Royal Palms Resort & Spa: The Definition of Green Luxury Romance

January 28, 11:15 PMPhoenix Travel ExaminerJay Hammond

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Image courtesy of Royal Palms Resort & Spa.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix has been named one of the 100 Best Luxury hotels in the world according to the 2009 Travelers' Choice by TripAdvisor. With 117 custom-appointed guest rooms, swimming pool, an award-winning restaurant and intimate courtyards hidden within lush, 100 percent green gardens and grounds, the Royal Palms is the definition of a sumptuous environment of great comfort and ease.

To help guests get comfortable, the Royal Palms offers luxurious and private in-suite spa experiences in the Alvadora Spa Terraces. These accommodations, designed by world-renowned spa designer Sylvia Sepielli, feature some of the resort's most stunning views of Camelback Mountain rising above tiered gardens, trickling fountains, crackling fire pits and a reflecting pool. Inside, guests will find mosaic tiles, leather furnishings and four-poster daybed with built-in therapy bed and draped in white linen, two plasma televisions, a Bose stereo, a European soaking tub and a fireplace. Spanish guitar serenades herald the setting sun.

We focused on creating a spa lifestyle rather than a hotel room,” Sepielli said.

Guests selecting the Alvadora Spa Terraces receive a personalized tour of the suite, 10 percent of retail purchases in the spa and daily greetings including a daily intention card, a stone of the day and a suggested yoga pose to help balance the energy in one of the body's seven chakras. Upon arrival, these pampered guests are met with a surprise welcome smoothie. Five special indulgences are offered (for additional fees) only to Alvadora Spa Terrace guests including: Hair Ritual (hydrating and rejuvenating hair), the Journey Manicure (an intensive chakra-based treatment), the Journey Pedicure (an aromatherapeutic foot ritual), Thai Massage (a relaxing yet energetic therapeutic massage) and the Savasana (an treatment that energizes the solar plexus, sacral heart, root and crown chakras).

Of course, comfort is only one aspect of the luxury equation. Ease is the other. Unfortunately, romance can make some people very uncomfortable, especially around Valentine's Day or weddings. Fortunately, the Royal Palms has a Director of Romance making it easy for guests to get the romance right.

My role as Director of Romance goes way beyond ordering flowers and making dinner reservations; it's more that of a personal romance coach, especially for the 'romantically challenged.' It's designing the complete, personalized, over-the-top experience that I look forward to, and I have the perfect stage for doing so at Royal Palms,” said Robert H. Vickrey upon being named Director of Romance in September 2008. Vickrey had spent more than a year as the Maitre D' at the Royal Palms' ultra-romantic restaurant, T. Cook's before becoming Director of Romance.

The Royal Palms Resort lends itself to romance, from single nights away from home to destination weddings. Guests can take romantic strolls along the stone-paved walkways through 100 percent organic gardens filled with poppies, calendula, snapdragons, purple cornflowers, black-eyed Susans and none of the gravel found in most landscaping around the Valley. Regal Spanish colonial architecture incorporating state of the art materials and unique details from the namesake row of palm trees, 250-year-old fountain and laja negra dating back to 1692 at the entry to the ceramic tile “Lady of Spain” mural from the Delos Cooke's original home, offer the ideal romantic setting for photos, meals and weddings.

The resort and landscaping are so enchanting, we don't have to embellish the property at all and are able to focus on fulfilling the couple's special requests,” explained Jocelyn Kraus, director of catering.

The culinary program and signature T. Cook's restaurant, under the direction of Executive Chef Lee Hillson has earned praise from just about everyone from America's Top Restaurants to Zagats. In January 2009, T. Cook's four-course Inauguration menu offers guests the opportunity get the taste of John McCain's defeat out of their mouths with dishes inspired by, and in some cases served at, past Presidential Inauguration Dinners. The Inaugural Dinner menu is offered nightly throughout the month of January 2009 for $50 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Incidentally, guests who can correctly match the Presidents to their favorite dishes during January qualify for a one-night stay in the Royal Palms' Presidential Suite. The winner will be drawn by Chef Hillson on February 2, 2009.

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a AAA four Diamond resort and one of 32 independent, upscale, luxury hotels, resorts and golf clubs managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts in the United States. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Royal Palms was built in 1929 as the winter home of New York industrialist and financier Delos William Cooke and his wife, Florence. After serving as the private residence of several of the Valley's most prominent citizens, the property opened its doors to guests as the Royal Palms Inn in 1948. The property underwent a multi-million dollar renovation lasting 12 months in 1997. The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is located at 5200 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix. For Reservations call 800-672-6011 or visit them online at www.royalpamshotel.com.