panecott

Why don't you think I'd like Riverbend? It looks very charming and the locale looks great.

Re Los P., I'm sure I would prefer the old inn rooms as well. Thanks for the heads up.

jubilada

I think that if Ojo and Red Mountain appeal to you Riverbend would not, Panecott. But perhaps I am mistaken...

panecott

Ah, I see. In fact, I've never been on a spa vacation before and I'm mainly going to Red Mt. b/c of the wealth and variety of physical activities available to guests, and the beautiful location.

I'm very adaptable and don't require luxury. Clean and comfortable is usually fine with me.

You should see the sculling camp I go to in the summer! ;-)

jubilada

Riverbend is clean and located beautifully and has wonderful pools for soaking. Comfortable, not so much.

santamonica

Well, we keep following you around, from Anna Maria to Vieques and now I suppose we'll have to go to New Mexico. There are worse fates.

jubilada

And don't forget Tucson. We liked it there way more than expected and just rented for next winter ev and think it will become our snowbird destination, despite the political climate. At least Ticson is reasonably progressive. It does make us sad that our marriage is not recognized there.

Did you see my TR from there?

HappyTrvlr

Make sure you visit during Tucson's Festival of Books which takes place during U of A spring break.

jubilada

Not next year, HappyTravlr as we have only two weeks and I must escape New england in February. But perhaps another year when we can stay longer.

mohan

jubilada, Your trip report brings back fond memories.
I feel the same way about NY weather. By february I have enough of the cold weather and the storm and feel I have to go to the tropics.
I really enjoyed hiking the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, I think there are many monuments in the region but I chose that one because I make scultures and they actually look like those rock formation(it's out of my subconscious). It was great walking and touching those rocks.

jubilada

mohan, I would love to see those sculptures!

HappyTravlr, my Tucson friend called last night to tell her experiences at the book Festival. Hopefully in 2015 when I hope to be there for 8 weeks. If i can find a rental. aargh.

HappyTrvlr

Sending good rental vibes your way....Book .Festival was amazing this year. Try to get a copy of "Lady at the OK Corral" with your interest in Jewish, Womens' and Southwestern history.

jubilada

I will do that HappyTrvlr, thanks.

jubilada

HappyTrvler, I have some tucson questions for you. Would you mind sending me contact info for you at my screen name at icloud dot com?

I will understand if you would prefer not to in which case I will ask here or in my AZ Tucson trip report. thanks, jubi

follow_your_bliss

panecott, I haven't been to Red Mountain Lodge but I've been to Ojo several times in the last few years. Perhaps Debitnm will chime in but until then, I'll say that it does appear that Red Mtn has a lot more in the way of activities. There are a few hikes around Ojo, but it's not really the place to go for outdoor adventure.

follow_your_bliss

Geez, I did not mean to hit submit.

There's no outdoor concierge or equivalent at Ojo, it's more designed for relaxation around the hot springs. Also, it's less exclusive because people can pay for the day and gain entrance. I don't see anything similar at Red Mountain, but I could be wrong. Anyway, I like that, but some people may not.

DebitNM

Red Mountain is wonderful, but VERY different from Ojo.

Ojo is really just about the various hot tubs, perhaps a massage, and really just de-stressing. I don't think it is "less exclusive" it is just pretty rustic, but in a nice way. Yes, they allow folks in for the day and most people there are doing just that, either coming over from local places [residents, mostly] or tourists from Santa Fe or ABQ.

Red Mountain has much more to do as far as classes, activities, food, accommodations, seminars/lectures, cooking demos, spa, etc. I loved it. It was a great get away. I actually went alone for 5 days and really liked that they had communal tables [you could eat alone, of course] for meals. I met some great folks and we hung out but didn't feel like we had to be together for all activities. There were lots of groups of friends, relatives etc that came together for "retreat" or getaway.

I also went in May and it was perfect weather, not too hot.

Really, there is no comparison between the 2 places. I would go back to Red Mountain in a heartbeat. I would rather go to Ten Thousand Waves for a day trip or to Tamaya in Bernalillo.

Vttraveler

jubilada--my husband and I have been trying to decide where to go on vacation in early September. We had been looking at Europe but airfares are high so this weekend we decided to look into New Mexico/Arizona to visit some places we want to see like Canyon de Chelly. One option is to fly into Albuquerque
and according to Alice's Law of Compensatory cashflow we could definitely afford to stay at Los Poblanos. It looks wonderful.

DebitNM

Sept is a really nice month here; AZ will still be really really hot. Lots to see and do here.