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WorldMark Rancho Vistoso - Resort Review |
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WorldMark Rancho Vistoso |
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submit your review of WorldMark Rancho Vistoso
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| Author: |
webprinter |
| Visited on: |
04/17/2003 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
10/17/2004 |
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Pros:
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Beautiful resort in a residential area. Very well maintained and clean. |
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Cons:
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A ways away from Tucson |
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Review:
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We stayed at Rancho Visotoso in March, so that we could watch spring training. The weather was beautiful. There is a lot to see and do in the area. Parking is close to the condo. You can walk a long way on sidewalks if you desire to get some exercise. The pool area is nice and they have hot tubs in various areas around the condos. They have a nice clubhouse area. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We saw the maint. staff outside picking up trash and cleaning sidewalks frequently. They had the best orientation I have seen at any Worldmark. They had representatives of various tours, etc in person, telling about their activities. They have some beautiful golf courses in the area, but they are expensive.
The condo itself was large, (we were in a one bedroom). It was nicely decorated and very well maintained. It was very clean and quiet. We sat out on our patio every morning and enjoyed breakfast. It looked like your typical WM condo and contained all the usual WM spices and equipment. It had a full kitchen and washer/dryer.
I highly recommend WM Vistoso. |
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| Author: |
campmommie |
| Visited on: |
02/15/2003 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
01/05/2005 |
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Pros:
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A very nice resort. Fantastic pool, great clubhouse. Beautiful surroundings. Nicely decorated, inside and out. |
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Cons:
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The selection of decent eating spots near the resort is limited. |
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Review:
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This is a great resort if you like the desert. Beautiful inside and out. The usual Worldmark furiture. Nothing to complain about.
We went on the desert jeep tour arranged though the resort. It was really fun. We had a very early start so it was not hot; the driver took us to some really beautiful places, and even brought along some reptiles to look at. (Warning - on this trip, if you have to "go," you will be hiding behind a cactus, so if this makes you uncomfortable, you might want to choose a different activity.)
There are many historic areas to go to, a fantastic desert museum/botanic garden/zoo, the Biosphere 2 which was very interesting, and petroglyphs to see.
If you golf, you are next door to a beautiful course.
We drove all the way to Tombstone, which is OK (but you gotta do it), but probably enjoyed the other areas, including the Ghost Town Highway, more. We enjoyed going to see the old missle silo facility, and the plane museum.
You should plan on doing a lot of driving if you are staying for a week.
I highly recommend this resort. |
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| Author: |
Travel2Live |
| Visited on: |
12/19/2004 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Resort grounds: |
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| Submitted on: |
01/30/2005 |
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Pros:
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Grounds were well kept and the scenery was very beautiful. Overall a nice resort. |
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Cons:
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The carpet was not as clean as we expected it to be. The 3bed which holds a capacity of 8 people was not able to fit 8 adults comfortably all at once in the living room. |
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Review:
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This is a nice resort overall and the people we were with loved the golfing at Vistoso, they said it was the most beautiful course they'd played on and for $50 in high season that was a great deal.
The weather was nice while we were there, it was a little overcast but never rained.
If you go you have to eat at El Charro's I believe kids eat free Monday-Wednesday. The food is excellent and the service we had was just as good. Excellent for vegetarians too! The staff pointed us in the direction of this restaurant so they can give you the directions, there is one closer to the resort if you don't want to drive into Tucson.
I highly recommend this resort! |
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| Author: |
sue1947 |
| Visited on: |
01/02/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
3.25 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Resort grounds: |
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| Submitted on: |
02/02/2006 |
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Pros:
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Large 3-BR with room to have the murphy bed down during the day without impacting the living room |
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Cons:
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Poor upkeep; lots of litter around the unit which remained for the length of our stay. The floors had not been vacuumed. |
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Review:
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This was a great location for a break from the rainy Northwest. Saguaro National Park, Mt. Lemmon, Catalina State Park, Sabino Canyon all have excellent hiking (the hiking on Mt. Lemmon was in May) very close to Tucson. Madera Canyon is about an hour south and also has good hiking, but is best known as a birdwatching location. Further afield, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is about 2+ hours. We really liked this area with its blend of mountains and desert scenery. I'd love to go back in a wet year when the flowers are blooming (I missed last year's show). Our favorite road trip, though was east to Wilcox, about 1.5 hours from Tucson). The Wings Over Wilcox birdwatching festival was that weekend and the star of the show (for me)were the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that winter in the area. Within 30 miles of Wilcox is Fort Bowie National Historic Site. You hike into the site via a 3 mile loop trail. Along the way in, you pass the site where Cochise was taken prisoner for a kidnapping he didn't commit, then the Butterfield Stage station, the cemetery with Geronimo's 2 year old son, the Apache site near the spring and then the fort site at the pass. The loop back climbs up a hillside with views out over the pass. There's a small visitors center at the site itself with restrooms and water, but no food, so pack a lunch along with sunhat etc. Close by is Chiricauhau National Monument which we will need to return to. This is a little higher and might be a tricky drive to the top in snow in the winter. There are beautiful rock formations and trails that wind down through them. The Rangers run a van shuttle for hikers from the Visitors center at the bottom to the top where you can then hike back down to your car. Rancho Vistoso is too far away to do anything but a fairly short visit so we are planning a return trip based in Wilcox.
For shopping, Tubac is a nice artists colony with a variety of galleries and stores. |
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| Author: |
teamkimball |
| Visited on: |
07/18/2002 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
05/16/2006 |
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Pros:
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nice pool. we witnessed a very cool lightning storm from the pool which overlooks the valley. |
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Cons:
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there was MAJOR construction being done when we checked in...it was very confusing to find the resort. |
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Review:
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watch out, it gets HHHHOOOOOOOTTTTT in the summer. we went to visit one of the missions nearby and thought we were going to die of heatstroke. other than that, the resort was beautiful, there were wild bunnies hopping around everywhere, and we loved the pool. |
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| Author: |
strawbears |
| Visited on: |
04/09/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
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| Submitted on: |
06/26/2006 |
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Pros:
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Beautiful peaceful resort. Most units have great views. Awesome golf nearby as well as other interesting attractions. Great location not far from Tucson. Small jacuzzi's with sun shelters scattered throughout the resort. |
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Cons:
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One pool. Overzealous TW sales staff- be firm when you tell them you don't want to book an update mtg. Not much shade to park cars under. HOT in summer and early fall. |
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Review:
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We had a WONDERFUL time at RV. We were looking for total peace and relaxation and we found it in spades! We found enough stuff to keep us occupied during the times we weren't just hanging out and relaxing!
The unit was decent size but had a few things that hadn't been fixed yet. One window kept coming loose from its frame everytime we tried to open it.(dangerous!) A tack strip was poking through in one doorway (ouch on bare feet!). The fridge had a bad drawer and a tempermental icemaker. The couch was covered in THE most awful material- scratchy, noisy, and altogether unpleasant. We covered it with one of our beach towels! The patio was great and we were within a very short walk of a nice private jacuzzi! Patio had a great view- unit had no real view from inside. Parking is very close to each unit. Overall the unit was really no better and no worse than most WM units we've stayed in. The staff was very appreciative when we gave them a list of the maintainance items- they said most folks don't so they don't find out what is broken until someone complains during their stay.
Our unit, bldg 6, was quite a hike from the pool and the rec center. This was fine with us as we had no kids with us and it made for a much quieter time when hanging outside. The playground and basketball court adjacent to the pool were always well occupied by people having a good time. The trees were just beginning to leaf out while we were there and we enjoyed watching them. Landscaping was excellent and well cared for.
The weather was perfect in the spring. Warm, 80s, with a light breeze. A few days clouded over and it rained around us but not right on us. Nights are wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, watch the moon come up over the mountains, listen to the birds. It's desert so it can get HOT in summer and early fall. Winter and spring would be the ideal times to visit here!
Ok, things to do:
If you like hiking try this link: http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_8520.asp
Sabino Canyon is nearby and is supposed to be gorgeous. We didn't go on this trip but will on the next!
Kartchner Caverns- absolutely a must see!!! About 1- 1 1/2 hrs from resort. WORTH IT! MAKE RESERVATIONS to do the Big Room tour or get there early to put your name on the Throne Room list. Whichever you take (or both) wait until you see Kubla Khan. Staggeringly breathtaking- brought tears to both our eyes. The Caverns are some of the few LIVING caverns open to the public. Very cool!!
http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html
Colossal Cave http://www.colossalcave.com/
Not far from Kartchner. We didn't go but it's supposed to be nice as well. A 'dead' cave. Can only see one? Kartchner!!!
Golf- lots of beautiful courses in the area. The Vistoso course, that we have a discount with, is probably the best deal in golf at any of the WM resorts. $50 to play on a gorgeous top-notch course. What a steal! The semi-private lessons were well worth the price as well. I shaved about 8 strokes off my game with some advice I got there!!! We found a couple of other courses that were nice as well. There's a Par 3 course in the river bottom about 1/2 hr south that was fun and would be a good place to take kids/beginners.
Arizona/Sonoran Desert Museum- part zoo, part museum, part arboretum
http://www.desertmuseum.org/
Old Tucson Studios- where they filmed a lot of old westerns.
Bisbee/Tombstone- Bisbee is an old copper or silver mining town. Supposed to be better than the more touristy Tombstone. We didn't do either as we live in an old mining area and they are pretty far from the resort. We heard that doing Kartchner, then Bisbee, then Tubac, and the Mission makes a nice, long full-day trip on a loop.
Nogales- touristy and cheap. We have Tijuana close by to give us a mistaken impression of Mexico and Mexicans- we didnt' need another dose. But if you've never been by all means experience it. Just remember that it is no more representative of the real Mexico than East Los Angeles is representative of the real US.
Tubac- if you want Mexican/Southwestern Art Tubac is probably a better choice and is closer by 50 miles. We spent an enjoyable day wandering around and doing souvenir shopping. Some really neat artists galleries! Food- there is a little shop on the same street as you enter town, down about 2 blocks on the left- one half is a wine store the other a bistro/cafe. (can't remember the name!!)Excellent and reasonably priced food. The most reasonably priced in Tubac. Nice interior, nice people. The sandwich shop on the right as you first enter town is always overflowing and the locals said it has decent food as well. The Bistro's prices were better and it was quieter and less crowded.The old spanish hacienda type restaurant off the main road has $15 hamburgers and rude indifferent waitstaff if you like that type of thing....
If you go to Tubac stop at San Xavier Mission del Bac, a Spanish Mission built in the 1790's. On the way to Tubac/Nogales. Supposed to be beautiful- it closed early on the day we stopped so all we saw was the outside!!
Biosphere II- (20min from RV) We really wanted to see this due to a long interest in the experiment. It is fascinating. The tour money is all that supports the facility now and it is worth supporting. What a neat piece of our history and something we will probably need info about in the future not less...but well...that's how real research money goes- here today, gone tomorrow.
http://www.bio2.com/
http://biology.kenyon.edu/slonc/bio3/2000projects/carroll_d_walker_e/biosphere.html
If you plan to do a lot of stuff you might want to purchase a Tucson Passport from the front desk. It is only $15.00 and loaded with 2 for 1 admissions at attractions like Kartchner Caverns, Biosphere 2, the Desert Musuem and so on.
Food- Michelangelos has excellent Italian food in a really nice atmosphere. Not too pricey. We were delighted with everything we got except the Tiramisu was disappointing. Ask at the front desk for recommendations. There is a family owned chain of Mexican restaurants that had decent food and a lively atmosphere and some tasty margaritas. Can't remember the name but the desk will know. Mostly we ate in and barbecued. Safeway had some really great fresh seafood that was yummy!! (Safeway is just a short drive away- very convenient. And there's a Starbuck's inside if you need a jolt.)
A trip into old Tucson (the shopping district) is fun and there are some great places to eat there as well. Go and wander.
Don't forget the sunscreen. Sit around the pool, warm up in the multiple jacuzzi's. Relax. Listen to the quiet. Enjoy the varied landscape and the desert flora and fauna that are abundant in the resort. Relax some more!! Enjoy!
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| Author: |
gemss |
| Visited on: |
06/12/2007 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Resort grounds: |
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| Submitted on: |
06/18/2007 |
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Pros:
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Very nice resort. We stayed for a total of three days in one of the penthouse units and it was very nice. |
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Cons:
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Pool was closed for resurfacing. Wish we would have been informed about it when we made our reservation. |
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