Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain, the Different Kind of RC

We stayed at RC Dove Mountain for 5 nights and we enjoyed every single day of our stay.  We wish we could have stayed there longer.

This resort was a category 5 hotel that requires 35,000 points.  It is perfect to use the credit card annual reward night.  But it has since been upgraded to new category 6 that commands 50,000 points since Mar-2019.

We drove our rental car from Scottsdale to RC DM.  The valet is included in the $50 daily resort fee.  You can choose to self park and pay a lower resort fee.

The front staff was friendly.  Since it was the winter holiday, we did not get any upgrade.  I did not expected any upgrade at RC properties.  No free breakfast benefit.

The room is standard room with two queen size beds.  We were upgraded to have outdoor fire pit.  This is great since it was a rather cold winter in AZ.  The room looks large and with nice furniture.

The resort has a large outdoor pool with slides.  The pool was heated during cold season.

RC DM has a full golf course and golf club.  The driving range is included in resort fees.  It is really impressive to have such a golf course in the desert.

The resort offers extensive hiking and biking trails.  Bike rental is included in resort fees.  Some of the trails are rather difficult.

The services are to the RC standard, from front desk to room service.  No complaints.

The "On the Go" cafe is decent.  Easy to get a quick bite.  You will need to make reservation at its "Core" restaurant.  The food is top notch though it is not cheap.

There were quite a few other activities at the resort.  There were some tours and trips.  We like the Stargazing!

The gym is very extensive, RC standard.  It keeps you busy at all time.

The RC DM is actually closer to Tuscon than to Phoenix.  But it is within driving distance to both cities.  The resort itself is away from cities and towns.  But there are some local places, even retirement communities not far away.  

Outside the resort, you can drive to Mt. Lemmon, Saguaro National Park and Tuscon Mountain Park.  

You can fly into either Phoenix or Tucson airports.

Even at 50,000 points, this resort still offers tremendous value.  With the Peak and Offpeak implementation, it is expected the hot summer will be its offpeak season.  

Compared with the traditional city center classic Ritz Carlton, this resorts is a totally different experience.  You can have the entire stay at the resort, or you can roam outside to enjoy what the wide US Southwest has to offer.  We did both and we enjoyed this better than at the city center hotels.  

This resort is also family friendly, with its swimming pool, biking/hiking trails and other family friendly activities.

I highly recommend this property.