Tucson's Oro Valley

If you like the convenience of timeshare-style of vacationing and need more vacation time without purchasing into a commitment with a timeshare, try Resort Quest Condominium Casitas. We have stayed at the Oro Valley Vistoso Resorts in a suburb of Tucson, which is the place to be if you want to escape your cold winter season. The weather from October through April is spectacular. Summer months are warm, but cooler than Phoenix.

These luxurious condos have an impressive view of the rugged Catalina Mountains and more subtle Tortolita Mountains that break the Tucson skyline and are seated in the middle of the world-class golf course, Vistoso designed by Tom Weiskoph. Most of the units are decorated in a southwestern decor which includes whitewashed hardwood furniture plus cowboy, Mexican, or Native American paintings and relics.

You will be spending much of your time outdoors while in Tucson. The grounds at the resort are beautifully managed, lots of well groomed grass, also natural xeroscaped Sonora Desert areas, and views of the golf course. The swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and barbeque area with mountain vistas will be meeting places, even if you do not know anyone at the resort. A small but practical exercise room is available to the guests as well.

The kitchen is small, but is fully equipped for your cooking delights; gas barbeques are located in the swimming area. Each unit has a nice dining area, two bar stools, and outside patio or balcony with table and chairs.

The floor plan is split for optimal privacy. The master suite had a private bathroom while the second bedroom has the bathroom just outside the bedroom. The unit sleeps six: king bed, queen bed, and a queen-sleeper sofa. Each condo has a washer and dryer for your convenience. The master closet is a good-sized walk-in closet for temporary living, while the second bedroom has about a five-foot sliding door style closet.

I believe these units are individually owned, but managed by Resort Quest and other leasing developments.

We attended a friend’s wedding last June in north Tucson. The bride recommended that we stay at the El Conquistador located at the base of the spectacular Pusch Ridge of the Catalina Mountains. After spending our last seven years traveling in timeshares, we felt this resort was out of our league and over priced for our type of travel.

We stayed in one of the casitas; this includes one bathroom, a living room, dining area, and extremely limited kitchen (consisting only of a sink, mini refrigerator, and microwave). The Spanish influence of the Southwestern décor was very elegant. The bedroom had a king sized bed that was very comfortable. The living room area had a queen sleeper sofa, two side chairs, and a table with four chairs, and two barstools. A very small patio was set up with two chairs and small table.

The landscape is that of the Sonora Desert and small grassy areas. The resort has at least two swimming pools; one pool had just opened that had a spiral slide for the kids of all ages. Guests have to pay extra to use this new slide.

Every morning we got up at the crack of dawn and hiked around the resort and nearby mountains for exercise before it was too hot to be outside. The Catalinas offer breath taking views and the slope will elevate your heart rate. We noticed the resort has accommodations to host a conference, business center for your computing needs, several gift shops, a restaurant, golf course, horseback riding, hiking trails, tennis courts, spa, exercise room, banquet facilities, vallet parking, and a huge lobby. This would be a fun resort to return to in the future but very pricy. Even though this was the off-season for Tucson, the resort was fully booked. Pricing for this resort fluctuates with the seasonal demands. For more details, see their website.

The Arizona-based chain of Asian bistros will delight your senses! As at most of the PF Chang bistros scattered across America, a colossal concrete horse will greet you; modern Asian art, copper and a variety of stonework adorn the Tucson eating establishment. You can select to eat inside or outside.

I suggest ordering an appetizer, the lettuce wraps. These are a signature dish at the chain. Iceberg lettuce is served to wrap around a spicy chicken, tofu, or beef mixture. With so many American watching their carbs, this is an excellent starter. Another delicious choice is the hot and sour soup.

We like ordering several entrees and sharing since most Asian food is served family-style with rice. Choose brown rice, white rice, or a side of each. One recommendation is the orange peel beef, a chili pepper and orange peel seasoned stir fired sirloin beef. Another delicacy is the hot fish, a spicy Sichuan stirfry catfish. Chinese favorites such as Mongolian beef, beef and broccoli, mu shu pork, kung pao chicken, and lo mein are also very tasty. We have tried four of the vegetable sides and they were all excellent, including the Sichuan long beans and asparagus, spinach stirfry with garlic, and stirfry eggplant.

If you want hot tea, you will need to order it; tea is not automatically served as in most Chinese restaurants. A full bar is available. I enjoy a glass of plum wine with my Oriental food; it is a very sweet wine and one glass is ample.

Once we had dessert, the "Great Wall of Chocolate." It is a very decadent chocolate raspberry cake. We had a group of six people and one slice was plenty for us all to share.

PF Chang’s is my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant. I seek them out in the cities I have visited, including Tempe, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, and Raleigh.

You will enjoy a glass or two of a handcrafted microbrew from the Thunder Canyon Brewery in north Tucson, a contemporary pub that serves microbrews, appetizers, and entrees. The pub is located in a large outlet mall with a mega-plex theater. The ambience of the brewery itself is very upscale; impressive rock walls and distinctive floor tiles add to the décor. Numerous TVs are positioned around the restaurant for the sports enthusiast. A picturesque outdoor patio is available for those many beautiful Sonora Desert evenings Tucson has to offer. Since this is a microbrewery, a row of windows reveal the brewing process with a peak of the huge stainless steel vats where the beer is processed.

The sirloin steak is one of our favorite entrees at the pub. It is served with homemade beer bread, garlic-mashers, and in-season vegetables. Also, the hamburger is one of the best burgers I have ever eaten; it is served with potato salad or fries. The entrees on the menu include wood-fired pizza, fish and chips, chicken, and pasta. The daily fare always includes a specialty soup and several salads.

Brewing beer is one of the restaurants specialties. If you are a beer or ale connoisseur, you will enjoy the Thunder Canyon Brewery. The location is perfect for dinner and a movie.