Previous dude-ranch experiences had admittedly saddled me with low expectations of Rancho de los Caballeros. Heading to this western retreat located about 60 miles northwest of Phoenix in the small town of Wickenburg, I anticipated all the charm of a gimmicky, Spaghetti Western starring pardners named Hoss, Tex and Slim.
But Rancho de los Caballeros threw me like a wild mustang. Hammered tin, decorative wood accents, ornate handcrafted furnishings and vibrant fabrics swathe the bustling, upscale lodge and 79 well-appointed guest suites. The jackets-required (or Western vest-acceptable) dining room, decked out in Southwestern décor and artifacts, forsakes franks, beans and mashed potatoes for delectable dishes like coq au vin, bison rib eye and other nightly specials.
El Rancho also serves up some tasty golf. Opened for play in 1980, the mature, parkland-style Jeff Hardin/Greg Nash design tips out at 7,025 yards and reveals awesome views of Vulture Peak, the Bradshaw Mountains and the surreal Sonoran Desert. The scenery builds in poignancy on the rolling back nine, which features one of the best par fives I’ve ever played–the 599-yard, par-five 13th, which requires an accurate drive for a shot at the hard-sloping, elevated green. Thanks to a new irrigation system, the turf is in the same condition you’d find at Scottsdale’s most-exclusive private clubs.
Golf is but one of the attractions at El Rancho, where the activity menu could fill a family’s schedule for weeks: tennis, swimming, hot-air balloon rides, hiking, scenic jeep tours, trap and skeet, and an array of treatments at the spa, which opened in 2006. Horseback-riding, however, is the house specialty.
Named for the Spanish cavaliers who settled the Southwest, the ranch has a 100-horse stable, which is the home base for twice-daily excursions for cowpokes of all skill levels: nature rides led by resident ranch naturalist Richard Fredrickson and team penning—which, for all you city slickers, involves separating cattle from a herd and corralling them into a pen on horseback.
Before leaving, guests partake in a hayride and cookout beneath a celestial canopy in the middle of the desert. After enjoying fall-off-the-bone baby-back ribs, tart prickly-pear margaritas and gooey apple cobbler, we gathered around the campfire, where Cowboy Bob serenaded us with classic Western tunes, like Roy Rogers’ “Happy Trails.”
Until we meet again, Rancho de los Caballeros.
Rancho de los Caballeros is open from early October through mid-May. For more information and reservations, visit ranchodeloscaballeros.com or call 928-684-5484.