Inspiring Travel and Wellness. Join me for adventures above and below the ocean, exploring nature, luxury travel experiences, spa and wellness activities.
The Book of Mormon musical is on tour and finally in Phoenix!
A comedy musical written by the South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) guys in collaboration with the song-writer (Robert Lopez) responsible for Frozen’s “Let It Go”, the Book of Mormon musical is irreverent, campy, cheeky, and wildly entertaining with songs that are catchy as Hell! Since opening in 2011, this show has won many awards and sat at the top of my Wish List for performances, it surpassed my expectations!
The story begins in the Missionary Training Center with the opening song “Hello” that was also the 2012 Tony Awards opening act. After completing training, the missionaries receive their location and companion assignments for the next 2 years. Our leading missionaries, (Elder Price and Elder Cunningham) are assigned to Africa, which prompts a heavy sprinkling of Lion King jokes and references throughout the performance. Continue reading “The Book of Mormon Musical”
For the luxury portion of our Puerto Rico vacation, we checked into paradise, officially known as the El Conquistador Resort, a Waldorf-Astoria property. It has that Latin America laid back culture, but quite posh at the same time.
El Conquistador pool view from lobby overlooking the Ocean
Our room was simple, with sunken bathtub and huge walk-in closet. The real in-room feature is the balcony!
View from the Balcony
The resort property is massive, with a little bit of everything. Just getting there involved driving through the enormous golf course (slight pun intended). There are several pools on each level, complete with poolside cafes, and many different restaurants. The engineering geeks (us) were very excited for the funicular, an inclined plane cable car, to carry passengers safely up & down the steep incline from the Lobby to a lower room level and the marina.
The right food and drink not only provide nutritional substance, but cleanse & calm the mind. I drink a lot of tea of many different varieties. High quality Tea is a thing of beauty.
My friend and I often share Tea stories, varieties, recommendations, and have enjoyed Japanese Tea at Nobuo for lunch earlier this year. Looking for another great tea experience, we consulted TeaMap.com and started on the list. Some of these locations have closed, and others are quite a drive. Another Tea enthusiast friend just had Afternoon Tea at the Biltmore Resort last weekend, and it was the perfect choice.
Biltmore tea seating for 5 people
The Arizona Biltmore Resort is Waldorf-Astoria property built in 1929 in the art-deco style of design. The atmosphere is old Hollywood glamour. It was a stark contrast to Afternoon Tea at the American Girl Doll Cafe in Chicago last year, but both very enjoyable. Tea at the Biltmore is served in the main lobby, near the restaurant, by the front windows. Continue reading “Tea at Arizona Biltmore Resort”
I work hard and I play hard, then I relax…at the spa.
The spa is a place to relax and unwind. Here are 10 guidelines, helpful tips, and basic etiquette to follow for a more enjoyable experience at the day spa resort.
Arrive early – Arrive at least 15 minutes before your service to check in, find your locker, change into your robe, and have a few minutes to wind down before starting your service. Better still, arrive 30 minutes or more before services and familiarize yourself with the amenities. I usually look at each of the relaxation rooms, use the bathroom, pour myself a drink, and scope out the snacks before I settle in with a book or magazine waiting for my service.
Spa locker area
Use the lockers provided. Real day spas/resort spas will provide a locker, robe, and usually sandals. Do not lug a diaper bag sized handbag around with you during your treatments (or class at the gym), you will not need it.
Silence your mobile phone. Most of the time, my phone is in my locker anyway, but if you carry your phone keep it quiet. Part of the quiet phone is not talking on it. If you must make or take a phone call, leave the relaxation areas and head back to the locker area or other appropriate area. Look around and observe, it will be obvious if you are disturbing everyone around you.
Silence – not just your phone, but keep your voice down. I have a naturally loud voice, so I make an extra effort to lower my voice and not disturb everyone around me. The tile floors are great acoustics for sound, just this evening I heard everything several ladies discussed just outside the steam room. I doubt these women planned for everyone to hear their conversation, but we did, loud and clear.
Enter rooms slowly – many relaxation rooms are dark or dimly lit, enter slowly to let your eyes adjust and avoid startling anyone. Some of the relaxation rooms are small and you could run into someone if you barge in.
No photos – okay, I admit I do take photos for this blog. I do not take any photos when people are around. Most of my photos are towards the end of the day, or a slow period when no one else is around. I am referring to avoidance of the group photos and selfies with semi-nude guests in the background. Wearing only a tiny towel, I was recently in a background shot from an idiot teenager taking selfies in the mirror.
There are robe hooks near each sauna, steam room, hot tub, and other areas. Only take towels into the sauna & steam rooms, leave the robes outside. Remember to take the towels out with you when you leave.
Coordinate where to meet after the service – knowing where you are going to meet up after service will make life easier for you and avoid wandering around lost or disturbing others while you are in search mode.
Keep your possessions contained to your area and avoid spreading out to multiple chairs for each person. Most spas will have tables for books, magazines, drinks, and snacks.
Leave someone with your stuff, or take it with you doing your service. Consider staggered start times for private services (such as individual massages) if you want to save a specific area for your group.
There is also a significant amount of cross-over between the spa, gym, and many other places. I have seen many of these behaviors at the spa, gym, and hair/nail salons. Share this with folks that could benefit, in the end it will make spa time a happier time.
I love a good spa experiance, and I am a sucker for a great pool. The promotional photo for Sanctuary Spa on Camelback is stunning and serene. Travel Zoo offered a fantastic deal, so I immediately bought a spa deal and booked an appointment.
Sanctuary Spa on Camelback is nestled at the base of Camelback Mountain. There is no indication of being in the middle of metro-Phoenix, it feels like you are far-far away.
Sanctuary Infinity Pool
This is what the pool really looks like, not as exactly the same as the promo photo using the super wide angle lens to make the pool look much, much bigger. The slate tile surrounding the pool is beautiful, but dark gray and horribly hot (not a good plan for a pool in Arizona). The only shade is from the few cabanas (in the photo) and the umbrellas for the majority of the lounge chairs to the left of the pictured pool. The pool was refreshing, but lacking any breeze or shade, I cut my time short. The pool is shared between the resort & the spa and was starting to get crowded when I left. The view is beautiful, just not quite as remote as the promo photo indicates.
Relaxation room
The spa front desk staff were polite and after a quick check-in and payment (the mandatory tip is applied before treatment when using a discount voucher), I was escorted to the Ladies locker area. I was not offered a tour of the spa facilities, even after I explained it was my first visit, and I had to ask for directions to the pool.
I purchased a voucher for the Sanctuary Jewel 60 minute facial. The aesthetician asked very few questions and really did not explain what products she was using or why. One of the masks smelled delicious and she confirmed my theory that is was indeed a Pumpkin mask. Everything felt really nice and smelled wonderful. I opted for the additional foot moisturizer and eye treatments. My face is soft and glowing, so whatever she did, it was a good treatment. Continue reading “Sanctuary Spa on Camelback Review and Spa Tour | Arizona Spas”
