where things were happening was haphazard at best. The on line reservation process was unwieldy and inconsistent and there didn’t seem to be any authoritative sources of information about what was going on. It took a couple days to figure out that we kind of needed to be aggressive about acquiring information and couldn’t rely on it being provided. Once things were under way they were uniformly well done. It was just the planning and logistics that left something to be desired. 2) The tipping policy is very confusing and should probably be clearly stated up front. Because they make some of their activities and meals available to the general public, every meal has charges and a bill even if you are on an inclusive plan. And it is not clear if you should be tipping like you would in a restaurant (ie 20% of the bill) or like you would at a typical all-inclusive resort (ie a few dollars or more for excellent service), particularly since most meals have at least a significant buffet component. This may seem like a small thing, but the meal charge are not small and the difference between 20% and $10 a meal could easily be hundreds of dollars. It should be clear up front what is reasonably expected. One last positive thing - we ended up meeting and becoming friendly with many people who were staying there. The activities and the saloon lend themselves to socializing with other groups if you so choose, and we really enjoyed what was almost a family-camp style atmosphere. All in all a fantastic place that we hope to return to!

My wife and I, brother, sister in law, and niece booked a sunset ride and cookout for December 27th. My wife and I were visiting from Florida. My brother's family have been Tucson residents for over a decade. My brother recommended the ride. He and his family stayed at the ranch twice. He has ridden every ride offered by the ranch. I booked our ride on his recommendation. The ranch was very impressive, and the countryside is beautiful. After we mounted our preselected horses, a young woman wrangler took her time and patiently explained the nuances of basic riding, adjusted my stirrups, and answered any questions I had. I wish I had caught her name, because she was exceptional. Unfortunately, my wife had a wrangler who just went through the motions. Didn't give her the time and attention she needed to prepare for the ride. Another wrangler was rude to my sister, who was taking pictures. She was in no way impeding the wranglers, but still got berated. I personally loved the ride. I was given a gentle, responsive horse that could have made the ride with or without me on its back. It wanted to eat every time we stopped, but a gentle pull on the reins was all that was required to discourage him. The scenery was beautiful. I was behind the lead wrangler. He was engaging, funny, and extremely informative. I'm sure he'd heard questions similar to mine a hundred times, but he was still an engaging gentleman. During the ride, our wrangler decided to extend it. My wife's horse, being used to turning on a trail to the stables, started heading in that direction. My wife, who had no riding experience, was struggling to turn the horse. Our wrangler shouted directions at her, then rode back to assist her. His demeanor was insulting and patronizing, to say the least. Shouting at a senior citizen, male or female, accomplishes nothing, other than to rattle the rider and embarrass them. It also reflects poorly on the wrangler, who, as the supposed leader, should demonstrate a calm, professional demeanor, rather than lose his cool like a petulant teenager. My wife finally retorted, "You know, I've never done this. I'm not a pro". Needless to say, our respect for man dropped. Once we reached the overlook, we wanted to take pics, but the wrangler said we only had two minutes, and obviously wanted to move on. After the ride ended, our family shared our experiences and opinions of the ride. My niece said the wrangler had been rude to her, as well, and my brother was not impressed with his demeanor. My personal experience was great. I enjoyed conversing with our wrangler, who, at one point, told me he had been in the saddle for six hours. That's a long time, and I understand how hard these folks work. But you know what? You're in the customer service industry folks. When you advertise on your website how friendly and professionally you treat your clients, live up to it. Neophyte riders are just that. If you don't want to take the time to prepare them, then verbally berate and embarass them in front of not only family, but strangers, you're not only doing them a disservice, you're conducting yourselves like condescending jerks, not professionals. You're more than happy to take our money, but don't want to waste time with "amateurs". If that's the case, make riding experience a prerequisite, and spare the rest of the patronizing, half baked effort, when all we're looking for is a rewarding experience. I don't care if you're tired or cranky because it was a long day. Our family is made up of retired career law enforcement officers. Long days, nights, fatigue are part of the job. Abusing someone verbally or insulting people, tired or not, was unacceptable. Worse, unprofessional. Those who couldn't get that, got cut loose. It's sad, because people spend good money for a rewarding, entertaining experience. One that your ranch promises on their site. But if you don't walk the walk, don't talk the talk. My brother told me he was so disappointed, this was his last ride at Tanqueverde. This from a man who rode every trail ride you offered, and stayed twice at your ranch. He praised your business prior to this experience. His impression is you have sadly gone downhill since then when it comes to customer service. Even though I personally had a great experience, we won't be back, nor would I recommend this business to friends or family. A little courtesy and patience doesn't cost anybody a dime. Maybe some of your employees don't get that concept, but you might want to remind them that word of mouth is the best advetisement. Unfortunately, that doesn't apply here. More's the pity.

Still loving after 45 years of visiting annually. It's the perfect gathering place with friends and family. The hiking is spectacular as well