The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain

We spent three nights at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain. We had a king bedroom and used Marriott points to book the room. We usually stay at another Marriott property in the greater Tucson/Oro Valley area for our twice-yearly visits but wanted to try Dove Mountain. There are some really wonderful things about this property. The resort is in a beautiful location with tons of hiking trails. We enjoyed the glass of bubbly upon check in. We loved the room. Our room was quiet, huge – the size of a lot of suites – and very comfy: comfy chair, comfy updated décor, comfy pillows, comfy bed. The room temperature control was really good. The TV was good-sized and there’s a nice-sized table, fridge and Nespresso in the room. Turndown service was great. Our balcony looked down over the fire pits and seating, and we could hear flute music at dusk, a lovely touch. The outdoor areas are very tidy and well-tended. While we didn’t use the pool or golf, we noticed that the kids’ pool area with the slide looked totally awesome. We did use the gym, which was very clean with a decent lineup of equipment (Smith machine, lots of free weights, stability/BOSU balls, some aging Technogym cardio equipment but a lot of treadmills, and a group fitness room which held two free fitness classes in the mornings.) We thought the bar drinks/wine bottles were not bonkers-expensive, and the yogurt parfaits, pastries and lattes at the little to-go café were delicious. Above all, the staff were fantastic: valet service was efficient and speedy, everyone was friendly and helpful, and when we did have a couple quality issues, they were resolved immediately and thoroughly. The staff are what sets this property above many others. The resort was less than excellent for us on a few things: while the location is beautiful, we thought it a bit too removed for our taste. The shower in our room was so-so. Wifi wasn’t particularly strong. The balconies in our room's building all diagonally face other rooms, so there’s not a huge amount of privacy. There’s a mandatory $40 valet fee for cars and a $60 resort fee per day, which in the grand scheme of things for Ritz-Carlton we guess is under the “in for a penny, in for pound” guest expenditure category. Since the resort is so out of the way, you’re essentially a captive audience, and the prices and quality of food reflect this. We expect to pay a premium for food at resorts, but the quality fell very short with breakfast at CORE, our BBQ lunch at Cayton’s and a glass of wine with our (delicious) sandwich from room service. Staff corrected the quality issues to our satisfaction, but we feel that for a Ritz-Carlton they shouldn’t be having these issues in the first place. But overall a very enjoyable three-night stay for us!

At the end of our Arizona roadtrip in March 2025, my husband and I splurged for a night at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort. The view at the entry, of the outdoor mountain backdrop and pool is stunning. At the check-in counter, we were warmly greeted with a glass of champagne and shown to our room by a friendly porter. We enjoyed the grounds and hiking trails, and had dinner at Cayton's Restaurant, about a mile away, accessible by the hotel shuttle, or one of the well-maintained hiking trails. In the early morning, we took a dip in the pool and hot tub before checking out. It was a quick visit but we felt like high-rollers and were treated with the upmost kindness and respect. The service at the Ritz Carlton Dove Carlton is top-notch.

We would like to thank the management and staff at The Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain for making our 80th stay at this property enjoyable and memorable. We loved our upgraded room and all the special touches. The spa experience was wonderful and relaxing as usual. Justin is a great masseuse and always customizes the service to meet my needs. I always love going to the spa and seeing Cher and Marcela. They are always smiling and a pleasure to be with. We would also like to thank Gracia in housekeeping and Ruth C in In Room Dining. Ruth has a wonderful passion for her job and made us smile. Thank you all and we will see you again soon.

The location is very beautiful, nestled into the mountain side among the wild life with a pretty desert backdrop. I would say this lives up to a Ritz but could use a few more amenities to cross the “amazing” status one might expect. If you have kids this can be fun but keep in mind they only have two pools ( one with a water slide) the other pool is more adult oriented. I would say for kids this Ritz is ok but not ideal. They have a Ranger station room which has live scorpions and spiders etc… there is even a giant female turtle walking outside the ranger station room that you can pet. Nice restaurants but of course everything is pricey. We just drove down about 20 minutes into Marana and they have everything you can want to eat, great way to save money on meals. They do have an arcade which I must say is very well done , as all the consoles have 100s of games. There is no M lounge…apparently it’s was closed during Covid and never reopened; that would be an awesome addition. Overall not a bad experience but just needs a few extras for platinum members which they don’t seem to offer… everything is an up charge.

We’ve stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain many times over the years, and it never disappoints—but this visit was especially memorable thanks to the exceptional hospitality of pastry chefs Marlon and Tan Rio. Their pastries were phenomenal, and the conversations we shared with them were warm, engaging, and truly enjoyable. Chef Tan Rio even went out of his way to surprise us with a custom re-creation of Korean hho dduk—a thoughtful and delicious gesture that made this trip stand out among all our past stays. We’re incredibly grateful to both chefs for their talent, kindness, and the personal touch they brought to our experience. They were a true highlight of our visit.