I stayed here when I decided to tack on a couple of days after a conference near the university. I've never golfed a day in my life, and at first I was a bit put off by the whole golf resort atmosphere. But the location turned out to suit me very well and me and the golf crowd stayed out of each others way. I ended up in a two bedroom suite with a kitchenette and large living room. I loved the view from my balcony. I never ate in the dining room; room service was very convenient and I also brought back food from Whole Foods for one dinner along with supplies for all of my lunches. The resort is located at the very north end of Tucson, right at the foothills. It's close to the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, but it's not the same property.

I found a deal on the internet (through Travelocity I think) and thanks to TripAdvisor I was not surprised that there was resort fee in addition to the room charge. Otherwise that would have been an unpleasant surprise.

No golf for me, but I like to walk. There's a short walking trail on the golf course, but it's not much more than a short stroll. One has the impression that the outdoors are meant to be enjoyed from the seat of a golf cart. But Ventana Canyon is nearby and I had a very nice hike there. The next day the hotel shuttled me to Sabino Canyon and I enjoyed that walk very much as well. The third day I drove to Saguaro Park East and had a long hike. The high point of that walk was a not-too-close encounter with a rattle snake. Memorable. I ended up with a nice walking holiday.

I would consider returning here for another dose of hiking in the Tucson area.

We flew into Tucson at the start of our road trip and stayed 3 nights.
Our room was very spacious but didn't really have a view as it overlooked tennis courts.
The dining room is beautiful and both breakfast and dinner were excellent. Only gripe is the $24 per room per night resort tax and 20% on all food in restaurant, but rates were reasonable so would probably stay there again.
Is in good location without being in city itself.

For the price, location, and size of the rooms, this place is WONDERFUL. This is our 2nd time there specifically because of those reasons. Last time was around 2003. Now let me get into specifics.

As other reviewers have noted, this is not a resort. It is a private "country club" that has a 2nd life as a hotel. Both times we stayed, we have always felt very welcome, even by the people who are members. People talked to us in the dining room and gym. It's very friendly.

The employees are extremely polite and responsive. Every time we had a request or issue, it was addressed immediately.

The room size, which is very important to us, is exceptional. This time we stayed in the loft suite since we took our son. Three T.V.s; 3 locations for us all to go and escape one another :-) Two bathrooms (master bath had a tub).

The location is AWESOME. You're a mile from Sabino Canyon. Every morning I ran there with the locals and everyone is very friendly. There's a wonderful sense of camaraderie. Week long parking pass is $10. There are also several great restaurants in the shopping center near the lodge. Risky Business is fabulous with lots of homemade food. You wouldn't expect that!

Parking is very easy, but the Lodge even has valet parking. We seldom used it.

There is a free washer/dryer; you just have to buy soap at the local grocery store down the road.

No tipping and that's awesome.

Now for the flip side. Some might see picky, but this is for the picky people out there. :-)

In our suite, the doors would not close all the way. The master bedroom door to the bathroom (sliding door) wouldn't close all the way. The master bedroom door wouldn't close all the way. We were told upon check in not to close the door behind us on the balcony because they have been known to lock. The shower door in the loft's bathroom wouldn't close all the way. The kitchen cabinet doors were messed up.

The description of our suite says "full kitchen." Last time I checked, a full kitchen means pots and pans--this had none. There were no cooking utensils. Embassy Suites provides these items in their "full kitchens."

Our room had no ironing board. I called and requested one and got it right away. Then the iron fiasco. Tried the iron, it wouldn't work. Called and got another. Person brought it--and it was hot as she tested it. I plugged it in and it didn't work. We spent 15 min. taking it around to various outlets and it would not heat up. Called back. Got the 3rd iron and it finally worked. Again--staff was responsive, but it was just an annoyance.

Twice during this visit, our keys just randomly stopped working. They tell you to keep them away from cellphone, which we did, so not sure what happened. So twice we had to go down and get them re-keyed.

The free ice maker in the hall was broken. Husband made them aware of it; nothing was done. After 2 days, he fiddled with it and fixed it in 5 minutes. (Each evening, they will come to your room with "ice service", but we like to have lots of ice water throughout the hot days. During our last visit, they did this with warm cookies. I wish they still had them!)

The fridge is not a full fridge with a working freezer. Again, going back to the description of "full kitchen", this is misleading. We couldn't put anything in the freezer area to keep.

They have a beautiful property, but there are no sidewalks to walk around it. No pathways unless you walk on the golf cart paths. There are no maps of the property in the room to show any of this. You just have to explore on your own.

Tried to use the blow dryer; it was broken. Immediately got another one.

The bathroom tiles are not spotless. The grout is old and needs to be redone.

There is NO information about the amenities around the property. There is a book with phone numbers, but not a typical "book" that you would get at a resort. No maps. No information about pricing for golf/tennis. No information about the pool (are towels provided? Yes, but you don't know that until you walk all the way down there.) No information o the washer/dryer. Total fluke that I even found it. You are always referred to the concierge with any questions and yes, they are wonderful, but I know I hate to call for every little question I have throughout the stay.

There is a poor cable selection. Being Arizona and hot in the middle of the day, we'd go back to the room and veg. Channels weren't great...

The room temperature (sigh) This has been discussed a lot. It is noisy and it can't be controlled. We were FREEZING the first night but there was no way to turn it down, short of turning off the fan, which we did. Then the loft would be very stuff and hot. It was a battle, but we made it through it. We made them aware of the issue the very first day, but never heard specifically back about anything. When we left, I read the reviews here where it was referenced a lot...LOL

Walls are very thin. We could hear conversations next door and their TV. We got up at 0230 to catch our flight the last day and the room next door obvious was up or slept with the TV on. Could totally hear it.

We ran out of paper towels. For something to do, my son and I just walked downstairs to get them. The young man working the concierge desk says we could just grab a bunch from the bathroom. Strange. And I saw some people as I was leaving the bathroom and I felt awkward like I was taking something I shouldn't be.

The swimming pool. (sigh) It is not a resort pool. It was set up with lanes for laps. There's not even an area where you could free swim and play. That is weird. But, it goes to show where their focus is: the country club crowd who is using it for exercise and the after-school groups. It's really not fair to the hotel guests. They say the pool is heated. Hmm...not the baby pool and if any pool should be heated, it should be that. We only went to the pool one time. It was just not fun.

There was some sort of after school program regarding tennis so there were a ton of kids. Kind of strange.

The rooms have poor lighting. One of the lights in the loft near one of the beds didn't work. The hallway light near the closet was very dim. How the heck can you see in the closet??

There are no vending machines. Make sure you have everything you need when you return for the day as there is NOTHING to purchase in the lodge.

The washer/dryer was a stackable, smaller unit. But, it's free...

Yes, they have a spa, but the massage room opens to a hallway that everyone uses. Creepy...no privacy! And it could be noisy!

There are hard water stains on all of the water fixtures.

Would we stay again? Hubby says no as his standards since 2003 have gone up. Me, as the person who does the budget, says maybe. The location is just awesome and the price for the room size can't be beat. Yes, Loew's nearby is likely nicer, but you don't get a suite and you're likely paying twice the price. It's really an even split... It comes down to that this is an older, tired facility, trying to make extra money between the hotel, after school activities (tennis & swimming). I can't fault them for that. If they could just do BASIC maintenance to the rooms, that would be great. Never once did a see a maintenance man--not one. You always see them in "real" hotels.

Good luck!

Stayed 9/20 through 9/24 while visiting son & family who is stationed at nearby Air Force base. Booked through hot wire and was not sure what to expect except for for knowing that's it's a 4 star hotel. Arrived late evening and met by Bell Hop who brought us right to our suite. I say suite because the room is about 2.5 times the size of a standard room. Comfortable bed - spacious bathroom with walk in shower & separate bathtub. Kitchenette - very well appointed. Grounds are great - swimming pool good with kiddie pool which was ideal for visiting grandchildren. Place is very quiet and the staff is always very friendly & accommodating. Can't wait to come back.