Castle Hot Springs is secluded within the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
Castle Hot Springs, Arizona’s legendary historic resort near the Bradshaw Mountains, reopened this year as an opulent destination after a major two-year renovation and restoration. The 210-acre resort, which first opened in 1896 and had been shuttered since a 1976 fire, catered to wealthy Easterners—among them the Vanderbilts, Wrigleys, Carnegies and John F. Kennedy—who came to luxuriate in the healing, mineral-rich hot springs and dry desert climate halfway between modern-day Lake Pleasant and Wickenburg. Now, the rejuvenated resort debuts with six restored original buildings; a gourmet restaurant; an organic farm; its own microbrewery, which produces a signature Lithium Lager; and 32 stylish accommodations, including bungalows with private spring-fed outdoor tubs. Don’t want to drive the unpaved road past Lake Pleasant? The resort has a helipad where you can land a private chopper. Sky View Cabins and Spring Bungalows $1,400-$1,600 per night, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and all daily gratuities for two adults