A historic wellness retreat in the desert northwest of Phoenix has been named Arizona’s best resort for the third time.
Castle Hot Springs topped the list of best resort hotels in Arizona in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for 2024. The Morristown resort was also one of five Arizona hotels named to the 2024 T+L List, the magazine’s readers’ choice of the best hotels in the world.
This is the third time Castle Hot Springs, which reopened in 2019 after being closed for decades by fire, has topped Travel + Leisure’s list of Arizona’s best resorts; the resort also earned the honor in 2021 and 2022.
Last year it came in second to Paradise Valley’s Hermosa Inn.
Why Travel + Leisure readers love Castle Hot Springs
Castle Hot Springs, a 1,100-acre resort along the Bradshaw Mountains that Travel + Leisure calls “the state’s first wellness retreat,” opened in 1896 and predates many historic resorts in metro Phoenix and Arizona.
Readers praised Castle Hot Springs’ wide range of activities, which range from culinary experiences (one reader quoted in the ranking enjoyed an “incredible farm trip” there) to adventurous experiences, including Arizona’s only Via Ferrata trail.
But the main attraction is exactly what the name suggests: the natural hot springs that feed three geothermal pools, where the magnesium- and lithium-rich waters are said to have healing properties.
Castle Hot Springs recently introduced a cold water pool that is 43-46 degrees Celsius, and has also started offering walking tours of the springs, where guides explain the geology of the springs and the therapeutic benefits of the hot springs.
Sedona Hotel Makes T+L World’s Best in 2024 List
Travel + Leisure readers continue to love Sedona’s resorts, too.
(It seems Arizona Republic readers agree: Sedona is one of the final four destinations in our Best Arizona Road Trip bracket.)
Both Sedona resorts on the 2023 list moved up in the rankings: L’Auberge de Sedona rose to fourth place from fifth last year, and Enchantment Resort moved up to fifth place from seventh last year.
And the third Sedona resort to join the 2024 list is Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel. Opened last year, Ambiente was designed to blend into Sedona’s natural topography and features a cubic atrium with a rooftop deck that offers unique views of the natural world and night sky.
Travel + Leisure’s Best Hotels in Arizona 2024
- Castle Hot Springs in Morristown.
- Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, Gurney’s Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley.
- Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley.
- L’Auberge de Sedona.
- Enchantment Resort in Sedona.
- Canyon Suites at The Phoenician in Scottsdale.
- Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix.
- Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley.
- Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, Scottsdale.
- Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel, Sedona.
How are Travel + Leisure 2024’s World’s Best Hotels chosen?
Travel + Leisure, America’s largest travel media brand, selected the hotels based on feedback from approximately 186,000 readers, who were surveyed about travel experiences around the world, including hotels, cities, islands, airlines, cruise ships and other experiences.
Readers rated hotels based on the value of their rooms and facilities, location, service, food and overall experience, with each category given a score ranging from “excellent” to “poor.”
To see the complete rankings, visit travelandleisure.com/worlds-best.
Arizona Hotel News
The Glendale Renaissance at Westgate just announced a $30 million renovation, VAI Resorts postponed its opening date again, and the Arizona Biltmore is under new ownership.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who has been covering travel and tourism since 2014. As The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter, his job is to help readers navigate the stresses of travel and get the best bang for their buck on their vacations. Contact him at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter). Follow.
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