Set in the stop-light-free town of Carefree—population 1,800—this resort on 54 desert acres lies just 35 minutes from Phoenix, but at a slightly higher elevation of 2,828 feet, making it modestly cooler. It started out in the 1960s as the Carefree Inn, its then remote location attracting the attention of such Hollywood celebrities as Dick Van Dyke, Lucille Ball, and Bob Hope. Over the decades, the Phoenix suburbs have filled in the intervening desert and the inn has expanded to encompass some 350 rooms and villas, all with balconies or private patios and views of the Sonoran Desert. Golf privileges can be arranged at a number of courses (the resort has none of its own), and guests can take advantage of two swimming pools, a day spa with half a dozen treatment rooms, a fitness center, bike rentals, and five hard tennis courts, the last under the direction of Glenn Gerbino.
The resort has just completed a makeover focused on modernizing the rooms and upgrading the restaurants while still preserving the western character. The lobby and main Lariat Grill restaurant have flagstone floors, stone walls, and wall-sized oil paintings of western scenes like stagecoaches and the Grand Canyon. An adobe-style Opera House (actually a conference center) anchors one corner of the property facing an open space with picnic tables, split-log corrals, a buckboard, and the facade of a western movie town. In the evening the resort sometimes schedules story telling around campfires, ideal for roasting marshmallows.
Pro Shop: 480-595-3880
Tennis Staff. Tennis director Glenn Gerbino, a former college player, began his teaching career at Saddlebrook in Florida in 1991 and since then has held a number of coaching and teaching positions in Texas and Arizona before taking over the director's position at Carefree in 2010. His roster of activities includes men's, women's, and mixed drop-in play, team clinics, junior programs for everyone from PeeWees to advanced, Cardio tennis, game matching, and monthly socials. He has some 80 local members whose participation helps ensure on-going activity. Beginning in October 2011, Gerbino will be offering a four-day tennis camp on the first weekend of each month.
Courts & Fees. There are 5 hard courts outdoors just across the road from the entrance to the hotel. A recently refurbished two-story clubhouse—with a modest pro shop on the first floor and a fitness center on the second floor—overlooks the courts. Its patio provides a place to congregate, while inside Gerbino has four clocks set to the times of the four Grand Slam tournaments and a few accessories. Bike rentals are also handled here. Court fees: None for resort guests or members; $25/90 minutes for others.
The rooms have just come through a thorough upgrade, casting off their former rusticity for two-tone walls, duvet covers on the beds, flatscreen televisions, complimentary high-speed wireless, coffeemakers, microwaves, and small refrigerators while still hinting at their western roots in framed black-and-white prints of cowboys on the wall. All have balconies or patios with view of the desert or mountains. Some three-rooms suites are also available.
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Rates on request.
Seasons. Open year-round but busiest from September into May.
Travel Instructions. By Air: The nearest major airport is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), roughly 20 miles to the south.
General Tourist Information. Visit the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau website or contact them toll-free at 877-CALLPHX or email visitors@visitphoenix.com.