"Cool" fun in the desert
Written: Oct 18 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Natural location, excellent service, wonderful rooms
Cons: None significant
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| petersw's Full Review: Boulders |
I recently returned from a 5 day business trip to the Boulders, and I must say that it lived up to its well-earned reputation.
First, let me note that my trip was in early September, and the temperature hovered around 105 during the day, and only somewhat cooler at night. Yes, it was a "dry heat", but it was still hot! However, the Boulders is very much a walkable property, and wildlife is everywhere. In fact, I think they must have more rabbits and quail on the grounds than people. I even came back to my room one day to find a hummingbird "working" just outside my door!
The hotel is set up in a unique fashion. The main building, the Lodge, contains a restaurant, gift shop, and lounge. Check-in was done one-on-one at a desk, not a counter. After checking in, you are driven in a small cart (really a golf cart) to your "casita". The casitas are in groups of buildings, spread out over the property, and designed to blend in with the environment as much as possible. I believe that all of the building are two story, so you'll have either a ground level casita or have to walk up one flight. Mine happened to be on the ground level, and only a few minutes walk from the lodge.
The casitas are set up with one large main room, a walk-in closet, and a large bathroom. The main room had a fireplace, two very comfy chairs, a desk, and a king-sized bed. My room opened up onto a small terrace, while upstairs rooms had decks. The bathroom contained a makeup area, two sinks with plenty of counter space, a nice garden tub, stall shower, and a separate room for the toilet (with a stocked magazine rack, I might add!).
In the group that I was with, there were several VIP guests as well, and they were given lodging in the "townhouse" area. As I understand it, these are privately owned townhomes that are leased by their owners back to the Boulders. I visited one, and it was indeed a one-story house, with living room, kitchen, dining room, master and guest bedrooms, etc. Our VIPs were most impressed.
As I was there for a business trip, I'll also briefly describe the business facilities. Our meetings were held in the Tohono center, which is located in the El Pedregal complex (a two-level circular group of shops adjacent to the boulders). In spite of the heat, I usually choose to walk there (about a 5 minute walk), but a shuttle bus also ran continuously. In fact, if you never want to walk anywhere at the boulders, you can be driven around very easily.
The meeting area was well laid out, with a nice terrace for breakfast and lunch, and a lovely courtyard for dinner. All of our presentations went well, and the staff was very willing to help at all times.
About the only negative I can think of was that one of our guests found a family of flying ants in his room one night. The hotel moved him into one of the townhomes, so of course he was quite happy by the end of it all!
Let me also add that since I'm not a golfer, I can't comment on the golf course. But they looks well kept!
Overall, I found the Boulders to be both a fine, efficient hotel and a beautiful location. I would certainly recommend it for either business or vacation travel.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
petersw
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Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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