Litchfield Park | Phoenix

2.16.2024 – 2.19.2024 || Litchfield Park| Arizona

Why Litchfield Park? After having a great time at The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale in 2021, I was looking for a similar resort experience in the Phoenix area to spend three nights during President’s Day weekend in February. I came across The Wigwam Resort located 19 miles west of Phoenix with an onsite tennis facility, spa, several restaurants with live music, and more. Check out how we spent three days and nights in the desert.

Where we stayed:

The Wigwam was at one time a gathering place for executives of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Paul Litchfield, who the town is named after, initially discovered the area west of Phoenix was a prime location to grow cotton needed for the production of rubber tires. Around 1916, they started cotton ranching on thousands of acres of land in present day Litchfield Park. What started as housing for workers and their families during growing season and was used as a vacation retreat for company executives evolved to a public hotel in 1929 and has turned into a Historic Hotel of America spanning 440 acres.

The front entrance to the main lobby is a desert oasis and there are many cacti.

There are over 300 guest rooms located throughout the property. Rooms are grouped together in various clusters of rooms. We stayed in a recently renovated part of the property in group 7A, which was short walk to just about everything – the tennis facility, spa, restaurants, etc.

We enjoyed sunset from the front patio and daily walks around the resort on the paved paths.

What we did:

We played tennis! The tennis facility has nine hard courts and is available to hotel guests for one hour daily. We also took advantage of a drill clinic on Saturday morning with some local members. After playing indoors in VA it felt great to hit outside in the desert sun for a few days.

We went to LeMonds Aveda Salon + Spa located on the resort property and thoroughly enjoyed the courtyard pool area (and unpictured prickly pear mimosa). While it was in the 70s in the sun, the fireplace was a nice touch to warm up after a swim.

We headed into Phoenix to check out the Desert Botanical Garden that spans 140 acres in Papago Park. There are various trails and offshoots to learn more about desert cacti and flowers.

Where we ate:

Tacos Chilango – a family owned taqueria serving authentic food of Mexico City. We came across this taco shop on the route to our hotel and were so hungry at 2pm (our bodies thinking it was 4pm EST) that I didn’t get any photos – but trust me, the queso tacos with shrimp are a must – crispy corn tortilla smothered in queso and filled with shrimp is the way to go.

Wigwam Bar – after a late lunch we decided to have dinner at the hotel’s outdoor patio to enjoy the live music. This is also where breakfast was served in the morning. The chilaquiles were the best thing I had at the Wigwam Bar.

Senor Taco – on the way to the Desert Botanical Garden we found a San Diego chain that also has various locations across the greater Phoenix area. I got the shrimp quesadilla that felt more like two burritos.

Papa Paul’s – taking a quick break from tacos to try the Italian restaurant recommended by someone at the tennis facility. Located in the shopping center right next to the hotel we were able to walk there. While I took a break from tacos I ordered and Aperol spritz and the Elote pizza (mozzarella, ricotta, cotija, corn, tajin, cilantro, and jalapeño mayo) – not something I would order on the regular back home but it was good for a couple of slices.

Park Cafe – a great breakfast spot in the same shopping center as Papa Paul’s with excellent huevos rancheros and french toast.

Litchfield’s– we ate dinner at the Wigwam’s signature restaurant on the last night of our stay. We almost skipped it in favor of a Mexican restaurant across the street which would have been a miss! It felt too familiar to some of our favorite restaurants at home but it was far from the experience we imagined. The shishito peppers with jalapeño ranch and the grilled Cesar with roasted sweet peppers, goatija, cornbread croutons, creamy ancho dressing were stars of the meal. The salmon with a walnut crust was not your basic restaurant salmon dish. I would prioritize this meal and this restaurant if you spend time at the Wigwam.

That’s a wrap for how we spent three days and nights in the Arizona desert in the greater Phoenix area. I am already looking for the next tennis-cation location so please send recommendations!

Question: Where should we go next in the greater Phoenix area to continue exploring resorts with tennis facilities in the desert?