The Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson is famous for its spacious guestrooms, 27-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, great restaurants and sweeping views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Now, the resort also includes a unique outdoor space designed to help guests unwind and relax in the scenic foothills of north Tucson.
The Serenity Garden, as it's called, features native flora and natural elements that help guests carve out a quiet space to rest and recharge.
A new serenity garden offers a spot for relaxation at Tucson's The Westin La Paloma Resort — Photo courtesy of The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
The garden features labeled flowering plants, cacti and succulents that attract butterflies and hummingbirds; a tranquil bubbling fountain; bench seating for outdoor relaxation; and several stone and metal sculptures created for the space by artists from Tucson's Metal Arts Village.
The garden also features meandering paths that can be used for a meditative walk or simply the opportunity to rest and enjoy time with friends.
Some of the artists featured in the sculpture garden include Arizona sculpture artists Steve Kimble, Mark Wallis, Al Glann, Everett Grondin and Joe Brown. The metal sculptures, which are available for sale, will be rotated so that there are always fresh pieces to view and enjoy in the garden.
The garden is part of The Westin's commitment to its "Feel Well" principle, which seeks to connect guests to their environment and provide them with a holistic wellness experience.
In addition to the Serenity Garden, The Westin La Paloma also recently opened a Sonoran Desert Walkway in partnership with the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The walkway offers guests a unique way to experience the plants and animals of Tucson's Sonoran Desert.
The desert walkway boasts labeled exotic plants, including Palo Verde trees that are more than 100 years old, cacti, flowering agave plants and exhibitions about native animals that live in the area.
The walkway is designed to be educational, but it also gives guests a convenient way to explore the desert without having to stray very far from the resort.
After exploring the Serenity Garden and Sonoran Desert Walkway, check out the new selection of local beers at Azul Restaurant and Lounge, the resort's signature restaurant.
The bar at Azul now has a "Local AZ Brew Line-up" that includes Barrio Tucson Blonde, Oak Creek Hefeweizen, Four Peaks Kilt Lifter from Tempe and Lumberyard IPA from Flagstaff on tap.
Happy hour at Azul happens Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There's a sprawling outdoor patio terrace with excellent mountainside views, perfect to cap off a day in the desert.
