Royal Palms, in Phoenix, a boutique resort with a wild imagination
Royal Palms, a Phoenix jewel with a generous footprint (it covers nine acres) and the personality of a boutique hotel, makes an exquisite wedding site. The Spanish Colonial charm stretches out across gardens, lawns, salons, and lounges, many with unmatched views of Camelback Mountain.
But before marriage, someone has to ask a question, and someone else has to say, “yes.” If you’re still fishing around for a memorable way to propose, look no further. Book the hotel’s Desert Romance package and you’ll board a seaplane for an hour-long tour of the Sonoran Desert up to Roosevelt Lake, about 80 miles to the north. You’ll make a water landing, then spend the afternoon on Splash Island, where you can do some stand-up paddle-boarding before tucking into the four-course picnic provided by chef Todd Sicolo. Afterward, you’ll wing it back to Royal Palms for a couple’s massage and a night in a one of the resort’s profoundly luxurious villas.
At $8,500, it’s not what you’d call a cheap date, but look at it as an insurance policy: After a day like this, how could anyone say no?
